The young man who came to my room with the bill and the POS machine during my check out at the luxury hotel in Velha, or Old Goa, was a housekeeping executive (not a cashier or from the front office desk).
The suave Multi-property Operations Manager in this chain of bespoke properties arranged a unique Urak-based Margarita as a welcome cocktail. On my request, he skilfully tweaked the recipe from a traditional Tequila to a quintessential Goan liquor usually available during the summers.
When I forgot a half-read book in the small hotel library, the team couriered me it on a priority parcel to read it the following weekend after checking out.
These are some memories of my 5-day holiday at the Postcard, Velha. The breakfast and dinner menus were by my choice, the breakfast timing was anytime during the day, and the French press coffee was served in a Bodum coffeemaker. One evening, I carried a large pizza from the Antares Beach Club for the hotel team to acknowledge their exemplary service.
While we have heard about CSR initiatives, the same housekeeping guy who helped settle my bill would collect the garbage strewn across the pathway of a fabled neighbourhood church daily during his morning jog, without asking for credit from his employer. The junior chef used to run up to my gazebo from his kitchen to refill my cup with hot masala chai, where I was engrossed in a book.
These are a few changes that I have observed in the hospitality industry over the past couple of years. They form a hospitality services framework by the new era hotel teams.
THE PERSONAL CONNECT
I have noticed a growing inclination in hotel companies to recruit specialists who can double up as multitaskers when the occasion demands. They also empower their teams to go the extra mile happily, using their networks to amaze guests by serving ‘weird’ requests.
These associates care for a guest’s comfort by observing their habits and preferences, even after checking out of the hotel premises. Such a personalised approach helps the brand create a ‘statement of influence’ from every guest, which can translate into predictable future revenues in the form of referral business.
It is, thus, pertinent for hoteliers to create a group of influencers by offering a personalised, curated guest experience. Gift some exciting goodies to the guest’s family for their future use, so they remember you even at home and share with more people. (My daughter received two jars of Goan Cashew nuts and Dried Kokum from the kitchen team at The Postcard Velha).
When I tweeted about my experience on The Postcard’s social media platforms, the CEO, Kapil Chopra, replied warmly. This underlines the essence of their business model – personalised and intimate customer connect at all levels.
I am writing this article after more than three months of visiting Postcard hotels, because Chopra personally wrote to me, ‘Enjoy the holiday. That’s the key. Life comes down to moments that we cherish, and they become memories. I would be happy if you have a great stay, which is our vindication. Not a review or an article or a comment.” This is not customer delight; this is customer obsession.
GREAT GUESTS MAKE WONDERFUL HOSTS
Larger hotel chains can replicate the framework adopted by the newer brands, built on the strengths of closely-knit frontline teams. When I spoke to the chauffeur who picked me up from Dabolim airport, he mentioned that after losing his job as a school bus driver, the hotel had employed him immediately.
Similarly, a young junior restaurant assistant who served me breakfast on day one later took two days off – the first for her birthday, the second to recover from the hangover. Her honesty made me laugh hard and gleefully because a happy employee could not only enjoy her birthday, she also felt empowered to share this with a guest.
On New Year’s Eve, my guest was the Area Director-Operations of a large hospitality management company in the neighbourhood. He shared that in September 2021, he was the general manager of a resort managed by the chain in Mussoorie, with the highest RevPAR in the region during the last two years, including the Christmas week of 2021.
During his stint, he led many meaningful conversations with his team and guests from the front, further highlighting my conjecture that anyone from the hotel can generate revenue – folks in housekeeping, front desk or kitchen team. This is no longer the purview of the sales department alone. Hence, leaders must identify and reward these empowered behaviours regularly.
GUEST DELIGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS
For the leaders in the hospitality business, it’s highly critical to maintain a network of future customers by constantly staying in touch (spamming their Whatsapp with promos, offers, event notifications, new menus are an absolute must) with a tad bit of personalisation. Reuben Kataria, General Manager, The Leela Bhartiya City, is a master in networking.
He mapped the hotel’s inauguration to a couple of days to accommodate the city’s who’s who as well as his personal and professional contacts. I once introduced him to my friend who owned a vineyard and was in Bengaluru. We met for a quick lunch since we had multiple engagements that day.
However, Kataria’s team quickly curated a lunch menu for my friend if the meeting extended beyond the cups of black coffee during our half-hour meeting. While serving us personally, Chef Eliyaz engaged us with a delightful conversation about food and culture.
EVERY MEMBER MATTERS
I headed to Landour in Mussoorie during the Christmas week for a weeklong family trip. I stayed at La Villa Bethany, a boutique homestay owned by a hotelier couple Amarjeet and Sunita Kudle. Since I had stayed with them before, I called beforehand to check room availability. While Sunita didn’t have a room vacant on 25th December, she assured me of one night’s stay in a nearby property (also managed by the couple), followed by three-room nights at her homestay.
The welcome was a bear hug with all masks on with hot and spicy mulled wine. Since there was no room service, we had exciting conversations with other guests seated by a bonfire and made several friends.
Herein lies another great lesson about the power of simplicity for large hotels. Even without room service or a breakfast buffet, they can offer guests several opportunities to interact and network. The staff was always attentive, serving ginger lemon teas, refilling drinking water, and quickly whipping up breakfast waffles.
A kitchen staff’s son, whose education was sponsored by the homestay owners, played host during one breakfast. The chirpy kid went to every guest, asking what they would like for breakfast and offering masala sunny side up eggs.
This underscores why conversations from every quarter and every team is essential. The home stay’s staff ensured this every step of the way – from the airport pickup staff to luggage handlers, to housekeepers to IT engineers. Replicating this in a 300-room property would be difficult. However, they can use small doses of these personal approaches to adapt new business philosophies in hospitality.
Here are some of my suggestions for the frontline team to carry forward the business targets agreed by their leaders:
- Never miss an opportunity to amaze guests by showing extra effort (even remembering their names help and knowing their F&B preferences and habits).
- Identify a network of Staycationers in a big city, convert them from guests to influencers at the first available opportunity and stay networked with them continuously.
- Personalise, personalise, and personalise guest experiences.
