The importance of making hotel employees part of your brand
"Happy staff is proud
Why it is important to have hotel employees as part of your business?
Various researches show, that happy employees lead to 12% profitability and positive culture at work leads to 24% less turnover. Which is great information, knowing that big employee rotation means not only financial loss but also a bad reputation.
In the tourism industry, a good reputation means a lot. Guests will pay attention not only to nice scenery around the hotel but also will read comments about the hotel staff behaviour. During the trip, people expect to gather only positive emotions. They have high expectations for the hotel employees way before they arrive at the hotel.
The hospitality business is a service-based business. It's slightly different with the product-based business because lifecycle of the product ends once it is purchased. Of course, the way of how a product is being sold is important, but it doesn't have that big influence afterward. It is different from services, because people will evaluate and purchase services based on the performance of the people, who sell it. In this case, receptionists and reservation managers are the key people when talking about good service at the hotel. People can't touch or see the service before purchasing it. So they heavily rely on the experience while communicating with hotel staff. Service of the hotel does not end with the room booking. In hospitality business services can go up to the guest's departure and even after it. Meaning, that hotel staff should go beyond of guests' expectations.
How to achieve hotel employees becoming brand spokespeople?
When talking about service-based business, especially hospitality, it is very important, how employees interact with the brand. How they stand by the brand's values and goals. In the end, the person who represents the brand is actually the brand. So how to make sure that your employees are on the same page with your hotel's culture?
➣ First of all, make sure to hire the right people from the very beginning. Already during the recruitment process, you can see, whose values align with your brand. Tell the candidates about your brand values during the interview and let them choose if your requirements will meet their expectations.
➣ Once you hire people, have a very detailed introduction to newbies. Not just about daily operations at the hotel, but also about the company's culture and brand values. Make sure you have internal branding rules and guidelines so your employees know what to follow. You might think, that your hotel is too small to be as a recognised brand. However, even smallest accommodations can become well known for certain points. Maybe even being small hotel can be a recognition point of your brand.
➣ Organize training and workshops for your employees about the excellence of customer service. Hotel employees "should live the brand", they must be excited to be a part of your team! The Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts state this "We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen", meaning, that employees are treated with the same respect as their guests.
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Summary of this blog is pretty obvious - keep your hotel employees happy and they will be the best spokespeople of your brand. Let the promises of your brand to be delivered through receptionists, housekeepers, front desk managers and every other employee who is facing the guest. Let your guests have the best experience at your hotel so they would like to come back again. People become loyal to brands if they feel that the brand aligns with their values and expectations.
"The key to getting customers who want to undertake repeat business with you is by building a strong employee focus first." -