The name game
“The sweetest and most important sound to a person in any language is his or her name.” - Dale Carnegie
One of the first things I learned as an hotelier was the importance of using the guest’s name. No surprise then that when I do a hotel service experience audit, there are over 15 different areas where we score the use of the guest’s name – be it from the bellperson to the breakfast host who is expected to use the guest’s name.
During my early days in the industry, I discovered a common politeness strategy used by hotel staff who found it comfortable to always go with a “sir or ma’am”, because, let’s face it; it’s uncomplicated and cannot be faulted as impolite. That, it hardly personalised and was not within the hotel’s brand standards didn’t seem to matter. Then, there is that extremely irksome habit (mainly an American issue), of some employees making do with faked endearments such as “sweetie”, “hon”, “dear”, “sugar”, etc. If you don’t know someone’s name, don’t make one up! We all have a name and I’m sure we’d prefer it to be used, rather than those that don’t “suit” us at all!
Authors Brown and Levinson in their book “ Politeness: Some Universals in Usage” describe identity as “a politeness strategy through which names and titles are related to guests to make encounters more individualized and personalized and to show respect and attentiveness.” Calling guests by name and title adds the human touch of recognition and importance. This helps to improve the guest experience and build relationships with the guests by letting them know that they are seen and heard. For example, referring to a guest as Mr. De Silva instead of using a cold sir or madam opens the door to a personalised and improved guest experience.
As hoteliers, we must accept that we’re not doing enough to recognise all our guests, although some do try hard. A lot of hotels emphasise that they excel in providing personalisation to delight their guests, and yet, falter poorly in ‘guest name usage’ which is but a tiny component in the vast sea of personalisation.
As a hotel guest, how often have you, after approaching the receptionist to make a request, been immediately asked, “What’s your room number? Go for breakfast to the restaurant and after the morning greeting, the first question thrown is for your room number (to check if you are a resident guest). When passing the bell desk, expect the same question when requesting for a bellboy to pick-up your bags next morning at 6.00 am. Hoteliers, do you get my drift? You are running a hotel and not a bank; do not treat your customers as numbers.
I agree that calling every guest by name is very challenging, especially in a city hotel with 250 bedrooms, where the average length of stay is two nights. Unless he or she is a very regular visitor, recognising or identifying and using the names of its guests, can indeed be a daunting task. It gets tougher for hotels where staff turnover rates are high. How can hoteliers ensure the ever-rotating staffs recognise guests in the first place?
I recall the methods we devised, way back in the late 1970’s, at the 5-star, 366 bedroomed Oberoi Hotel in Colombo to navigate this tricky situation. We first ask for their name and after then only - their room number if necessary. Our associates were taught to use the ‘chain of name’ method. When a guest arrives, the bellman would ask for the guest’s name to write it on the baggage tag. The bellman would then introduce the guest to the receptionist by using their name. In this manner, two associates have already addressed the guest by name even before check-in. Another tactic used to welcome a returning visitor was where the bellman would ask whether the guest had previously stayed at the hotel? If the answer was in the affirmative, the bellman when introducing the guest by name to the receptionist would push his hand across his forehead as a cue for the receptionist to say “Welcome back….”
Other behavours included staff asking guests for their name when they approach the hostess stand and in turn introduce them to the server who can use the name during the meal. Housekeeping and in-room dining staff were encouraged to use the guests’ names whenever they fulfilled a guest request or delivered a room service order. Basically, it was a ‘to know our guest, know their name” approach.
In the words of Bryan K Williams “The hallmark of a world-class experience begins by using the guest’s name. It’s part of what separates the mundane from the world-class.”
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Customer Service Trainer and Ex-Hotelier
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