We need people that are happy, always smiling, and visible.
Running a hotel takes social skills, business sense, an artist's eye for detail and last but not least, posses a people person DNA - four traits that are rare enough individually, let alone coming together in one package. The hotel industry really needs these traits now…more than ever.
In today’s competitive hotel business scene, many hotel managers need to go back to the basics. They have to remind themselves that they too need to smile and interact with their guests. I’ve come across hotel managers completely wrapped up in their importance, very self-centred with an unreceptive attitude, as they strut around (when they do get out of the office or out-of-meetings), barely glancing at guests. I find it ludicrous that whilst the industry expects its lesser paid employees to be always smiling, be always ‘on hand’ and to always show happiness in the workplace, the highest paid are let off the hook!
Go on, ask yourself, when was the last time you had a hotel manager come upto you, introduce himself and ask about your stay at his hotel? I bet you – hardly: pretty soon, today’s manager will opt to stay in the comfort of his office and rely on TripAdvisor to hear what his guests say about his hotel.
Managers need to practice the Tom Peters idea of “MBWA” – ‘Managing by Wandering Around’. Kurt Wachtveitl was the General Manager of the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok for 42 years until he retired in 2009. He set new standards in the hospitality industry, making the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok the best hotel in the world. Kurt became a legend and in his time, he was considered by many, to be the most successful hotelier in the world. Kurt Wachtveitl, until the time he retired was found every evening in the Lobby. He chatted with his guests. He smiled most of the time – both at guests and staff. He knew he was on stage. Whilst other managers started hiding in their offices, Wachtveitl came out. He was always available.
In his first years at the Oriental, you would find him at the cashier’s desk, early in the morning at check out time. That’s where he asked for guest feedback, first hand and in real-time. This was the place to be, to react, to sooth ruffled feelings and strike a rapport. When asked how he did it? He answered seriously; “We tell our staff exactly what to do;”and continued with a smile, “after two weeks we tell them again”. In this manner he passed on much of his knowledge to an endless list of junior managers, resident managers and to the rest of his team.
There are some positive signs on the horizon. One brand has recently announced a daily, global ’happy hour', where every day, management is mandated to be hospitable for an hour, un-connected to their E-Life and forced to face up to and get to know their guests. Now if that Brand’s Head Office can just figure out what to do with the other 23 hours, we may just about get this thing on managers avoiding meeting their guests, licked!
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Ex-Hotelier |
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