Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management

The importance of guest to an establishment

Lesson no: 02

Who is a guest?

A guest is someone who patronizes our hotel with a view to use the services, facilities in
addition to enjoy the hospitality offered by us, the staff of the hotel.

Why is the guest so important to a hotel?

A guest is the person who provides the vital nourishment for the existence of a hotel. You
may have the most beautiful hotel with the best of facilities, and may also have a well-
experienced and trained top quality staff, but without the guests in it, a hotel is bound to
fail, and may end up in bankruptcy. More than any one else in the hotel the “GUEST” is
the most important person in the hotel.

 The guest is the most important person in our business

 He is not dependant on us, we are dependant on him
 He is the purpose of our work, not an interruption
 He does an honor when he calls, we are not doing him a favour by serving
 He is part of our business and not an outsider, he is guest
 He is not a figure in a book, he is a flesh and blood and is a human with feelings
like our own
 He is not someone to argue or match with us
 He is one who brings us his wants, its our duty to fulfill them
 He deserves the most courteous treatment we can offer
 He is the life blood of our industry

What are guest’s expectations?

Guest expectations vary from one Guest to another. The sociocultural background one
has perceived formulates one’s expectations. Most of the time, the difference between
satisfied guest’s and dissatisfied guests is when the service we provide is up to the
expectation or not up to the expectations, of the individual.

Most of the time a guest can be satisfied by providing, tasty and hygienic food, clean and
comfortable accommodation, but problems mainly occur when trying to satisfy the
guest’s ego needs.

What are first impressions?

The first impressions are created when a person first meet someone or experiences
something. It is from this experience that perceptions are created. Perceptions dictate
one’s likes and dislikes. It does not always take long to have the first impressions. We
never get a second chance to create the first impression so you should be ready at all the
times.

CARING FOR GUESTS.

Good personal service is about creating a sense of well-being in our customers -a feeling
that their needs are being met, that their business is valued, that they matter to us. It is
difficult to define the personal service concept as it cannot be weighed or measured.
Good service will mean different things to different people and the challenge for people
working in the hotel and tourism industry is to anticipate and meet as far as possible the
needs of all our customers

THE CONCEPT OF HOSPITALITY AND SERVICE

Their are two main types of service -material and personal. The term "material service”
relates to the quality, quantity, price and timing of food, drink, physical comfort,
information and working methods. This could mean:

an appetising lunch special in the coffee shop

spotlessly clean toilet facilities in the hotel
the wide range of souvenirs available in the hotel gift shop
the hotel information pack provided in each guest room

Material service is generally something concrete and visible that the customer can easily
identify. It would not be possible to provide good personal service without the back-up
of good material service. Yet often the customer is unmoved by the material service no
matter how good a standard it is, and it often has, at best, only a neutral effect on him.
Customers are more likely to comment on material service when it is below standard
than to praise it. What clean toilets !" is less likely to be heard than loud complaints if
the toilets are dirty

Because material service is easier to define and analyse, most companies give priority to
this in terms of investment and advertising aspects of their business. Yet research shows
that it is the level of personal service that is most often the deciding factor in customers'
choice and that where the material service falls below par, it may well be forgiven if the
customer is treated with warmth and kindness.

Personal service is about creating a sense of well being in our customers -making them
feel welcome and valued while at the same time ensuring that their needs are looked
after. Personal service is not tangible therefore it is difficult to measure as it is largely
more emotional than rational and is very subjective. While you may not be able to
actually see personal service, you will notice if it is not there. The key to success in the
hotel business is to provide a high standard of both material and personal service -every
hotel supplies its guests with food, drink and accommodation but if your hotel is also
providing a high level of personal service then you will have the competitive edge. That
is the reason you and the job you do are so important to the business -you are the key
-to providing a high level of personal service.

About service

As we know "service" is difficult to define because it is such a subjective concept

especially in relation to personal service. There are several reasons why this is so:

service even in the same country or culture can be viewed differently by people with
different experience, education, age and background.

service can be perceived differently by the same person at different times depending
on their needs and mood.

people have different standards of quality.

how service is seen depends on people's prior expectations.

Good service means giving customers a little more than they expect. Excellent service is
enjoying giving people a little more than they expect. Often as customers, the point of
contact makes no impact -it is neutral, neither good nor bad. However if we are ignored,
treated rudely or cheated, we are left with negative feelings of anger and frustration. We
may never do business with that company again. At other times the attention we receive
as customers seems special. The service-giver is friendly, warm, and attentive and is
prepared to go to trouble on our behalf. This scenario leaves us with positive feelings of
appreciation and pleasure which encourage us to do repeat business with the company
in question. Customer loyalty means good business.

