Lessons from the field - Global Responses and Personal Stories of Delivering Hospitality and Pride - By John Hogan

A wonderful benefit I receive in preparing these columns is that I often have the opportunity to meet (by email, phone or perhaps at a conference where I am speaking) terrific people from all over the globe who are involved in the daily delivery of hospitality and pride. It is the realization that hospitality is much more than accounting, culinary, engineering, marketing, housekeeping and management - it is the combining of all features into a an exceptional experience.

'In our business, the customer service business, the intangibles are far more important than the tangibles. It's not just providing good value - providing a good product at a reasonable price - you need to offer an infusion of spirituality. In other words, if you're in the customer service business, you don't want people just to fly from A to B and say 'Woo, we made it!' You want them to get off the plane with the feeling that they were welcome, perhaps entertained. You want it to be a warm event in their lives , so they will come back. ' Herb Kelleher, founder and former CEO of Southwest Airlines

Last fall, I shared my definitions of the word HOSPITALITY in a column published in this service and invited readers to contribute their definitions. Reader input was very positive and definitions came from people around the world who wanted to express themselves. About three weeks ago, I found myself considering examples of excellence in hospitality and ways that successful hotels build pride. I realized defining hospitality was the really the introduction to delivering it. Again, I asked readers to share their thoughts and again the response from a different set of people is the result.

Building Pride
Hotels play an important role in their communities, as centers for meetings, local social and business events, and of course, in accommodating visitors who may have traveled great distances and are in unfamiliar places. Many hotels have much to be proud of - service to their guests, contributions to their community and a solid reputation as good citizens and employers in their locale.

As is explained in the following examples from three continents and very different facilities, Building Pride is not a program, but a commitment to excel in what they provide at their hotel.
1. From Muin Serhan, General Manager, Tamani Hotel Marina in Dubai, U.A.E http://www.tamanimarina.ae/

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for inspiring us in the hospitality around the world. In reference to your recent article 'Delivering hospitality and pride', I thought first to introduce Tamani Hotel Marina, part of Tamani Hotels and Resorts, with one open hotel and 4 iconic hotels under construction. As a single brand striving to deliver exceptional service to our guests as well as competing with major international hotel chains in the market place, I thought of sharing some ways that Tamani Associates excel in delivering hospitality!

This is a story of how our great Mr. Mc Donald (Room Attendant) performs his job with a high level of professionalism,providing guest satisfaction.
• One of our in-house guests (Mr. and Mrs. B) had a son who was celebrating his 10-year-old birthday. With Mr. Mc Donald's initiative and creativity, he made many paper airplanes made with a 'Happy Birthday' sign. It meant a lot to the SON, as he was missing his sister and his friends back home in Iceland. Now he has new ones in Dubai! ...........Not only that, Mr. McDonald also made two loving swans from bath towels to represent the son's parents. The family left the hotel with great memories as well as great friends. (Personally, I came to know all the above from the boy's father Mr. B, as he sent me a letter expressing appreciation).

• We helped another couple in a very different way!. This guest, Mr. P, came to the concierge and asked if the Head Concierge could arrange for some flowers for them. While the Head Concierge considered it a pleasure to arrange for the flowers, he wanted to exceed the guest expectations. The Head Concierge asked the guest the reason for the special occasion and found out they were going to be married in the next two days in Dubai. The concierge found their favorite color and ordered for them a very nice bouquet, at a very fair rate. He reserved a white luxury car and arranged an upgrade to a limo - for a 'Hollywood star experience.......' The impression of the guests was WOW! When it was finally time to go to the church, the couple discovered the hotel housekeeping team had done an extraordinary job in making all of their guests feel at home. With old and new 'friends' all around them, they had an exceptional time even though they were far away from home.

• I totally agree with you, this is what our guests are expecting from us to do and we are glad to do that; Looking forward to serving you - In my home of Dubai.

