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What happens to service during a natural disaster
or threat or a surprise power loss of extended duration?
How do hospitality leaders prepare their employees
to deal with impending challenges and what happens
to guests who drew the unexpected shorter straw in
terms of the timing of their trips? How do hotels
in particular prepare, react and respond? Are new
policies and procedures put into place or are existing
ones modified? How does a hotel ensure the safety
of guests while still preserving some type of favorable
memory? Does service still play a role and if so,
what shape does it take and how are employees prepared
to implement revised service scenarios? Do you have
a “disaster service plan” in place?
As an active participant in two of the four
hurricanes and a resident of Florida, my personal
experiences allowed for cumulative insight into these
questions and some guidelines. Thoughtful planning
can really make a difference so that guests will come
back and have confidence in hotelier’s ability
to take care of them if fate should strike again.
More mportantly, new customer acquisitions and loyalty
can result as the silver lining from the dark clouds
of such emergency circumstances, if your staff is
on the right agenda.
Training employees on how to set expectations
is always important in the hospitality business. Training
employees on how to determine and set expectations
during a crisis is also critical as they may be quite
different. Do your reservation and/or telephone staffs
know what to say and how to answer questions that
may not have answers? How does management convey contingency
plans so that guests can feel safe making decisions
based on your plan and communication?
During Florida’s recent hurricanes,
many resident homes were spared yet electricity was
not. Hotels found a surge of reservations, post hurricane,
for those without power who were seeking the comforts
of home. In many cases, hotels recognized the hurricane
recovery period and offered reasonable rates without
cancellation penalties, understanding that locals
were dealing with many unknowns. However, in one scenario,
a hotel reservation was made under the premise of
all hotel features working, therefore a welcome respite
from a sweltering home with no food, TV, pool or air
conditioning. And, the agent reconfirmed the no cancellation
penalty policy. Confirming the reservation a few hours
later yielded a different response. This time, the
agent noted several areas of the hotel that were not
fully functioning and after the guest chose to cancel
based on those non-functioning areas which had been
promised earlier, the guest was told that now a cancellation
penalty would exist.
The difference in attitude from each of these
agents was quite distinct. The first one was understanding,
compassionate, responsive and professional. Yet, she
was not completely informed and provided incorrect
information about the venue. The second one was aloof,
detached and insensitive and reported that the earlier
agent was incorrect. She had no difficulty in contradicting
her teammate and holding the line. Fortunately, a
supervisor was a professional combination of the two
agents and respectfully cancelled the reservation
and reinforced the hotel’s commitment to more
flexible service during this hurricane time frame.
When Hurricane Jeanne showed up, many locals
in evacuation zones scrambled to get hotels in advance
and ride the hurricane out in a place less likely
to lose power and living comforts. Apparently, after
three hurricanes, a lot of other people had the same
idea and hotels in two counties, the Greater Ft. Lauderdale
and Miami areas, were almost completely booked. Hotels
deployed top concierges like Ed Ponder, from the National
Hotel in Miami, who worked three phones at a time
while supervising the relocation of his guests from
the Miami Beach area. While supervising his staff
of bellmen, doormen, valets and concierges, he motivated
his team to calm and reassure guests while making
the transition out of the hotel as pleasant as possible.
The concierge team, known for their ability to juggle
and creatively handle guest requests and demands had
been entrusted to lead the guest relocation effort
in this hotel. Hotel management recognized the opportunity
to make a positive impression, even under challenging
circumstances, and utilized the members of their team
that could best manage other people’s jobs and
duties. Cross training should be part of any plan
for service during a disaster.
