When Hotel Management Is Visible
Having been on the road much of the past few months I have stayed in a lot of hotels this year already. The vast majority of my experiences have been wonderful, but there have been a few dud hotels and then there was my horrid stay at the Hyatt Regency Phuket. Not to beat up on that hotel anymore than I already have, but the thing that was most evident there was how little management actually cared about anything other than the bottom line.
And I get it. Hotels are there to make money, but the truth is actual customer service not only saves money in the long term, but it is good for business. One of the ways I know a hotel is going to be good is when management is visible during my stay. I was reminded of this during my recent Disneyland trip. (Where I visited their massive new land Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge).
What Is Visible
I’m sure many of you have arrived at a hotel and been greeted by a supervisor or manager when checking in. Or perhaps you have been in a Club Lounge when a manager came to your table and greeted you. This is one way that management can be visible to guests at hotels, but there are others.
Hyatt Regency Orange County
On this recent trip to Disneyland I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Orange County. I’ll have a full review soon, but the stay was great. Honestly I was at Disneyland almost 100% of the time so I didn’t interact much with staff nor did I need anything. Additionally I never saw or spoke to a manager, but they were still so visible.
Here is how:
- First, they have signs in the elevator banks on every guest floor inviting guests to text if there are any needs or issues. (Pictured above)
- Second, they also have a sign in the room with the same information. This hotel isn’t afraid to hear from guests. (Pictured below)
- Third, I received a direct email after check-in from the General Manager. This was most likely because I am a Globalist, but this type of reach out email is appreciated and lets me know that they care about the guest experience.
All hotels should be doing this!
How Would They Respond To A Real Issue?
The Hyatt Regency Orange County is a fairly standard convention hotel which also caters to families going to Disneyland. In other words it isn’t a luxury property or the shiniest newest hotel in the chain, so how would they respond if there was an issue? Well, since I didn’t have one I can’t answer that, but I would be willing to guess that any hotel that gives guests so many reminders of how to reach them is a hotel that wants to please those guests.
Conclusion
More and more hotels are making it easier for guests to contact them with needs, questions or concerns. This past stay reminded me of so many others where I could see how management cared and how that affected my guest experience. In other words, its the hotels with the signs, emails and fancy numbers to text that seemingly never have issues.
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You can tell when a hotel has good management by how happy and helpful the employees are, and whether employees feel empowered to solve problems for you without management intervention. There is one local hotel in my town that many small conventions like to use despite a dated decor and bizarre traffic pattern – just because the management and staff are so great. When an employee does something nice or is just extra friendly we try to mention it to the management. Tips are appropriate for actual services, of course, but sometimes it’s just a pleasant smile and friendly hello, and that’s worth mentioning too.