SELLING SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES

Lesson Notes

SELLING SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES

The first thing to remember is that selling is selling regardless of whether it is carried out in person, by telephone or in writing. Every time you answer a guest enquiry; inform a guest about the attributes, services and facilities of the hotel; suggest options for a guest to consider; invite a guest to contact you if they require any further help or information; or ask if you can help a guest with anything else today you are selling.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO SELL FACILITIES AND SERVICES?

Any encounter with a guest is, in a sense, an opportunity for selling or promoting the hotel, but there are certain key stages in the guest cycle which lend themselves best to the selling of facilities and services namely:-

On initial enquiry: ascertaining the requirements and preferences of the prospective guest and offering/highlighting the facilities and services which will be most relevant and appealing.
On booking: discovering the requirements and preferences of the prospective guest, and perhaps offering alternative or additional options that might meet their needs better; or suggesting options if the guest’s requirements cannot immediately be met (e.g. if a particularly date or room type isn’t available), rather than simply letting the guest take his request elsewhere.
On check-in: informing the arriving guest of facilities and services likely to be useful and appealing during his or her stay; and perhaps taking the opportunity to offer an upgrade to superior (higher rate) accommodation or terms.
On request: at any time during the guest’s stay, if (s)he asks about particular facilities or services, or for recommendations about dining or entertainment options.
On check-out: asking the guest if the hotel can help with onward bookings (to sister hotels in a chain), or future return bookings.

PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE

Earlier, we discussed the wide range of reasons customers may have for choosing a hotel, and the wide range of needs that they may want to have met during their stay. Knowledge of the hotel’s product starts with comprehensive knowledge of the hotel’s rooms (types, sizes, locations, rates, furnishings, fixtures and amenities) but it doesn’t end there. Successful selling requires knowledge of all the additional benefits, services and facilities the hotel can offer or access: car parking, conference facilities, laundry facilities, restaurant, bar, room service, swimming pool, spa or sports facilities, theatre ticket bookings and so on. Details of all these services may be kept handy in a product factsheet, if required for reference. Reception and switchboard should also keep a directory of facilities and services provided by other sales outlets and departments of the hotel, with telephone extension numbers or names of persons to whom any guest queries or reservation enquiries should be referred. Banqueting and conferencing enquiries, for example, are often handled by specialist reservations staff.

A similar directory may be compiled of facilities and services provided outside the hotel, as a value adding information service for guests. If the hotel doesn’t have restaurant or sporting facilities, it may be able to recommend providers in the local area, and make enquiries and bookings on a guest’s behalf. The hotel may even set up special arrangements with such providers, so that guests can obtain priority bookings, or charge activities to their hotel account: in effect, making ‘partner’ businesses an extension of the hotel’s offering (and enjoying reciprocal recommendations and referrals). In addition to the facilities and services themselves, Front Office staff should determine the hotel’s selling proposition ideally a ‘unique selling proposition’ or USP. What are the most important attributes or benefits of the hotel that set it apart from the competition and make it particularly attractive to prospective guests? Is it the under-cover parking? The 24 hour room service? The award winning restaurant? The free in-room Internet access? Know your hotel’s USPs and use them when describing the hotel to prospective guests!

SALES SUPPORT MATERIALS

Not all guests will want to receive information about services and facilities ‘on the spot’, or directly from sales staff (from whom they may feel under pressure). Selling therefore also involves the effective use of sales support materials: promotional and informational literature which supports personal selling by offering guests information, advertising benefits, showing illustrative pictures and giving contact details for follow-up. Brochures, and lists of hotel services and amenities, are often available and offered to customers to take away and peruse at their leisure. Service/sales staff may also attach or offer their hotel business cards, facilitating the prospective customer in following-up the enquiry, and emphasising personal service.

SELLING TECHNIQUES

Whole books are written on selling techniques. We’re not going to attempt to get too complicated or subtle here remembering that our focus is on guest-focused selling, not psychological manipulation. The following are some simple approaches for intelligent selling of hotel services and facilities:-

