| My very first serious hotel job was as a "Guest | | | | was recommending to guests. I gave him my list, all |
| Service Agent" at a huge convention hotel right on | | | | of which to my knowledge offered no white |
| Disneyworld property. While not a Disney Resort, I | | | | envelopes but did give us very happy guests. He |
| still had to go to a half day Disney training seminar | | | | seemed pleased and thanked me. The next day |
| where I learned the names of the Seven Dwarfs. I | | | | there was a meeting with the general manager, the |
| still know them: Sleepy, Droopy, Sneezy, Grumpy, | | | | director of human resources and the entire guest |
| Happy, Sarcastic, Chubby---ok maybe not. I do | | | | service team. He told us that an investigation had |
| remember that the ONE thing that HAD to happen | | | | been ongoing into the staff's acceptance of taking |
| anywhere on Disney property was "good service". | | | | kickbacks from shady tour operators, unlicensed taxi |
| My first day on the job was exciting. Another one | | | | drivers and less than palatable dinner theaters. As he |
| day new hire orientation where I got to see a video | | | | spoke I noticed that about half the team was not at |
| of the hotel general manager telling us all about his | | | | the meeting. Joe was missing, so was TJ. Then he |
| vision and that the hotel meant nothing without us, | | | | called my name. I froze. I know that I had taken a |
| the staff. I am not sure why he didn't actually speak | | | | few envelopes early on, but I had stopped! I knew |
| to us in person, the new hire orientations were only | | | | this was wrong! I walked up to the front of the |
| once a month and his office was just a few steps | | | | meeting room fully expecting a public execution, |
| away from the meeting room. I know he was there | | | | setting an example for the rest of the staff. The |
| because shortly after the orientation started he | | | | general manager put his hand on my shoulder and |
| pulled the human resources director out of the room | | | | explained to all of us that the guest service team |
| for some sort of emergency. Oh well, he looked and | | | | members who were not in attendance were no |
| sounded good on the video tape and I walked away | | | | longer with the company, they had all been fired and |
| from the orientation all pumped up and ready to go. | | | | can no longer work at any Disneyworld property. |
| Seven Dwarves and all.The second day on the job | | | | Then he announced that I was going to be the |
| was a bit different. My manager paired me up with a | | | | interim manager until a permanent manager was |
| seasoned Guest Service Agent named TJ. I am not | | | | found for the department. He thanked us all for our |
| sure what "TJ" stood for, but that was it....not even a | | | | integrity and sent us on our way. So I was now a |
| last name. She showed me around the guest service | | | | manager, interim as it was I was a manager! Excited, |
| desk, the various work areas and then put me on | | | | I called home and gave my wife the good news. "Did |
| the phones. The phones at this particular 1028 room | | | | they give you a raise?" she asked. As I explained to |
| hotel rang a lot. Everything from "how to you turn | | | | her the significance of my new responsibilities and the |
| off the clock radio alarm" to "I need a foursome | | | | honor it was just to be selected I began to think |
| reservation at the new award winning golf course in | | | | about what had just happened. Was this a good |
| 15 minutes". After 4 hours of, as TJ put it "diving | | | | thing? What was I in for?Fast forward 17 years and I |
| right in" I was awarded the honor of being taken to | | | | find myself sitting at a desk at the back of my |
| lunch by my new manager, Joe. Joe was the "Guest | | | | house in the Southern California Desert running my |
| Service Manager" and was in charge of as he | | | | new hotel consulting company. The journey to this |
| explained, "everything that mattered" at the hotel. By | | | | point has taken me all over the map, specifically |
| the second re-fill of our iced teas he had gotten to | | | | when it comes to my exposure the many different |
| the part about his hotel background and his hotel | | | | approaches to Guest Service. I recently became |
| future. If I played my cards right I could move up | | | | involved with a major university in California and have |
| quickly, as long as I stayed close and followed his | | | | been working with an MBA class on the realities of |
| lead. For a bit I was impressed. Young and somewhat | | | | service in the business world. The deeper I get into |
| awe struck that I was working at a huge hotel, a | | | | conversations with the professors and students, the |
| hotel where my family could never afford to stay | | | | more I am noticing a massive hole in the curriculum |
| and on Disney property for that matter. Then Joe | | | | within the hotel educational system---where are the |
| started talking numbers. The numbers that surround | | | | classes on Guest Service? As a hotel school student |
| the sale of show tickets, tours, golf course | | | | you learn a lot about the business of hotels, but very |
| reservations and limo rides. The numbers he was | | | | little on actually how to be a provider of service. |
| talking about had to do specifically with the fact that | | | | Maybe the college restaurant or on the campus hotel. |
| many of these tour operators showed their | | | | But really, how much time is spent on one on one |
| appreciation for sales by handing over sealed white | | | | coaching on the art of service? In most cases the |
| envelopes each week. Sometimes they even mailed | | | | service approach training is left to the future |
| these right to your home, just to streamline the | | | | employer or worse yet, a summer internship |
| process I suppose. Lunch went on for two hours, | | | | program! So here comes your new management |
| after which I was fully aware that a large percentage | | | | trainee, right out of a major university and they have |