Many guests ended up across the state, on
the West Coast of Florida when hotels were unavailable
on the East Coast. In one case, more than 60 percent
of hotel guests were hurricane refugees. Hotels seemed
primed to welcome these unexpected guests with the
same dignity and service as those that had planned
trips in advance. And while west coast cities were
not on the hurricane hit list, winds gusting over
60 miles per hour still hit the area. In hotels like
The Registry Resort in Naples Florida, a letter from
General Manager, Ronald Albeit, was sent to guest
rooms along with a flashlight. The letter noted the
reality that the hotel might still be affected by
this unpredictable force of nature and outlined a
complete game plan if electricity and air conditioning
were lost. A comprehensive list of services and procedures
were outlined including how a special guest lounge
with refreshments and television would be set up,
which elevators would operate and how telephone service
and lighting would operate. Guests were even promised
clean towels in spite of possible constraints. Housekeeping
staff knocked on guest doors to move patio furniture
and place towels around sliding glass doors in case
of water seepage. In many places, the power did indeed
go off. Guests were ready at The Registry Resort with
their flashlights and a sense of reassurance that
the hotel was ready too.
At times like these, guests left in the dark,
will be calling for answers. All points of contact
need to be ready for nervous guest questions. In one
instance, an operator who answered the phone, sounded
like the voice of doom and gloom when asked about
the status of the electricity returning. She had not
been trained on how to handle calls like this and
through her own discomfort and uncertainty, she provide
a dim forecast and left the guest in the dark a bit
less comfortable.
The next day, with winds still whipping around,
The Registry Resort had set up one of the meeting
rooms with the Star Wars Trilogy repeating over and
over again, as another option to entertain weather
weary guests and their families. This hotel’s
management had set up alternate indoor freebies since
guests could not take advantage of outdoor amenities.
Guests felt at home even though home was not available.
One can imagine that often there are guests
who are not there for business or vacation but because
they have to be. Whether it is fire, floods or some
other reason that forces them to become a new guest,
do you and your teams know how to serve them? They
can actually become some of your most loyal guests
and can present solid opportunities to know your guests
even better.
In any destination, faced with weather or
other unexpected challenges, hotel managers and hospitality
leaders can still make a service difference with thoughtful,
coordinated and responsive planning and leadership:
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Determine how policies and procedures might
change in the event of a disaster or severe
threat. Evaluate if new policies should be put
in place based on environmental evidence and
specify the timing which would trigger the change.
Make sure all employees, in corporate offices
as well as those on property are in sync with
changing policies and procedures. Communicate
directly and frequently during these events
and especially during shift changes to ensure
all employees are consistent and constant in
their communications to guests.
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Train all employees on how to be tuned in
to the extra emotional stress of guests seeking
assistance. Give them reassurance so that they
can give the same to guests. Empower them and
inform them with the tools they need to reinforce
a message of safety and comfort. Give them structure
during unstructured times so they are not forced
to respond on their own.
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Consider all the questions a guest might have
during an emergency. Develop all possible answers
in advance and circulate both questions and
answers in advance to all staff. Spend time
in staff meetings rehearsing various scenarios
and ask employees to voice any questions or
concerns.
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Determine which employee teams can best serve
guests in the event of emergencies like relocation.
Depend on positions like well-trained concierges
to handle guest contact so management can focus
on emergency operations.
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Work with local officials and organizations
on resources to assist guests. In the Greater
Ft Lauderdale area, Convention and Visitor Bureau
staff began working with local hotels and transit
authorities at least one week in advance of
hurricanes to poll them on availability in the
event of evacuations and make plans for seamless
guest transitions. They reached out to neighboring
counties to offer assistance and maintain a
hotel hotline.
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Recognize opportunities to make lemonade out
of lemons. Capture employee input to develop
new ways to entertain guests and create memories
while regular operations and facilities may
not be working.
Remember that some guests may be in a crisis
that only affects them. The innkeeper has a special
chance to make home away from home more real for these
unexpected guests. They may appreciate your efforts,
especially the little things, far more than other
guests. They may end up being the repeat and referral
revenue that top all forecasts, no matter what the
weather!
Roberta
Nedry is President of Hospitality Excellence, Inc.,
consultants in guest experience management and audits,
service excellence training for management and frontline
employees and concierge development. To learn more
about the programs her firm offers and their service
expertise, visit www.hospitalityexcellence.com
She can also be reached at 954 739-5299 or Contact Us.
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