Start with rapport: There is an influencing technique called ‘pace and lead’ which means that you have to ‘draw alongside’ someone (make them feel understood and secure) before you ‘draw ahead’ of them and lead them in the direction you want them to go. Make guests feel welcome and secure first: they will then trust you to suggest options/alternatives, or to advise them well and in their best interests.
Sell the whole ‘package’: As we saw earlier, customers are not just buying rooms they are buying hospitality, security, status, comfort and so on. Your manners, and your ability to build rapport, are a powerful sample of the total service and hospitality package. In addition, you can describe services and facilities in terms that appeal directly to what you anticipate the guest to be interested in. Use appealing descriptive phrases when referring to rooms: ‘an air-conditioned room’, ‘a comfortable/spacious room with beautiful city views’.
Pace the transaction: Selling has a natural ‘shape’ or rhythm to it that supports your aims. Having found out what the guest needs and wants (qualifying), you offer a package to meet those needs (quoting). It is then natural to ask the guest whether he wants to purchase or make a booking (inviting): you have already made it easy to say ‘yes’, by putting together an offer that meets his stated needs. Another simple framework for selling discussions is ODD: Opening, Development, Dealing with hesitation. If someone calls to make a reservation enquiry, you can start by simply informing them of the room types you have, and their prices (opening). This leads naturally to questions about the rooms and their facilities, which provides a lead-in to describe them further, stressing the attributes most likely to appeal to the guest (development). By this stage, the guest may be half persuaded, but reluctant to commit for some reason: the price may be too high, or the facilities not quite right. Armed with this information, you can take action to get over the potential objection (dealing with hesitation): for example, you might offer the opportunity to inspect the room (answering doubts as to its suitability); or might offer alternative options; or might stress the value for money represented by the ‘best available rate Emphasise value for money. If you are trying to persuade a guest to upgrade to a superior grade (higher-rate) room, you need to justify the extra expense, by explaining or demonstrating the benefits gained for the extra money. (Know why the ‘superior’ is more desirable/expensive than the ‘standard’, or why a double may be more comfortable for the guest than a single.)
Use ‘good news’: You may have ‘bad news’ for an enquirer: e.g. the only available room is a twin not a double, or you can only offer full rack rate for that period. You want to cushion this fact and major on ‘good news’ that will attract a sale. Start with some good news (e.g. ‘Well, Sir, you’re in luck: we do have a room available.’); then deliver the bad news (‘It is only a twin room…’); and finish with the bright side (‘… but it is more spacious than the double, with fine views over the city’).
Use price psychology: If you offer a guest the ‘best available rate’, it will sound like a competitive price or a bargain (even if the best available rate is rack rate). You might also quote a very high priced option alongside the alternatives, to make those prices ‘look better’: people will often go for the second-highest price, because they feel they are getting superior quality, but at a reasonable (not the highest) price. Rooms may already be priced on a psychological basis: e.g. Tzs 99 looks less expensive than Tzs100.
Offer ‘lead in’ rooms: also called ‘selling high’ or ‘top down’ selling. Say someone rings up to enquire about a double room, and the hotel has standard doubles for Tzs 80 and superior doubles for Tzs 95. Start by quoting the higher-rate option first (‘we have some lovely double rooms available for Tzs 95′): if the guest goes for it, you have made a higher-value sale. It is easy to come down to lower-rate options if the guest isn’t willing to pay that much (‘of course, we also have some slightly smaller rooms for Tzs 80, without quite as many amenities, but just as comfortable’). It is less easy to convince the guest to consider the superior, once (s)he has already settled on a standard: far more conspicuous selling. If guests are clearly budget-conscious, however, a ‘bottom-up’ selling (or ‘selling low’) technique may be more effective, quoting high may put them off straight away. Instead, you could start with the cheapest grade/rate of room, to secure the sale and then inform the guest that for a small amount extra, they could have more space or amenities: emphasising the upgrade as a value for money option.
Encourage sight/trial: Experience is the most powerful convincer. If a guest isn’t sure that a more expensive room is better, offer to show him whether in a photograph/ brochure, or by referral (of a phone enquiry) to a virtual tour on the web site, or by showing a walk-in guest the room. Similarly, the hotel may offer incentives to try the hotel restaurant (e.g. a free drink or voucher), in order to get guests in the door.
‘Lead’ the decision: An uncommitted enquirer can be subtly steered towards a purchase decision by the sales person’s ‘assuming’ that such a decision is being made. For example, having offered a room, you might ask ‘Is that acceptable?’ (rather than ‘would you like to make a reservation now?’). If the prospective guest says ‘yes’ (because the room is broadly what he was after), you can start to ask questions about anticipated arrival times, the guest’s contact telephone number, how the guest would like to pay for the room and so on. By this time, the reservation is well on the way to being made – and you have been so friendly and helpful, that the guest may not mind being ‘nudged’ to a decision in this way.

