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 November 2020...

Hotel Design: Home Away From Home

With the rise of the sharing economy and the peer-to-peer marketplace for lodging options, hoteliers are re-thinking the look, feel and appeal of their locations. There is an emphasis on re-creating a feeling of homeyness - a comfortable, cozy and inviting space that feels like home. 'This is accomplished through the careful selection of furniture design, paint colors, lighting design, artwork, bathroom fixtures and textile accessories. In addition, some hotels are providing their guests with upscale amenities, such as a book and movie library, home-style kitchenettes, a coffee machine with locally-sourced beans and tea, or even a batch of fresh-baked cookies. Similarly, there is a growing design trend based on the concept of place-making. Travelers are searching for experiences that are unique and authentic to the locale in which they find themselves, and so hotel designers are integrating a sense of place into their work. This is partially achieved by incorporating traditional artisanal crafts and other local artwork into hotel rooms and communal spaces. Another design trend includes the creation of full-service, co-working environments within the hotel. Guests don't like to stay alone in their room when they need to work, so now they can go downstairs to the lobby-or up to the roof-to work among others. These areas encourage guests - and non-guests alike - to stay as long as they like and to partake of hotel amenities. Finally, recognizing the importance of the Wellness Movement, some designers are exploring how room design can increase the likelihood of deep and restorative sleep. Creating dark and quiet spaces, blocking excessive light, providing guests with a selection of different kinds of pillows, and the ability to control room temperature, are a few of the best practices in this area. These are some of the architecture and design topics that will be covered in the November issue of the Hotel Business Review.

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