In my role as regional director of operations at Valor Hospitality Partners, I am deeply committed to crafting an exceptional guest experience across our properties as the hospitality industry continues to evolve. This commitment to exceptionalism involves upholding operational standards, ensuring staff are well-trained and supported, addressing issues promptly and consistently delivering on Valor’s brand values. My leadership and oversight significantly contribute to guest satisfaction, which ultimately impacts our hotels’ reputation and success.
Over the past several years, we’ve seen a tangible shift in guest expectations and quality of service due to technology, social media, and industry trends. We keep our staff updated on these latest insights through training and frequent communication to further adapt to the ever-changing guest landscape. Additionally, we do our best to predict and analyze stay preferences to keep Valor properties on the cutting edge of excellence.
With this in mind, a critical aspect of my role is establishing and enforcing operational standards and policies across all hotels in my region. These consistent standards start with training and development. All team members shadow our guest service champions as a baseline for our standards. Perhaps the most entertaining part of our training is role-playing, where team members have the chance to exemplify their customer service skills. The expectation is that our team members provide personalized service and thus utilize the information we have in our system, or perhaps the clues our customers provide (sports team hat, luggage tags, etc.) to find common ground for conversation. For instance, if the guest in front of you has a hat promoting a specific sports team, you can ask questions/make comments about that team to enhance the guest experience. Additionally, we require our team to provide quarterly audits of guest interactions. These audits are the result of our on-property leadership team conspicuously observing guest interactions by each team member. At the end of the interaction, we will provide robust feedback to the employee. As a bonus, we incentivize every team member to share positive interactions they’ve had in their personal life at daily huddles. This encourages our team to regularly seek out positive experiences and give us the opportunity to emulate them. This dependability fosters trust and loyalty among our guests.
Equally important is developing thorough training programs for hotel staff. Ensuring that our “hotelitarians” are well-prepared to deliver excellent service is paramount. This includes comprehensive training in customer service, hospitality standards, and operational procedures that directly impact guest satisfaction. Some examples are:
- Proactive service approach – encouraging employees to anticipate guest needs prior to being asked.
- Effective communication skills – providing guidelines on using positive language and maintaining a friendly tone to create a welcoming atmosphere.
- Team collaboration and support – training employees on how to collaborate across departments to fulfill special requests, provide that “wow” moment, or resolve guest issues.
Well-trained staff create a welcoming and professional atmosphere that enhances the overall guest experience.
To maintain high levels of guest satisfaction, we conduct biannual inspections and audits to monitor service quality and compliance with brand standards. This includes anonymous guest reviews, room inspections, and feedback forms. By identifying areas for improvement and addressing issues promptly, we guarantee our guests are provided with top-tier service. Additionally, proactively engaging in guest feedback forms, whether digital, written, or in-person, allows team members to quickly handle issues.
The Evolution of Guest Experience
Standards for hotel guest experiences have undergone significant shifts since the 1900s. These changes have been driven by consumer preferences, competitive dynamics, the introduction of the internet and social media, an increase in remote workers following the pandemic, and the overall shift to “bleisure” travel.
Where we once saw bellhops—a symbol of hospitality since the 19th century—we now see a full concierge-style approach to guest services that goes way beyond luggage assistance. Today, on-property guest service teams provide a vast offering of services, from coordinating transportation, to providing recommendations and securing reservations, to arranging specialty experiences, such as a whiskey experience at The Harpeth where you can taste a variety of Southern whiskeys including the hotel’s exclusive blend. Every hotel needs to work toward providing a unique experience for our guests. Furthermore, there is a growing expectation that these on-property teams lead with a personal touch to make guests feel valued.
With this in mind, it’s vital for hotels to stay ahead of guest expectations and the ever-changing landscape within hospitality. To do this, hotels should keep up with industry trends. Offering trendy and timely package add-ons can also help meet guests’ latest needs and keep them happy. Plus, actively monitoring conversations and feedback on review sites gives hotels real-time insights into what guests want and what they don’t.
The Future of Hospitality
Looking ahead, we predict the guest experience will continue to shift toward hyper-personalization and enhanced technological integration. AI-driven virtual assistants could assist concierge services in providing local recommendations and reservations, customizing everything from room preferences to dining options. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies will transform how guests select hotels, offering virtual tours and immersive previews. Additionally, contactless technologies like facial recognition and biometric security will provide seamless and secure check-in experiences.
As the hospitality industry continues to change, we expect a few things to stay the same. Hotel guests will always look for properties with reliable and personable offerings. Technology will continue to advance and streamline offerings, but a well-trained staff member personifying brand values will always make an impact.