INCREASING OCCUPANCY

Although the main business of attracting guests to the hotel is carried out by the marketing department, as we noted earlier, there are a number of ways in which Front Office staff can help bring in business namely:-

Juggling bookings to maximise occupancy: Skilled reservation staff can ‘fit’ bookings into the available space on the conventional chart as can computer reservations programmes by allocating or re-allocating rooms in such a way as to open up space for additional reservations. In some cases, for example, guests booked into single accommodation may be persuaded to ‘double up’ or share a twin room (e.g. within tour groups or conference bookings), in order to free up additional singles.
Offering alternatives when taking enquiries: A reservation clerk need not turn away business because the requested room type or date is unavailable. (S)he may well be able to offer a different type of room (perhaps a twin or two singles instead of a double, at a discounted rate if necessary); different dates (if the guest is flexible); or a referral to a sister hotel (still good marketing, because of the goodwill created by the assistance).
Minimising ‘no shows’ by ‘chasing’ unconfirmed bookings, reconfirming the day before, charging non-refundable deposits on reservation, or accepting credit card bookings. Minimising the impact of no shows by planned overbooking, waiting lists, advertised release times and so on.

INCREASING AVERAGE ROOM RATES AND GUEST SPEND

The second way of increasing the hotel’s revenue, as we suggested earlier, is by getting guests to spend more in the hotel. This can be done in two basic ways:-

Up-selling and
Cross-selling.

UP-SELLING

Up-selling (or ‘bettered sales’) means persuading guests to upgrade their reservation or purchase, and therefore to spend more an important way of increasing average rates and yield. Just as a McDonalds crew member routinely asks ‘Do you want fries with that?’, a reservations clerk or receptionist may offer a guest the opportunity to upgrade to a higher standard and/or rate of room; higher-range terms (e.g. from bed and breakfast to fully inclusive); from table d’hôte (set menu) to à la carte (customer choice) meals in the restaurant; from two nights to three; and so on. The ideal time for up-selling is reservation and/or check-in (maximising the added revenue and avoiding mid-stay changes). A guest intending to book a standard room may be informed that the hotel also has a ‘superior’ room available for that period, offering a better view, or more amenities or whatever the justification of the higher classification and room rate is, whichever is likely to appeal most to the prospective guest.

A guest may be willing to upgrade and pay the extra amount for a variety of reasons. If a guest is planning a long stay, (s)he may upgrade for the promise of more wardrobe space; a family may upgrade for more room; a well-off guest, or a guest whose expenses are being paid by a company, may be inclined to upgrade for more status and amenities. A skilled receptionist should also be able to ascertain from guests on arrival by questioning and observation when they might appreciate the offer of larger, superior or more conveniently located accommodation. Again, this should be put to the guest as a value-adding opportunity, not as an attempt to get more money: ‘Ms X, I know you booked a single room, but a double room has just become available, and it’s quite a bit larger, with a nice view over the grounds. I wonder if you might prefer that to the room we’ve held for you.’

CROSS-SELLING

Cross-selling means selling related or additional products to the ones the guest has initially purchased. Guests will have already purchased a room and breakfast, but perhaps no ‘extras’. Cross-selling persuades them to add the ‘extras’ that they might not previously have thought of or intended to buy, but which since they are already in the hotel they are willing to consider. Cross-selling involves informing guests about the availability of added-value facilities and services of the hotel: the bar and restaurant facilities; spa, gym and sports facilities; laundry and dry cleaning; executive lounge and business facilities; special entertainments (e.g. a guest cocktail party or dinner show); in-house hairdressing or shopping facilities; tour and entertainment booking service; and so on.

This kind of sales opportunity may occur at any time during the guest’s stay. Remember, cross-selling in a hotel setting is about providing information and options to guests not being pushy! In order to be most effective, the information should be targeted to the guest’s enquiries or anticipated needs. A guest who arrives travel stained after an adventure tour might be informed about the hotel’s laundry service. A guest attending a formal evening function may be informed of valet or hair-dressing services. A guest arriving too late for lunch or dinner service may be informed that snacks are available all day from the bar. Business travellers will want to know about communication and office services.