2. From Rina Yazid - Gilliland - E-Marketing Manager - Grand Hyatt Singapore Singapore - singapore.grand.hyatt.com
• Warmest Greetings from Grand Hyatt Singapore! I read your online article in EHotelier News on some of the finest examples of hotel staff who excel at delivering hospitality. Considering our (Hyatt) Mission is to provide authentic hospitality, we would also like to share with you a very recent example of what we have done for one of our guests. This is one of many examples on how we strive to make a difference in the lives of those we 'touch' every day.

• A few days ago, a guest called the hotel and made a lunch reservation at the hotel's very popular restaurant, mezza9. The guest also booked a room to stay overnight. Our staff who took the call asked if there was any special occasion and the guest indicated that it was to celebrate a 10th year wedding anniversary. Without the guest knowing, our staff not only organized a complimentary upgrade to a suite, but also made sure that the entire room was set up with rose petals, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries accompanied with a card with best wishes from the hotel. Needless to say, the guest was very pleased!

3. From James C Bates (Jim), President & CEO, Destination Hotel Partners, LLC, New York, NY www.desthotels.com
One of the most incredible experiences I ever had in reference to true hospitality in my 40-year career in the hotel business was.....

• 2 years ago, I was in Los Angeles for a function at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. I used to work there over 35 years ago for Mr. Cortwright. I drove up to the valet parking, got out of the car and was surprised when the doorman said 'Good evening, Mr. Bates. Welcome back to the Beverly Wilshire.' This doorman was retiring in 2 months after a 40-year career. How he recognized me, I do not know, but it blew my mind!

• The next morning I went to the concierge to arrange for help on something and the concierge said. 'Good morning, Mr. Bates. On behalf of the entire staff, we want to welcome you back and thank you for your past service to the Beverly Wilshire.' Again, I am blown away. The strangest thing is that I worked there only a very short time before I went to The Beverly Hilton. This is what I call guest history!!

These are three very different kinds of hotels with very different types of amenities on three different continents. The products, location and amenities may differ, but the common thread tying them all together is the desire and expectation to deliver that 'WOW' factor referred to by Mr. Serhan of Dubai and alluded to by Southwest's Herb Kelleher.

This might be a good topic for discussion at the next staff meeting , whether you are the CEO of a large management group, a brand or department head of a four-person team. What are some of the ways your hotel staff excels at delivering hospitality?

All rights reserved by John Hogan and this column may be included in an upcoming book on hotel management. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication


John Hogan's professional experience includes over 35 years in hotel operations, food & beverage, sales & marketing, training, management development and asset management on both a single and multi-property basis. He holds a number of industry certifications and is a past recipient of the American Hotel & Lodging Association's Pearson Award for Excellence in Lodging Journalism, as well as operational and marketing awards from international brands. He has served as President of both city and state hotel associations.

John's background includes teaching college level courses as an adjunct professor at three different colleges and universities over a 20 year period, while managing with Sheraton, Hilton, Omni and independent hotels. He was the principal in an independent training & consulting group for more than 12 years serving associations, management groups, convention & visitors' bureaus, academic institutions and as an expert witness. He joined Best Western International in spring of 2000, where over the next 8 years he created and developed a blended learning system as the Director of Education & Cultural Diversity for the world's largest hotel chain.

He has served on several industry boards that deal with education and/or cultural diversity and as brand liaison to the NAACP and the Asian American Hotel Owners' Association with his ongoing involvement in the Certified Hotel Owner program. He has conducted an estimated 3,100 workshops and seminars in his career. He served as senior vice president for a client in a specialty hotel brand for six years.

He has published more than 350 articles & columns on the hotel industry and is co-author (with Howard Feiertag, CHA CMP) of LESSONS FROM THE FIELD - a COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL SALES, which is available from a range of industry sources and AMAZON.com. He resides in Phoenix, Arizona and is finalizing his 2nd book based on his dissertation - The Top 100 People of All Time Who Most Dramatically Affected the Hotel Industry.

Expertise and Research Interest
• Leadership and Executive Education
• Cultural Diversity
• Operational Management
• Developing Academic Hospitality programs
• Professional Development & Accreditation
• Customer Service

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