Good Customer Service Pays Off

Guests in a hotel are very easy to please, despite what people may think.  Especially in New York.

Guests spend lots of money on hotel rooms and quite frankly, they deserve good service for the prices they pay. I'll be the first to say that some of the rates in New York are incredibly insane.  $300 for a room per night?  At a hotel that doesn't have a pool, spa, lounge or restaurant?  It's outrageous, and I'm kind of surprised that people are so willing to pay that much.  I guess they have the "well, it is New York..." attitude, so they are accepting the fact that they will need to spend more money.

Back to my original point though.

Guests are very easy to please.  They come in to check in and expect to see a smiling face welcoming them to the hotel.  Not so difficult.  The check-in process should be relatively quick.  Verify the guest information for the stay, tell them which amenities the hotel offers, have them sign the registration card, and wish them an enjoyable stay.  It should take no more than 2-3 minutes to complete a regular check-in.

Once they are in house, things get even easier.  Most guests try to figure things out on their own, such as directions, attractions, etc., but usually they'll ask the concierge.  If there is no concierge, like in the hotel I work at, they come to the desk and ask us.  In this case, knowing the local area and the big attractions are key.  Point them in the right direction, suggest a good restaurant or somewhere fun to go, book them a cab or car service to the airport.  Those are the big three requests we get at the front desk.  If you know where to send them and how to get around, you can tell them without confusing them and they are very satisfied.  They are more likely to come back to you for advice and suggestions through their stay, and the more the rely on you, the higher chance of getting a tip at the end of the stay.

It's not even so much about the tips (although they certainly don't hurt!).  Being good at customer service is enjoyable.  You tend to move faster through the day and keep up a better attitude.  Both because you did well, and there's the chance of making extra money.  Maybe they give you enough to pay for that coffee you got on the way in to make sure you can stay awake through the shift.  Or maybe they slip you a ten and you can pay for lunch with that.

This wonderful family from Ohio was in the hotel for 4 nights this past week.  They were first timers in New York and relied on us for suggestions to shows, parks, museums, and restaurants.  Each time they walked by the desk I would greet them with a "Hello, how's your day going?" or a "Have a great evening!".  They truly loved it.  They remembered my name and said hi from across the lobby, got concerned when they saw me at 4pm, 10:30pm and then again at 7am and we're hoping I didn't work through the night.  It was really very nice.

They checked out today and came straight to me to check out.  The husband had a big smile on his face and said in his thick Midwestern accent, "Daniel, thank you so much for all you've helped us with.  We were worried about being in New York and getting lost and you made sure that didn't happen.  Next time we come back we're certainly staying here because of you", and he slipped me a ten dollar bill.  Just for being nice.

This is what customer service should be all about.  Making the guest so happy and so comfortable with their stay that they are willing to pay extra money because they know they will get good service.