REPEAT BUSINESS

We have already noted that it is easier and more cost-effective to retain an existing guest than to win a new one. Existing guests know the hotel and are (hopefully) predisposed to like it, having had a satisfying experience. They may well be open to the prospect of a return visit, particularly if they are regular travellers in the area. The ideal opportunity for boosting repeat business is on check-out. A receptionist may ask: ‘Have you enjoyed your stay with us?’ If the answer is yes, (s)he could go on: ‘Might you be returning this way some time in the future?’ If guests are intending to return, or state that they regularly travel to or through the location, the receptionist can offer to make a provisional reservation for them. If guests aren’t prepared to do this (perhaps being uncertain of dates), the receptionist can furnish them with a brochure and business card, and assure them that they can easily make a reservation at any time: paving the way for a repeat sale by making it clear that the returning guest will be made welcome.

Alternatively, the receptionist may be able to offer the guest the opportunity to join the hotel’s loyalty scheme or ‘membership club’. Such a scheme may simply enable the hotel to keep in touch with the guest, by sending printed or e-mail newsletters, special offers and invitations to particular events). It may also create incentives for return visits: select offers for other hotels in the chain; discounts on future stays, or meals in the hotel restaurant; member privileges (e.g. pre-arrival room allocation, free newspapers or a fruit basket) on future stays; or a ‘points scheme’ whereby points are accumulated with each stay (or amount spent in the hotel), towards discount vouchers, free nights or gifts.

REFERRED SALES

Sales may be referred or directed to the hotel, by:-
Travel agents, hotel booking agents and tourist information bureaux, such referrals are usually reward by the payment of commission on the sale.
The central reservation office or central booking office of a hotel group,
Satisfied guests, who recommend the hotel to friends, relatives or business associates. In such a case, of course, commission would not be paid for the referral but the referral should be noted on the guest history card, and some acknowledgement may be made on the guest’s next visit.

HANDLING GUEST PROBLEMS, FEEDBACK AND COMPLAINTS

Most guests aren’t ‘difficult’. They come to the hotel with a legitimate set of expectations (wanting a safe and pleasant stay in the type and standard of accommodation they have booked) and as long as they are broadly satisfied, things will go smoothly. However, there will inevitably be some guests who have unrealistic expectations; demand the impossible; feel the need to ‘throw their weight around’ (perhaps because they are stressed or insecure in unfamiliar surroundings and circumstances, or frustrated at not being able to speak the language); are aggressive and rude in making demands or complaints; or perhaps just enjoy fault-finding and complaining. It’s a hazard of the job. Nevertheless, the most unpleasant guest may have a genuine problem, there may be a kernel of truth to an exaggerated complaint something the hotel can put right or learn from. And just because a guest is aggressive or rude, it does not give hotel staff license to be the same! This is not an easy area to learn, or to put into practice, but it is crucial to maintaining a pleasant atmosphere and guest satisfaction.

PROBLEMS THAT MAY INCONVENIENCE GUESTS

A range of problems may cause guests inconvenience, or lessen their enjoyment. Some of these will be created by the hotel, or directly within the control of the hotel and some won’t. Front Office staff may, nevertheless, have to handle a complaint about either sort of problem, and do their best to assist the guest in a range of circumstances. Baker, Bradley & Huyton (Principles of Hotel Front Office Operations) list the following examples of problems that may inconvenience guests:-

Guests’ lack of familiarity with hotel policy or terminology
A guest arrives before check-out time: no room is available until midday
A guest arrives after 6 pm release time: the room has been re-let
A guest has booked a double room, but expects two single beds
Fully booked hotel
A guest refuses to believe that no room is available
Lack of service from front desk staff
A guest is ignored on arrival at front desk
A guest telephoning front desk is kept on hold for a long time
Errors made by the hotel
A guest books a twin room and is given a double
A guest is overcharged
A guest receives slow (or discourteous) service
A guest does not receive a requested early morning call
External factors (outside the hotel’s control)
A guest’s luggage has been lost by an airline
A guest has mislaid their safe deposit key
A guest has misplaced prescription medication

In addition to the problems mentioned by Baker et al, two of the key causes of problems resulting in a complaint include:-

Something ‘wrong’ with the room: This may be a matter of the expectations or perceptions of the guest: (s)he doesn’t like the view, or the décor, or the room is smaller than expected. However, there may also be genuine faults: the room hasn’t been adequately cleaned; the air conditioning or heating doesn’t work properly; the window doesn’t open; the television doesn’t work; the room is noisy because it overlooks the bar; and so on.
Disruptive behaviour by other guests: Many hotels post notices or statements in their in-room information packs, requesting guests to respect the comfort of other guests, by reducing noise to acceptable levels after 11.00 pm at night. However, not all guests will notice or heed these requests, and their neighbours may be unable to enjoy the peace, relaxation and sleep they are entitled to.

