Editorial Board   Guest Author

Mr. Reitknecht

Robert Reitknecht

Founder, Robert Reitknecht

Robert Reitknecht's philosophy about customer service can be summed up as the following: Companies must live and breathe service excellence every day. A veteran customer loyalty professional and guest experience expert for over two decades, Mr. Reitknecht has provided service-focused insights to a number of Fortune 100/500 companies while holding positions as General Manager, Director of Operations, Regional Human Resources Manager, and Director of Fitness Operations to name a few.

He has worked primarily in the hospitality and guest relations verticals, crafting cultures of excellence by spearheading quality standard initiatives, process improvements, and hands-on training and development programs. Mr. Reitknecht has held many customer-facing positions throughout his career, working at the AvalonBay Communities; Town Sports International; Costco Wholesale, Inc.; and Dolce Hotels & Resorts, among other companies.

His promise to help clients by driving their internal teams to go beyond today's expected level of service to create a "wow experience" is driven by his passion for professional development. He has completed The Ritz-Carlton Executive Education Series and several performance and operational excellence leadership courses throughout his career to further maximize operations and profits. He is currently a board member of the National Diversity Council, and has been awarded several accolades that honor hospitality leaders who exemplify legendary customer service. Most recently, he led a series of customer experience training seminars across Southern CT.

My goal is simple: paint the picture for customer service excellence, find the right strokes, colors and canvas, and design a customer service masterpiece. In painting the picture for employees, my clients have a better understanding of their unique functions and what is expected of them to ignite and deliver legendary service excellence.

Please visit http://www.robertreitknecht.com for more information.

Mr. Reitknecht can be contacted at +1 203-894-9412 or robert@robertreitknecht.com

Coming up in May 2019...

Eco-Friendly Practices: Corporate Social Responsibility

The hotel industry has undertaken a long-term effort to build more responsible and socially conscious businesses. What began with small efforts to reduce waste - such as paperless checkouts and refillable soap dispensers - has evolved into an international movement toward implementing sustainable development practices. In addition to establishing themselves as good corporate citizens, adopting eco-friendly practices is sound business for hotels. According to a recent report from Deloitte, 95% of business travelers believe the hotel industry should be undertaking “green” initiatives, and Millennials are twice as likely to support brands with strong management of environmental and social issues. Given these conclusions, hotels are continuing to innovate in the areas of environmental sustainability. For example, one leading hotel chain has designed special elevators that collect kinetic energy from the moving lift and in the process, they have reduced their energy consumption by 50%  over conventional elevators. Also, they installed an advanced air conditioning system which employs a magnetic mechanical system that makes them more energy efficient. Other hotels are installing Intelligent Building Systems which monitor and control temperatures in rooms, common areas and swimming pools, as well as ventilation and cold water systems. Some hotels are installing Electric Vehicle charging stations, planting rooftop gardens, implementing stringent recycling programs, and insisting on the use of biodegradable materials. Another trend is the creation of Green Teams within a hotel's operation that are tasked to implement earth-friendly practices and manage budgets for green projects. Some hotels have even gone so far as to curtail or eliminate room service, believing that keeping the kitchen open 24/7 isn't terribly sustainable. The May issue of the Hotel Business Review will document what some hotels are doing to integrate sustainable practices into their operations and how they are benefiting from them.

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