Making a difference through Service – Living the Hospitality

By Rashmeet Kapoor

Professor Rashmeet Kapoor explains the importance of delivering top-notch service to customers in the Hospitality industry.

The word hospitality defines kindness, warmth, and helpfulness and creating a memorable service experience is a sheer reflection of the same. True hospitality is accomplished when we are able to establish a relationship with the guest.

As it is the software in a computer system which makes it more effective than the hardware, similarly it’s not the building or product but the people delivering the services that make hospitality most effective. Great service stands for both hospitality and efficiency. The parameters of it are not the quantity but quality, the things done right. The quality of check-in, food & beverage service, the smiles, the greetings or the welcome drink, all of these portray the soul of a hotel and not merely the product.

A distinctive trend in the hotels these days is not only to focus on the rational but also the emotional satisfaction of a guest. And the same creates a distinct personality of a hotel or brand as caring, efficient and enigmatic which of course makes it stand above the competitors echoing the feeling that “No one cares as much.” Gone are the days when having an exceptional product or a competitive price was good enough to rule the market. Nowadays guests do not mind paying extra, however, need the best service experience.

Service & Hospitality

There is a very thin line between just providing service or being hospitable. The journey from service to hospitality is what makes a difference. Taking the service to the next level is what reflects hospitality and that’s where a hotel can earn value compared to the competitors. Hospitality unveils itself while one is dealing with the guest. It could be during checking-in a guest, taking orders, room cleaning or any other occasion of providing assistance to the guest.

Let’s take an example of a guest check-in at a hotel – the guest enters and proceed to the Front desk where his name is asked and the required formalities are done and the keys are handed over. In this entire process of 2-3 minutes the FO (Front Office) personnel has delivered a service but did not show any sign of hospitality. The staff did not take out a moment to engage the guest in a conversation and making them feel welcome. There is a missed effort to deliver true hospitality and enhancing the service experience to create an unforgettable moment for the guest. Therefore, a better way to check-in a guest should have emphasized on addressing them with their name, engaging them in a conversation, showing the care for the guest by asking and meeting their preferences and escorting them to their room.

Product vs Service

These days almost all the hotels look the same, feel the same and largely offer a similar kind of product and service. Yet each of them is different from another in the true sense of hospitality they are offering. The smiles are making a difference, not everywhere you go you are greeted with the same genuine smile or experience the service that comes from within.

Many researches have proven time and again that guests do not remember the product of a hotel but the hospitality that they experienced. They cherish the smiles, the concern and moments that give them the feeling of belongingness.

Products are anyways tangible, hence easily distinguished by attributes, quality etc whereas differentiating through service is a challenge and need continuous innovation and divergent thinking.

The service experience is anytime more important than the product has been well proven by companies like Uber and Airbnb who do not really own any product themselves but have been winning over the competition through the experience provided by them. Quintessentially group, who are the global leaders in concierge services along with many other such companies prove that the guests are ready to pay anything to get the best service experience.

Delivering Delightful Experience

Delivering a delightful experience is all about exceeding the guest expectations in all the aspects possible and achieving so is no cake walk as the guest expectations are really high these days. There may be many ways to deliver it but the heart of it lies in personalized service, going the extra mile and anticipation along with continuous innovation.

Personalised service: Guest recognition through various means and ways makes a lot of difference in enhancing the guest experience. Be it using their name and recognising them wherever possible, placing personalised amenities in their room, welcoming them through personalised welcome letters, thanking them for their patronage or taking care of every little preference and request of theirs and making them feel at home. A guest of today wants recognition and value hearing their name and there is no better way to show them that they are unique and you truly care for them and not just performing your duty. To stimulate their emotional side is the start to a long term relationship with them.

Going the extra mile: When it comes to customer service, little things also matter a lot. When guests come to a hotel they anyways expect a sparkling clean room, best food while dining etc. However, they never think the staff would go the extra mile to create an unforgettable experience for them. Guests expect a certain level of service but when they are amazed by receiving more than expected, they remember it throughout. These gestures show them that they are valued and obviously they tend to return to the place where they know they’ll receive more value for money.

For instance, a guest has had a long day at work, just by delivering a choice of drinks to his room we can help reduce his fatigue and hence make a difference. You would never really know how someone’s day has been but by making a few efforts you can turn a bad day into a good one or keep a pleasant one going.

Anticipation and innovation: Hospitality industry holds a very competitive arena so if you want your guests to return to you, you need to exceed their expectations at every opportunity you receive. Anticipation, i.e. being proactive is certainly the key for it. Anticipation is reflected when you meet the unexpressed wishes of the guest just by judging the same through their daily routine or behavior. But ofcourse a hotel has to ensure that they empower their staff enough to create unique, memorable and personal experiences for their guests i.e. to go beyond their way to anticipate and deliver. Innovation too is a driving factor to exceed guest expectations at every given opportunity. Hence, hotels should continue to innovate the guest experience by having their staff do brainstorming and out-of-the-box thinking, because change, as they say, is the only constant.

It is not about creating guests anymore but creating guests for life. You can turn your most upset guest also into your best friend through best of service. By delivering the top-notch service and living the hospitality yourself you are making sure that the returns that you are going to get through those customers you served will be priceless. These guests will be spreading the word of mouth and creating more and more guests for the hotel.

In the end, people just remember their favourite memories and how an experience made them feel. They cherish those throughout their lives and make a lifelong friend in you, “You” who represent the hotel ultimately.

About the Author:

Rashmeet Kapoor is Assistant Professor at Vedatya Institute. She has over nine years of experience working in the Hospitality industry with an expertise in front office operations.  

She started her career as a Guest Relations Executive with The Imperial, New Delhi and thereafter moved on to Taj Group of Hotels where she held various operational and decision-making positions. Her last tenure was with The Leela Group of Hotels as an Assistant Front Office Manager.

Rashmeet has completed her graduation in BA (Honours) English from Delhi University. She also holds a postgraduate diploma in Business Administration from Symbiosis University, Pune and a diploma in Aviation & Hospitality Management from Air Hostess Academy. Currently, she is pursuing her Masters in Travel & Tourism Management from IGNOU.