From our lists of potential problems, you should be able to see that some are definitely the responsibility or ‘fault’ of the hotel. If a guest complains, Front Office staff will need to acknowledge the fact and try to put the matter right. With other issues, however, the hotel may well feel that the guest is responsible and has no legitimate right either to complain or to expect the hotel to do something about his problem. Even so, it is the responsibility of Front Office to make each guest’s stays as successful as possible, and to create a positive impression of the hotel’s willingness to look after its guests’ needs.

HANDLING GUEST COMPLAINTS

Reception will often be the first port of call for guest complaints. The first point to remember is that the hotel wants and welcomes guest feedback including negative feedback as a tool for improving service and satisfaction in future. It needs to encourage complaints, by making it clear to guests that they can come to reception with any needs or problems they may have and by handling each complaint positively, calmly and constructively (whether or not the customer is ‘right’). Minor complaints can often be dealt with by the front desk:-

If there has been an error in the posting of charges, for example, the receptionist can show prompt willingness to investigate; acknowledge any error which is confirmed (while stating that it doesn’t happen often); apologise for the inconvenience; and correct the room account.
If something is wrong with the room, the receptionist can either have the guest moved to a new room (where required and available), or ensure that housekeeping or maintenance are alerted to fix the problem. (The room may lack soap or towels, say, or an appliance may need replacing.)
If there has been a failure of service in some way, the receptionist may be authorised by management to offer some specific type and level of recompense: a discount on the room or meal, perhaps, or a voucher for an extra service (which has the virtue of not losing the hotel revenue).
If the guest has a problem unrelated to the hotel (e.g. has left personal belongings in a taxi or had luggage mislaid by the airline), the front desk may provide a listening ear, empathy, guidance and assistance where possible without taking on responsibility for the problem. If minor complaints are handled efficiently and with good grace, the guest will often leave feeling both heard and well served and with no lingering worries or negative feelings about the hotel. In some circumstances, however, a guest may be angry, aggressive or upset or the problem may be more serious or complicated, requiring in-depth explanation and investigation: the hotel may have lost a guest’s luggage or laundry, say. These situations require more sensitive handling.
If possible, the receptionist should seek to handle the matter away from other guests, who may be disrupted or upset by the ‘scene’ or the complaint. The complaining guest may be invited to draw aside, or to enter a back office or lounge area. If necessary, (s)he may be asked to wait a moment while the duty manager is called to deal with the matter, or the problem is investigated, or while the receptionist finds someone else to cover the front desk while (s)he deals with the issue.

The receptionist, guest relations officer or duty manager must first of all hear the details of the complaint: showing that (s)he is listening attentively; and refraining from interrupting or commenting until the guest is finished. (S)he can then ask supportive questions, to gather details and make sure that (s)he has understood the substance of the complaint, taking notes if required.

It may also help to summarise briefly the main points of the guest’s complaint and how (s)he feels about it (‘You weren’t able to sleep last night because of the noise in the room next door, and I understand that that was very stressful and upsetting for you.’) This helps the guest to feel genuinely heard and understood and may also help to eliminate some of emotion

The person handling the complaint should give a short, clear apology for the upset, frustration or inconvenience experienced by the guest without being drawn into any explanations, excuses, implied (or direct) criticism of the hotel or blaming of others. The apology is intended to demonstrate understanding of the guest’s situation, not an admission of guilt or responsibility. (‘I am sorry you have been inconvenienced.’, ‘I am sorry to have kept you waiting.’)

The next step is to reassure the guest that the complaint will be fairly and constructively handled: explaining what action will be taken (even if, initially, this is just an investigation into the problem) and within what time frame.

The complaint handler should then initiate action to investigate or resolve the problem, or to offer recompense seeking whatever information, assistance or authorisation may be required. If the process takes time, the guest should be kept informed as to what is going on.

Finally, the complaint handler should inform the guest what has been done or decided. If a receptionist has been handling the matter so far, this final task may be referred to a duty manager or guest relations person especially if the outcome is not likely to satisfy the guest (e.g. nothing can be done, or the guest has been found to be in the wrong).

As follow-up, the Front Office person may need to check that the promised action has indeed been taken by other parties (e.g. maintenance has fixed the guest’s TV). (S)he should also recontact the guest, after everything has ‘cooled off’, to ensure that the guest is satisfied.