PROVIDING A QUALITY SERVICE

Don't confuse the idea of offering a perfect service with the idea of having the perfect
product. It is possible to deliver a really good service to guests in a hotel or guest house
that has no star rating and it is also possible to deliver a poor quality service in a five star
hotel, You are the. Central and key element in the delivery of quality -you are in the
driving seat -you have a very important role to play.

Providing a quality service means:

.offering a high quality experience to every customer every time
.maintain with high standards and repeat them every time
.developing systems and making them work every time
developing routines for tasks that have to be done again and again so that
completing them becomes a habit and nothing gets left out

Even when things go wrong you can still offer the customer a quality service by so ,!
out the problem promptly, efficiently and courteously. !
HOW IMPORTANT IS, UNDERSTANDING THE GUEST
POINT OF VIEW?

Many of our guests are from socio-cultural backgrounds different from our own.
Therefore;
How they see a particular issue/item might completely different to that of ours from how
we look at it.

Since within the hotel environment the "guest" is the most important person. His/her
point of view also matters more than what our point of view is.

If our objective is to make the guests happy, then our services have to be better than
what they expect (guest expectations). Therefore, we have to understand the guest
expectations. Guest expectations are in other words what the guest think is right for
him/her for the money he/she pays. Well, that is the guest's point of view.

Providing service to delight guests

This is providing service better than what the guest expect. The target of any hotel should
be to have 100% delighted guests. However hotel staff should always anticipate guest
needs and have viable service solutions, so that we keep attempting to delight guests
rather than merely trying to satisfy them.

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5 Delight
Promise
0
Delivery
MEETING DIFFERENT NEEDS

Working in the hotel business means coming in contact with a wide cross-section of the
public. In your job you will have to learn to recognize who your different types of
customers are and the service that they will both expect and require -meeting their
different needs to the highest possible standard is customer-care in action. Some of the
obvious ones are:

.the business and conference customers. They will expect and demand an efficient
professional service to act as a backup to their activities. Their priorities might be
punctuality, availability of high standard secretarial services, privacy and
unobtrusive service-

.the holiday maker or tourist. They may be more interested in the hotels leisure
facilities, friendly service and value for money.

It is your job to identify these individual needs and to ensure the service you provide
matches if not exceeds the guests expectations.

The less obvious type of customer are those who may have special needs, requiring
understanding and sensitive handling, such as:

.the elderly
.children
.disabled customers
.visitors from different cultural backgrounds.

The elderly

Older customers may have mobility problems and may tire easily. Some people in their
eighties are very active, others are not. Your common sense should tell you if they need
special help. Elderly visitors should be treated with respect and patience.

Children

Families comprise a major segment of the holiday market, yet many staff appear to
tolerate children under sufferance. Parents and children will appreciate staff who
facilitate
and welcome families. For instance, involving children in the commentary when
accompanying guests to their room -"We have a lovely pool for children and lots of toys
in our playroom", offering to heat a baby's bottle, assisting parents carry small children
and so on. these are the extra bits of service that you and your hotel will be remembered
for.
With children, it is possible that they may drift away from their parents and get lost in
the hotel. This ~an be a very frightening experience for them, try to reassure lost children
while following the hotel procedures for dealing with this situation.
Disabled visitors

Disabled visitors can easily be handicapped not by their disability but by staff attitudes
towards them. Try to treat them as you would any other visitor, while making allowances
for their disability. Guests with restricted hearing may not be able to benefit from your
announcements. During a conversation, they may be trying to lip read so it is important
I that you face them and speak very clearly. H necessary write down the information for
them. Similarly special assistance may be required by blind or partially sighted people
.

Overseas visitors

It helps to understand and respect some of the basic cultural differences between various
nationalities so as to avoid offending visitors unwittingly. For instance, recognizing
religious dietary restrictions and codes of behaviour will help you in your understanding
of guests needs.

Caring, being professionally concerned and noticing things is one of the secrets of
success
in the hospitality industry. H you care about others, you take trouble to see that they are
comfortable and have everything they need. Caring is both the way you do things and
the reason why you do them.

