CREATING BETTER EXPERIENCES IN YOUR HOTEL…How You Can Improve Them for Your Guests and Employees!

“As hospitality evolves in the luxury sector, so do systems and processes. While much of the industry is fixated on technology as a salvation for every problem, it’s more often the human touch that matters. That’s why a progressive management system should be examining every standard operating procedure to see what can be better engineered for empathy and guest delight. Those hoteliers who are willing to do this will be the architects creating the best experiences for the future.” - Colin Nagy, Head of Strategy at FFNY

There is a great quote that says, “Hospitality starts before you walk into the hotel.” With so much focus on guests and all the material items inside the hotel, it is just as important to remember the people that keep it operating efficiently and the environment that is surrounding the employees, as well.

Photo Credit: The Beaumont Hotel, Jannes Soerensen, GM

Jannes Soerensen is the General Manager of the Beaumont Hotel, a luxury property in London. Soerensen doesn’t see himself as that general on the hill but as someone who needs to enable the creativity of the frontline staff. That means breaking down the hierarchy between roles and levels at the hotel to create a cohesive tribe, making every part of staff feel he or she plays a vital role in creating the guest experience.

For hoteliers, the very questions that drive the hospitality industry have become more pointed. Any hotel offers visitors a comfortable place to stay— but why should they stay in a specific establishment? The answer usually comes down to two words: experience and authenticity.

But with those being the “pull” for guests to stay, it should also be a reason to work there. Experiential luxury is becoming a frequently used term for what guests are looking for but those who are looking for a rewarding environment to work in, a great experience applies to them.

Empowering your staff is critical to creating paths to success and keeping doors open for opportunities encourages people to think bigger about their futures. When problems arise, they’re able to address them with senior management without hesitation. It is creating “intra”preneurship with your team. They take ownership of their role and the important impact it has on the entire operation. They feel valued.

Just as guests want and need more than a roof over their heads; they need their trips to be memorable in a way that surpasses tourism of the past. Employees need their work environment to be rewarding and fulfilling. Money only becomes the number one driving force for an employee after appreciation is not being met. Authenticity is the new currency.

According to industry human resource professionals, some of the top reasons for praising your staff for a job well done are: 

• Happier employees
• Increased production
• Improved job satisfaction
• Higher employee retention rates
• Improved team culture throughout department and hotel
• Improved guest survey scores, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty

When it comes to creating new experiences there are some interesting roles that are developing as a result of this intense focus. In a recent HOTELS Magazine feature, it discusses there are the traditional valet, bellman, front desk attendant, concierge, housekeeper, chef and operations roles. But the effort to offer refreshed guest experiences and services are swaying hotels to recruit for offbeat yet strategically aligned positions such as a fish valet, canine surf instructor, pigeon chaser or hot cocoa butler.

The spectrum of these positions includes tasks that cover everything from butler roles for music, fragrance, camping or glamping to mermaid trainers or, in one case, the “vibe” manager.

Photo Credit: Hard Rock Hotel – Universal Orlando

The Vibe Manager is a critical role at the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando in Florida, as the employee works from a music catalog consisting of more than a million songs to select and program all music needs on site including the state-of-the-art underwater sound system at the resort’s beach pool.

At the Baccarat Hotel New York, they have three crystal and glass attendants. These are expert individuals tasked with the care of the hotel’s massive collection of crystal, a position that requires the attendants to know each of the 40 types of stemware, dozens of designs and their value.

Photo Credit: The Baccarat Hotel, New York - “Anthony Benitez, a 31-year-old first-generation New Yorker whose family hails from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, has been on the job for two years. Prior to coming to the hotel, he had never worked in hospitality. Instead, for 10 years, he had worked in moving and storage, which, he says, was perfect training for the glass attendant job. “In the moving business, it’s about taking care of things, making sure they get to where they need to go in one piece.”

The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia, is in the heart of southern barbecue territory, thus, the employment of a Barbecue Butler. The role assists guests in selecting their meats, sauces and smoking woods, then prepares the meal personally at the guest’s cottage.

Photo Credit: The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation

It is very evident that global leaders such as HILTON, Marriott, IHG, and many more are understanding how important it is to laser focus on providing key experiences, specialty services but they are also focusing on giving back to the community, adding sustainability back into their hotels. By reinvesting in programs that help continue educating employees on systems and procedures but also improving on their employee’s wellness and happiness.

When changes and improvements are made even one percent at a time across every department, it solves hundreds of problems across the hotel. This process is based on implementing a Kaizen program modeled after the Japanese idea of continuous improvement by small steps. It leads to improvements in everything from planning for guest arrivals and departures to reducing the use of plastic throughout the hotel. Success always includes consistency.

The Refinishing Touch? has been providing hotels with successful, consistent management for existing assets for over 42 years. During that time and completing more than 7,000 renovation projects nationwide, there have been many problems seen, discussed and solved when it comes to refinishing, re-engineering and reupholstering FF&E for hotels. View our completed projects list!

Photo Credit: The Refinishing Touch? - Mario Insenga, Founder and Principal

Improving the experience for your guests begins with improving the experience for your employees. When these needs are being met, you look at the existing assets such the condition of your FF&E. You want the experience for the guest to include surrounding them with furniture that is clean, refreshed and functional. Replacement is no longer the immediate go-to decision when your hotel reaches that 7-year refresh or 14-year mark. Refinishing your FF&E extends the life of your furniture and provides the savings to be re-invested into other areas of your hotel that can improve that guest experience.

Photo Credit: The Refinishing Touch?

The Refinishing Touch? FULL refinishing process is clean, non-toxic, environmentally safe and will reduce your CO2 footprint thus providing a major impact on the environment.

Photo Credit: The Refinishing Touch?

By making the sustainable decision to refinish, you are also decreasing your hotel’s CO2 footprint and helping the environment. See the dramatic difference refinishing can make for a 100-room hotel.

Photo Credit: The Refinishing Touch?

Photo Credit: The Refinishing Touch? - Project includes Refinishing, Color Change, Re-Engineering, Solid Surface Replacement, New Decorative Hardware

Photo Credit: The Refinishing Touch? - Project includes Refinishing, Color Change, Solid Surface Replacement, New Decorative Hardware

Photo Credit: The Refinishing Touch? - Project includes Refinishing, Color Change, Reupholstering

The Refinishing Touch? is the trusted and Preferred Supplier for HILTON, Host Hotels and many more.

If your hotel is experiencing a renovation, whether PIP, CAPEX or refresh and your FF&E needs updating, choose the experts! Call us at 1.800.523.9448 and email Erek Schwartz, Sales Manager at [email protected] to request your online quote today. Touch is in our name, but “Touchup” is not in our spec! We provide on-site, sustainable, FULL refinishing, re-engineering and reupholstering solutions that last! To learn more about all our community of services, visit www.therefinishingtouch.com

RESOURCES:

Fabricating Authenticity Key to Hotel Success by Steven Yari, Stockdale Capital Partners

Don’t Forget to Thank YOUR Hotel Employees by Jerry Conway

How to Evolve the Chain of Command with Hotel Management by Colin Nagy, SKIFT

Carbonfootprint.com

JN+A and HVS Design Cost Estimating Guide - 2019

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