The incident should be recorded in an incident log, for later analysis: there may need to be a change of policy for handling the complaint or for preventing the problem from recurring. In addition, an incoming shift may need to be made aware of the issue.

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS FOR HANDLING COMPLAINTS

Particularly well-developed interpersonal skills are required for handling complaints and other ‘awkward’ situations. A person handling a complaint needs to be able to:-

Control his or her emotions, in order to remain calm especially since the guest may not be calm and to avoid taking the complaint personally.
Control his or her body language: maintaining a confident and attentive posture; calm gestures; appropriate facial expressions (without annoyance or disbelief); and a firm, steady tone of voice.
Listen attentively (so that the guest feels genuinely heard) but at the same time critically (so that the problem can be properly analysed).
Demonstrate empathy: an ability to understand the guest’s position. This can be shown by reflecting back or summarizing the guest’s complaint not merely repeating the words, but summing up the issue and the guest’s underlying feelings about it.
Demonstrate tact and discretion: respecting guest privacy and confidentiality; not exposing the guest to ‘loss of face’ (e.g. if they are in the wrong).
Communicate assertively: that is, communicating calmly but firmly, balancing respect for the rights of the other person with respect for one’s own rights. Assertiveness isn’t the same as aggressiveness. It means avoiding aggressiveness or defensiveness on the one hand and ‘grovelling’ or ‘victimhood’ on the other. If a guest is being abusive, you have a right to request that he moderate his tone and language. If a guest has made an error, or failed to observe the policy of the hotel, you can calmly but firmly state this fact.
Service orientation: Perhaps the most important attribute in handling a guest complaint constructively is willingness to do so, a professional ‘can do’ attitude and the awareness that Front Office is the ‘hub’ for guest issues. (If a guest has a complaint about the room, the answer is not ‘That’s not my problem: you’ll have to talk to maintenance/housekeeping’.)

GATHERING AND USING GUEST FEEDBACK

We noted earlier that it is in the hotel’s interests to get feedback from guests whether positive or negative in order to:-

Improve the hotel’s marketing and selling, by identifying factors that guests particularly value and enjoy about the hotel.
Improve the hotel’s service to guests, by identifying strengths and weaknesses, areas for learning and improvement, and areas for staff training.
Maintain dialogue with guests making them feel valued and heard, and encouraging them to develop loyalty to the hotel (e.g. through follow-up messages asking for feedback after their stay). The hotel may gather feedback from guests in various ways.

Guest and occupancy statistics will provide indirect indicators of whether guests are satisfied or not: repeat stays, for example, will generally indicate satisfied guests, where one-off stays (and even worse, the withdrawal of repeat business) will generally indicate dissatisfaction.

Informal comments made by guests at reception, or directly to Front Office staff, are an excellent source of informal feedback. Staff should keep their ears open for such responses, and invite it where possible: ‘Are you enjoying your stay with us?’, ‘Is there anything we can do to make your stay more enjoyable?’, or ‘Have you enjoyed your stay with us and can we hope to see you again?’ This may also be the particular responsibility of the Guest Relations Officer, if any.

Unsolicited feedback may be provided by guests who have had particularly positive or negative experiences with the hotel: writing a letter or e-mail of thanks or complaint after their stay, for example. This is a particularly valuable form of review, because it reflects strong and genuine feelings (with the guest having had time to think about the matter), and because it highlights ‘critical incidents’ that may not have been picked up by management. Critical incidents offer excellent case studies of what the hotel has done right or wrong for analysis and training purposes.

Online hotel review sites and traveller ‘blogs’. Many travellers now record their experiences (positive and negative) of hotels on Internet sites such as tripadvisor.com, or on their own ‘blog’ (web log, or online diary). Hotels can monitor these (by doing a search on their own name). Large hotels may employ a media monitoring agency to check reviews and media mentions (online and in newspapers, magazines and travel journals) for them.

Feedback questionnaires may be left in guest rooms, included in departure packs, or forwarded to them after their stay (by e-mail or mail). This is a systematic way of gathering information about how the guest experienced the various elements of the hotel ‘package’, as well as information for marketing purposes (such as how the guest ‘heard about’ the hotel). Such surveys make it optional for guests to give their names: comments are likely to be more honest if they are confidential. This is perhaps why comments in the ‘Visitor’s book’ of old fashioned guest houses are so often bland and non-committal.