We know that guests always expect the absolute most from us. I would ask you before reading this article to think back to the last time you had a great customer service experience. I would bet it started with a warm and friendly smile that made you feel good. How we can win guests over with a service smile is quite simple in theory, not as easy to execute. It starts with a culture, a service smile, the positive actions that follow - I call this service the "Wow Factor" The "Wow" is all about how we make a guest feel when he/she is staying at the hotel. READ MORE

8,600,000. That is the number of results Google returns in .39 seconds on the search, “how many studies on smiling are there?” Scientists have explored every aspect of smiling. Apparently, it even was used in predicting the life span of baseball players in 1952 - extending the life of those with “beaming smiles” seven years!. Wow. Research studies prove every which way that our brain, our emotions, our body, our children's development, our stress level, blood pressure - you name it - just about everything is benefited by the all-powerful smile. READ MORE

A strong hotel customer experience training program should be put in order to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction is achieved. The program should focus on how to build great communication between the customer and the employee, while building great communication between the team, internally. In the hotel industry, excellent service is vital, as customers' expectations continue to evolve, raising the bar and setting a higher standard. These days, a smile, “please” and “thank you”, just doesn't cut it. Customers want to have memorable experiences they can walk away with, which is why hotels are implementing new programs to improve and monitor clients' satisfaction. READ MORE

When it comes to an exceptional customer experience, it's not just what you offer, but how, when and why you offer it. Employed thoughtfully and effectively, efforts to drive customer service to new levels become infectious throughout a hotel organization, down to each individual property and team member. Easy to say, harder to execute. To stay on the forefront of providing the ultimate experience for business and leisure travelers takes continuous innovation. Integrating new technology, continuously improving team member training, and striving for targeted and personalized customer interactions remain essential to success now and going forward. READ MORE

Four- and five-star hotels and resorts around the world number in the hundreds, catering to different markets/publics with different needs and wants. The imperative to make the guest experience so memorable that the guests become repeaters and ambassadors, occupancy runs dizzyingly high and word of mouth sizzles, is one that every new (or existing) General Manager/Managing Director faces; each has a vision, a style of management, a stable of successful actions, and erstwhile colleagues they trust to support their standards and whom they quickly bring in to precipitate success for owners, shareholders, management, staff, and guests alike. READ MORE

Recent discussions have been swirling around the revenue management industry and its swift evolution over the past few years, moving steadily past merely filling as many rooms as possible to holistically approaching the quest for achieving total revenue performance. However, approaches and technologies have not been the only revenue management components swept up in these influential winds of change. The lives of hotel revenue managers have also experienced drastic changes in not only their job responsibilities, but in their overall work efficiencies, insights and performance. READ MORE

While the lure of the spa has greater impact than ever before in attracting guests, the offerings must be well conceived - with an eye towards cultural trends -- and brought to the attention of your target market through the power of the press. The spa can be a big revenue generator for your property - especially if you leverage a well-crafted travel PR program to generate brand and consumer awareness. READ MORE

Data is more plentiful and available than at any time in history, yet some of the most crucial information for hotel operators has been accessible only to large organizations with deep pockets. Today, however, new technologies are disrupting established markets with analytical solutions that are more affordable and flexible, offering excellent capabilities to hoteliers who could previously only access such tools through their parent brands. This article takes a look at key qualities of some of the data and analytics tools that make the technology more approachable than ever. READ MORE

For hotel guests, a pool can be the most inviting amenity on the property. For hotel operators, pool safety is an ever-present source of liability. Risks go far beyond the possibility of water-related catastrophic losses such as drowning or serious injury in a diving accident. The water quality of a hotel's pools and spas also poses significant safety issues. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are on the rise and can manifest in a variety of skin conditions and gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory and eye infections. Additional exposures include the unintentional ingestion of water. READ MORE

A smiling face behind the check-in desk. Prompt and unobtrusive room service. Eager hands to help with luggage. A friendly greeting. “It's my pleasure.” “You are quite welcome.” “Please, let me help.” These are just a few of the personal touches that define exceptional guest service. Human interactions are indeed the cornerstone of the guest service mission at most hotels. Get those human interactions right, and you have a satisfied and loyal guest who is likely to sing your praises to others. Get those human interactions wrong, and they can damage your reputation and your business. It's often the negative voices that ring the loudest and get the most attention. READ MORE

Hoteliers can gather endless amounts of data from analytical tools but the real challenge is knowing what to do with it. Today, savvy hoteliers are using Guest Intelligence to motivate each department and get the most out of individual teams to improve overall guest satisfaction and boost revenue. By creating a guest-centric culture, employees at hotels are empowered to make a difference. At the end of the day, your employees are representatives of your brand and those responsible for offering remarkable guest service. READ MORE

Research shows that positive engagement with hotel employees has a major impact on guest satisfaction, creating a distinct set of challenges for properties of all sizes. Carlsbad, California, located along the Pacific Ocean coastline north of San Diego, is home to a range of accommodations, from boutique inns to some of Southern California's most luxurious resorts. Where a larger hotel may benefit from best practices in training and hiring, an intimate property may be able to offer highly personalized service - how are hotels in Carlsbad responding to these challenges to ensure guest satisfaction? READ MORE

Do you really need all of those Standard Operating Procedures? Are Standard Operating Procedures throttling your business growth, stifling your team's development and diminishing your guest experience? We'll explore these questions in the piece that follows.. There's no standard that could possibly apply to every guest experience that you or your team will encounter. While this discussion doesn't mandate that you cease and destroy all SOPs, it will equip you to elevate your business, team and guest experience by thinking twice about the standards that you've set. Most important, it will get you thinking that there could be better ones out there. READ MORE

Managing supply chain and procurement is one of the best ways a hotelier can increase profits and minimize losses, but it's tough to do it well. A hotel must manage hundreds of SKUs. With so many products to buy, it's challenging to find the best sources. Hotel procurement is further complicated by fragmented operations. Bring together franchisees, owner-operators, and multiple brands under one umbrella, and it can be impossible to keep up with procurement. Without centralized processes, managers and operators are more likely to make multiple small-scale purchases from numerous suppliers, making it difficult for corporate officers to ensure hotels purchase high-quality items at the best prices. READ MORE

The scent of fresh sheets in a tidy hotel room can win any heart! Travelers unanimously agree that a 'hotel stay' should be nothing less than a rich and pampering experience; and they further justify the statement by saying that prices are paid immediately, as quoted online. In order to pay the guests due respect, hospitality chains claim that they change or improve their services as and when an insurgency crops up. So, the single biggest truth of the hotel industry is that 'sleep quality' drives this segment. Believe it or not, this catch phrase has materialized into a key measure of health and productivity in the global public consciousness. READ MORE