DO'S AND DON'TS

Keep this checklist with you as a constant reminder to think and act " customer care"
when doing your job
.
Do:

Think customer
Anticipate his requirements
Act without being asked
Try to meet his needs
Do more than is asked for
Do so willingly
Enjoy doing a job well
Be conscious of those needing special assistance
Give a little bit extra
Get it right every time

Don’t

Begrudge helping others

Wait to be asked
Hesitate-act immediately
Forget-the customer is important to you
Safety First

Any human being is concerned about his/her safety, and guests are no exceptions.
Guest will not stay in areas or countries where there are safety concerns such as diseases
famine, natural disasters, violence, etc. Within hotels they would be concerned about,

the condition of the building and surrounding, layout, hygiene standards, caution signs
etc. Even by oversight if the hotel or it's staff neglect the safety concerns of it's guest,
they will find it hard to sell any services or facilities to guests. Think about your self as a
guest. Will you eat in a cafe, which looks dirty and unhygienic or sleep in a room (in a
strange place), which has a roof, which is about to collapse?

Comfort and Convenience

Once safety concerns are met, then comes comfort and convenience. Guests look at
quality, quantity, price, timing, physical comfort, and a general sense of being well
looked after. People with special needs such as the elderly, those with children or
babies, those with physical disabilities and those with special interests will want their
needs satisfied.

Cultural difference

What is culture?

The definition of "Culture" is civilization, way of life, life style, customs,

habits, ways, morals, (source Oxford Dictionary) Therefore cultural differences are
differences that exists between different ways of life, or life styles, customs in people
belonging to different groups. These groups may be divided by way of tribes, families,
organizations, races religions, castes, or nations. Groups of people have variance in the
way issues are perceived.
The need to understand the cultural differences is to realize that on certain aspects your
guests might have ideas different to your own. These have to be acknowledged but
need not necessarily be totally rejected or accepted.

CUSTOMER CARE

There are three parties involved in customer care and they are:

1. the customer
2..the company
3. you
 THE CUSTOMER CARE TRIANGLE

CUSTOMER

CUSTOMER
CARE

COMPANY YOU

The benefits of good and effective customer care can be felt by all three parties -there is
something in it for everyone and not just the customer. These benefits may be identified
as follows:

For the Customer;

.pleasant experience
.attractive, welcoming surroundings
.helpful, interested staff
.finding what they want
.being cared for and treated as an individual
.respect and recognition

For the Company

.satisfied customers
.customer loyalty and goodwill
.increased sales and profit
good "word of mouth II publicity
staying ahead of the competition
meeting customers' needs for better service
repeat business as satisfied customers will return again and again
greater job satisfaction for staff

For You

.customers being pleasant to you

.the pleasure of seeing the customer satisfied
.the satisfaction of doing a good job and using your skills and knowledge !
.knowing you have done your best
.the satisfaction of being pleasant to people and giving them what they want
.more happiness, less stress

Classification of Guests
Hotel guests can be classified in many ways. But their nationality. Purpose of
visit, and the length of stay can be considered as the most commonly used .
.
Nationality

Guest's nationality will give their identification as a market end the contribution it makes.
to our industry. Also, most nationalities have their own cultural characteristics as such
food, clothing, language, & spending patterns etc.

Purpose of visit

Hotel guests visit hotels for various purposes such as holiday, business. and cultural
activities Holiday can be a beach holiday, ski-in, wild life, adventure, ecological. & sight
seeing, etc.

Business could be divided in to trading as we!1 as short~term work, such as a.

reporter covering an event There is also a special category; termed MICE which
is an acronym for meetings, incentives. (conventions & exhibitions They too can
be broadly termed as business guests.

Cultural activities can. be separated in to pilgrims, Sports men& women, people visiting
relations & friends, educational visitors etc.

Lengthy of stay:

Minimum length of stay for visitor to be considered as resident guests is one

night. However there are sometimes resident day guests as well. But they are
not counted on to total tally of guests in house for the day Guests who stay one' .
or two nights are considered as transient guests. The others who stay for
periods longer than seven nights are considered as long stay guests. This might
extend up to maximum period of 3 months. They are mostly holiday makers by
purpose Any length of a stay more than this would require permanent resident
guest status. These people by purpose are mostly expatriates on various employment
and/or educational assignments.

Non residents
Guests who visit hotels for the purposes of partaking of meals. drinks, and utilize other
services offered, are termed as non-resident guests. These may be listed down as
banquettes. exhibitions, meetings. sports activities. leisure activities, shopping etc The
guests do not use hotel accommodation facilities and are usually not registered at the
Front Office..

Other methods of classification

The other methods of classification are by age, sex, occupation, mode of transport and
market profile.