“Never say no when a client asks for something, even if it is the moon. You can always try, and anyhow there is plenty of time afterwards to explain that it was not possible.”
~César Ritz, Ritz-Carlton
When working in hospitality, our priority should always be our guests. When thinking about the kind of service we give our guests, the main type that comes to mind is memorable. If you are new to this field you may be wondering, what is memorable service or what are some ways to make service memorable? While some may suggest it is self-explanatory, there is more that goes into making memories than one might think. Here are some ideas for you to consider on what memorable service can look like and why it is so important for within hospitality.
Let’s begin by identifying some basic “need to know” information:
What? Creating memorable service
Who? The guests receiving the service from the staff
When? While the guests are planning their trip | While the guests are at your property | After the guests have left
Why? Create loyal guests, ensuring their return
When thinking about the “how”, let's look at four aspects that make up memorable service:
Personalization, Genuine Interest, Emotional & Impactful Interactions, and Guest Mystique.
Personalization is a necessity in all hotels/resorts and especially within luxury properties. Using and remembering a guest’s name allows them to feel important and like an individual rather than a part of a number.
Showing genuine interest in the guest is crucial when creating memorable service. If a staff member treats every guest as if it’s an interaction throughout their stay, then the only memory that would be left in the guest’s mind is, they didn’t want me here. Rather, try to ensure each interaction is new and important to you. Show them that you care about their needs, wants, and any issues that they may have.
When adding emotional and impactful interactions, we focus on creating the conversation more than just having a simple chat. Emotional connection can be more impactful and is more important when you make a connection with your guest. What is an emotional connection? It’s not making the guest cry or sharing their deepest darkest secrets; instead, it’s about showing care & interest while creating a relationship with the guest which shows they mean more to you then just being a customer. Give the guests a sense of comfort when they are around you and on property (or even after that have left) to make the experience impactful and ultimately, memorable.
Lastly, creating guest mystique will truly enhance memories the guest will share for years to come. Defining guest mystique is tricky, however it comes down to adding mystery to the guests' stay. Similarly to attentive service, the guest should not expect your next move(s) whether it’s delivering an unexpected gift to their room, offering recommendations after listening to what they enjoy, or doing an unexpected act of kindness. While certainly the most challenging, it is also the most rewarding to guests and staff alike, especially when the moment is 'perfect.'
All of these four aspects are involved in making sure the guests are provided with memorable service and will most likely result in guest loyalty. These are simply a few ideas for you to consider as these four topics are extremely rich and robust with dozens of interpretations as well as examples. Our intention was to get you thinking and brainstorming about the ways in which you are currently delivering service and more importantly, the ways in which you need to evolve over the coming months.
Personalization, Genuine Interest, Emotional & Impactful Interactions, Guest Mystique. Take these four hospitality cornerstones and discuss with your teams where your levels of memorable service standards are today and where they should be in the near future...