| of the contents of these envelopes was to be | | | | no real "schooling" in how to provide great service, or |
| handed over to Joe. Of course this was not an | | | | how to be a servant in the hotel business. They |
| official hotel arrangement, but one that was | | | | might think that they understand how to be a |
| "understood" by management and fully expected by | | | | servant, but how can you if all you know is what |
| the various tour operators.In a few weeks I had | | | | you have picked up along the way? Imagine applying |
| things down. As a Guest Service Agent I was | | | | this to another industry, lets say the space |
| primarily responsible for suggesting various tours and | | | | industry-astronauts to be specific. Imagine hiring a |
| activities to our guests. Of course we had to hand | | | | top-notch aeronautical engineer who has 9 years of |
| out park information, give directions and the such, | | | | study in the field of advanced aeronautics and space |
| but the primary role was that of selling tour and | | | | exploration, but no practical experience actually flying |
| show tickets. Now I had lived in the area for about a | | | | a plane. They can tell you all about it, but until they |
| year. My wife was a dancer at one of the local | | | | actually sit behind the joy stick of that mach 3 super |
| shows and I was becoming very familiar with the | | | | jet there is no way you are going to put them in the |
| "good the bad and the ugly" of attractions. I started | | | | commanders seat of a billion dollar space craft! Or |
| to notice a trend. TJ, whom I was still scheduled with | | | | would you? We do it every day. We take new |
| was getting some pretty thick white envelopes. My | | | | graduates and put them right in the drivers seat, right |
| envelopes were pretty thin and came with a | | | | in front of our customers. Most of the time I think |
| substantial amount of indigestion. As I watched TJ | | | | we luck out. Most who make the hotel industry a |
| recommend tours and shows I noticed that she was | | | | career already have a desire and what I call the |
| suggesting activities that were, to say the least "not | | | | "servant gene". So they respond well to the few |
| on par" with the expectations of our guests. The | | | | days of on the job service / culture training you |
| great shows right around the corner, produced by | | | | might provide. But what about those who do not |
| Disneyworld themselves were never even mentioned | | | | have this intrinsic idea of what service is? Will they |
| or suggested! I remember once when I suggested | | | | "tolerate" your challenging customers? Will the "put up |
| that a group of guests make reservations at the | | | | with" a difficult staff member? How will they teach |
| "Diamond Horseshoe Review" in Disneyworld, TJ | | | | service approach to the line level staff? I will be that |
| interrupted and said "oh, you probably will have | | | | many managers "learn up" about service from their |
| trouble getting in, even if you have reservations they | | | | own star employees!I believe that the culture of true |
| can still bump you, can I make another suggestion?". | | | | service is on the decline in America. Declining |
| She then went on to recommend another cowboy | | | | expectations along with a related decline in the |
| themed dinner show about 45 minutes away. She | | | | attitude of those in the hotel industry is wreaking |
| also recommended "her personal friend" who had a | | | | havoc within our industry. Service is what should |
| great van to take them their, all at a bargain! Well | | | | define us, whether a limited service or multi star |
| the van pulled up, a twenty year old conversion van | | | | high-end luxury hotel it still all comes down to service. |
| with bald tires and a driver who looked like he had | | | | We cant leave management service training to an on |
| just stepped of the set of Swamp Thing. Dripping | | | | the job seminar. It has to start earlier and with much |
| with sweat, Swamp Thing driver greeted the guests | | | | more aggression. I wont be the one to change the |
| and then walked in the lobby, where he handed TJ | | | | way major universities design their hospitality |
| an envelope and me his card. "Give me a call, we | | | | curriculums, but I can suggest to the industry not to |
| have an arrangement" he said. As the chugged away, | | | | think that just because you are hiring the brightest |
| taking the now captive guests to what was without | | | | college grad that you are automatically getting |
| a doubt the worst dinner show in Florida, TJ looked | | | | someone who is truly engaged in a culture of service. |
| right at me and said "that's how it is done, follow my | | | | Hotels must design very challenging service culture |
| lead and you will do really well".So there it was. The | | | | training classes with a very high level of expectation. |
| Guest Service Desk was actually the guest fleecing | | | | Managers need to be challenged on their current idea |
| desk. The entire guest service team was "in", right | | | | of service and drill down to the fact that the hotel |
| there with our fearless leader Joe. Months went by, I | | | | industry is really all about being a servant to your |
| stopped taking any white envelopes and kept | | | | customer.Think about the "Joe" I described earlier in |
| sending guests where they wanted to go, not to | | | | this article. Can you imagine him being the person |
| shows where I would get any sort of kickback. Joe | | | | responsible for providing service training to your line |
| and the team became very unhappy with me. I | | | | level staff? Probably not, but I bet you do.The |
| often ate lunch with staff from other departments. | | | | author, Kurt Bjorkman is the CEO of över5, a |
| Then one day the assistant general manager walked | | | | hotel consulting firm based in La Quinta California. Kurt |
| right up to the guest service desk and asked me to | | | | has 20 years of front line hospitality experience in |
| name a few of the different tours and attractions I | | | | both full service branded and boutique properties. |