Introduction
The hospitality industry is mainly concerned with the provision of services. It is a dynamic and multi-cultural sector, which provides people with an opportunity to effectively spend their leisure time. Most consumers in the industry are from high and medium income level brackets (Hayes 2013). In light of this, stakeholders put emphasis on the quality of services provided. It is the role of the management to ensure that the quality of services is maintained within their organisations. They achieve this by formulating policies that are in line with the principle of remarkable service (America 2014). They also guide employees of the firms to make sure that they operate professionally while on duty.
The aim of this paper is to provide information on how the principle of remarkable service operates. To achieve this, an interview will be carried out. A hotel manager will be the interviewee. A manager is best suited for the interview given their ability to influence policies concerning quality within the organisation.
The Principle of Remarkable Service
The quality of services offered by firms in the hospitality industry determines the success of individual businesses. Businesses operating in this sector are engaged in cut-throat competition (Hayes 2013). As such, most of them spend a lot of money in efforts to improve the quality of their services. To achieve this, players in the industry train their employees to equip them with the skills needed to offer remarkable services to customers. As such, these firms have competitive advantage over other players in the sector.
Welcoming Customers into the Hotel
Welcoming guests in a courteous and friendly manner is the first step towards promotion of good relations between consumers and the organisation. It determines whether a firm has made a good first impression on its customers or not. When clients are welcomed in a proper manner, they are more likely to feel comfortable (Walker 2014). Hotel, most hotel managers pay more attention to the aspect of dining than on welcoming. In the process, they ignore the element of customer relations. To avoid this, the management of a given hotel should ensure that they have professional servers who are sensitive to the needs of the customers. A warm good-bye is also necessary as the customers leave. The reason is that they would be encouraged to return to the hotel in the future.
Effective Communication
Another aspect associated with the principle of remarkable service is efficient communication. The management team of a given hotel must ensure that their customers are furnished with the information they require. However, employees should take precautions when passing information to the clients. Communication in this case should be done in an unobtrusive manner (Rayna & Striukova 2009). The aim is to make the guests feel comfortable. In addition, conversations between employees and guests should not infringe on the privacy of the latter. Preferably, information and direction should be offered to customers only when required. However, most frequent guests tend to relate with employees at a personal level.
Timeliness in the Provision of Services
Managers should encourage their employees to offer services to customers in a timely manner. Items and services should be availed to the guests without unnecessary delays (Walker 2014). The aim is to ensure that the hotel does not interfere with the schedules of their customers. Upon arrival, guests should be provided with a menu for them to make an informed choice about the services they want. Orders should also be taken without delays after the arrival of the customers.
However, it is important to note that customers should not be rushed when it comes to making of decisions. For example, they should be given enough time to decide on what they want to eat and how they want to take it (Walker 2014). Rushing customers is viewed by many people as been rude. It discourages them from visiting the hotel in the future. Bills should also be delivered to the guests in a timely manner (Hayes 2013). The aim is to avoid wasting their time as they wait to pay. However, this should be done quietly and in an unobtrusive manner.
Flexibility in Service Provision
The principle of remarkable service also requires hotels to be flexible. To win the hearts of customers, employees must be willing to engage in activities that are beyond what they are mandated to do. The hospitality industry is all about what the customer wants (Rayna & Striukova 2009). As such, rules must be bent occasionally to satisfy the needs of the guests. One of the most common problems encountered by hotel servers is variation of preferences between customers. In addition, some guests refuse to follow the normal meal sequence. In such cases, the principle of ‘the customer is always right’ should apply. However, professionalism must always prevail in order to protect the integrity of the business (Sander, Giannasio & Paz 2012).
Instilling Trust in the Hotel among Customers
Trust is one of the most important aspects associated with the hotel industry. To succeed, a hotel must earn the trust of consumers. It is the only way to maintain the clients. New customers are the most important guests to any firm in the business (America 2014). In most cases, they are unfamiliar with the services offered in the hotel. As such, they rely on the word of the employees. Consequently, servers must work hard to earn the trust of such guests. In this case, the customer should be assured that they will receive what they have ordered. Precautions should be taken to avoid putting the health of consumers at risk. Failure to adhere to the customer’s directions may result in allergies and other nutritional disorders.
Measuring the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Remarkable Service
Providing remarkable service to customers in the hotel industry is an expensive undertaking. It increases both the operational and labour costs incurred by the business. As such, remarkable service should be effective and efficient for the firm to remain profitable (Tang, Wang & Tang 2013). A number of tools can be used to determine whether or not the service is effective and efficient (Sander et al. 2012). To begin with, the number of customers should increase. The reason behind this is most probably the fact that the hotel is providing better services than those offered by competitors. A firm in the hospitality industry could also request customers to rate their services.
Conclusion
The hospitality industry is one of the most competitive sectors in any given economy. As such, players constantly improve their services with the aim of outdoing their competitors. To this end, the principle of remarkable service can help hotels attract new customers while retaining the old ones. Firms that fail to apply the principle may lag behind in terms of volumes and revenues. In addition, their reputation may be negatively affected.
References
America, T 2014, Remarkable service: a guide to winning and keeping customers for servers, managers, and restaurant owners, 3rd edn, John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Hayes, D 2013, The professional restaurant manager, Prentice Hall, New York.
Rayna, T & Striukova, L 2009, ‘Luxury without guilt: service innovation in the all-inclusive hotel industry’, Service Business, vol. 7 no. 16, pp. 359-372.
Sander, E, Giannasio, M & Paz, P 2012, The professional server: a training manual, Prentice Hall, New York.
Tang, T, Wang, M & Tang, Y 2013, ‘Developing service innovation capability in the hotel industry’, Service Business, vol. 12 no. 3, pp. 97-113.
Walker, J 2014, The restaurant: from concept to operation, 6th edn, John Wiley & Sons, London, UK.