Ms. Walzak

Guest Service / Customer Experience Mgmt

Tech & Touch: Savvy and Stress Free Guest Experiences

By Dawn Walzak, First Vice President, Tishman Hotel Corporation

It is as simple as the ease of making a room reservation. As the number of online reservations continues to grow, hotel companies must continue to upgrade their Web sites allowing for a better reservations experience. An example is the ease of navigating Starwood.com which allows the consumer to search for the nearest hotel to a certain address. Yet, a traveler does not have that option on Web sites such as Hyatt.com. Not offering what the competition offers may put your company at a disadvantage, swaying travelers from even researching your hotel.

Hotels are also gaining the competitive edge when it comes to guest experience. Some hotels are adding to the overall guest experience by incorporating very distinct amenities such as:

Some of the most creative hotel amenities that I have seen are not only unique to the consumer, but also very "buzz" worthy. My favorite is board games (Backgammon, Cribbage and Chess) available in the concierge lounge with special tables designated for matches.

Other very noteworthy innovations are:

A word of caution for these very creative items -- they can quickly become expensive, meaning a decrease profits, and become expected by the guest.

For example, take something as simple as bottled water, which use to be a nice perk, but now something guests expect to see.

Hoteliers are left with the daunting challenge of turning a hotel stay and guestroom into an experience and a retreat from the world while meeting the guest's individual needs whether it is relaxation or work. . Business travelers particularly have the need to be productive while on the road. They must be more organized and keep up with their work and home demands all while trying to get a goods night sleep in an unfamiliar place so they can awake refreshed and ready to conquer the business world.

Guest satisfaction surveys and indexes are becoming the most important tool in managing a hotel's success, second only to profitability. Some general managers are creating incentive plans and tying salary increases to these statistics. Technology has allowed for travelers to share their experiences with others via the Internet such as reviews on travel Web sites and blogs. It behooves all in our industry to truly do everything we can to enhance the guest experience.

What does the future hold?

Here are some take-away ideas that you could implement:

• Night lights
• Comfort foods
• Calming music
• Have the television turned on without the volume too high
• Alarm clocks that your guests can easily operateThe key to creating a stress-free guest experience is your staff. People are sold on their experiences from the extra touches in the guestrooms to a service-orientated staff. To ensure a repeat stay, hoteliers should look to their staff to exude a true sense of hospitality who take pride in their job and make it a way of life. If you employ a staff that these exemplifies these traits the sky is the limit for your guest's happiness. Especially since today's travelers will not accept mediocrity.

Dawn Walzak, CHME is First VP of Tishman Hotel Corporation. Ms. Walzak oversees the marketing and sales functions,and the performance of select Tishman owned and/or managed hotels. She supervises corporate projects involving electronic marketing, training, research and market analysis. Ms. Walzak has held management positions with Westin and Hyatt. She was named one of Travel Weekly's "Forty under Forty". Ms. Walzak holds a Bachelor of Science and a Masters Magna Cum Laude in Hospitality Management from Florida International University. Ms. Walzak can be contacted at 407-934-1755 or dwalzak@tishman.com Extended Bio...

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