Hospitality does not mean being vague

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happykeeper

happykeeper

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Dec 11, 2008
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Does your hospitality ship have a firm rudder?
Are you guiding your guest to the desired result?
Or
Are you pointing vaguely in the direction you want their experience (and yours) to go?
 
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out.
 
This morning's first breakfast came down early to "chat". Fortunately I had everything thing ready - the baked oatmeal was in the oven with about 15 minutes to go. DANG, I just remembered I forgot to take a photo of the fruit dish - I made faces of honeydew sliver mouth with big blackberries at the corners, whole strawberry nose, kiwi slices for the eye sockets with a red raspberry in the middle. Anyway, it was OK because it was an oven entree. And we had a lovely chat with the second breakfast coming down just as they were finishing (I got up and popped it in the oven at the proper time).
I really do not try to steer other than with the turn-by-turn routings which is NOT your point. I try to have everything they would need in the room (and try to remember to point it out), I have a rack of brochures and rack cards for things to do ideas, as well as the offerings I have on the web site. We steer them to choose what time is best for them for breakfast that is what I choose to make that day. Other than that, I just float along as the tender that takes care of the ship as it sails along to the beat of their drummer. It IS their get-away. not mine.
 
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Very well put. That is how I feel I could not have put it better myself.
I feel it is a bit of both or give and take.???
 
At check-in or soon thereafter (evening wine for example) it is easy to inquire what brings them to the area and then figure out how much interaction the guest needs.
In addition to the tourist association literature, I have often thought I should put our winery list and our restaurant list and our covered bridge tour map and ... in the rooms, but I think the guest who wants personal guidance also wants to talk about it, personally. I give very different recommendations for winery tours based on what I learn about the guests taste, geographical origin, sophistication, and past experience. I recommend different restaurants after a few questions about what they like and what their energy level is that evening.
Some people come here knowing exactly what they want to do and others really appreciate the local knowledge.
 
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
 
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
happykeeper said:
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
Click to expand...
When you have this done, it's pretty difficult for the innkeeper to keep their ego & emotions from taking over. We all think we know our business better than anyone else would. Often, it takes another's eye to see what the solutions are.
I've often thought that there could be a niche for me in this area when I 'retire'. I think it's needed in this industry. BUT...I've done some consulting in the past and have found that most owners/innkeepers aren't really willing to change their behaviors which have ultimately caused the problems to begin with.
 
Breakfast Diva said:
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
happykeeper said:
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
Click to expand...
When you have this done, it's pretty difficult for the innkeeper to keep their ego & emotions from taking over. We all think we know our business better than anyone else would. Often, it takes another's eye to see what the solutions are.
I've often thought that there could be a niche for me in this area when I 'retire'. I think it's needed in this industry. BUT...I've done some consulting in the past and have found that most owners/innkeepers aren't really willing to change their behaviors which have ultimately caused the problems to begin with.
.
Click to expand...
BINGO... you would be a great consultant...
 
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
But you see, I can count the "bad behavior/undesirable guests" on the fingers of one hand and have fingers left over. The thing we have had as the most problematic over the years has been horse people who had truck problems coming over the mountains from the East. THAT I cannot change. I really do not know WHY this is true with our guests, but it honestly is. I had a bug up my butt last month with the "she loves" but that really is on me - I think I was tired because I normally would have just bought it. (He actually had me split the bill between HIS cc and HER cc - and it was her birthday/their anniversary trip - and knowing him as I did, it really did not surprise me.)
 
Breakfast Diva said:
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
happykeeper said:
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
Click to expand...
When you have this done, it's pretty difficult for the innkeeper to keep their ego & emotions from taking over. We all think we know our business better than anyone else would. Often, it takes another's eye to see what the solutions are.
I've often thought that there could be a niche for me in this area when I 'retire'. I think it's needed in this industry. BUT...I've done some consulting in the past and have found that most owners/innkeepers aren't really willing to change their behaviors which have ultimately caused the problems to begin with.
.
Click to expand...
Breakfast Diva said:
I've often thought that there could be a niche for me in this area when I 'retire'. I think it's needed in this industry. BUT...I've done some consulting in the past and have found that most owners/innkeepers aren't really willing to change their behaviors which have ultimately caused the problems to begin with.
Click to expand...
Exactly as Cesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer) explains it. And so very true.
 
gillumhouse said:
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
But you see, I can count the "bad behavior/undesirable guests" on the fingers of one hand and have fingers left over. The thing we have had as the most problematic over the years has been horse people who had truck problems coming over the mountains from the East. THAT I cannot change. I really do not know WHY this is true with our guests, but it honestly is. I had a bug up my butt last month with the "she loves" but that really is on me - I think I was tired because I normally would have just bought it. (He actually had me split the bill between HIS cc and HER cc - and it was her birthday/their anniversary trip - and knowing him as I did, it really did not surprise me.)
.
Click to expand...
Ah- I do see - that you are an excellent captain and helmsman. You steer clear of the icebergs, call out the extra watch, and review your steerage before you set sail. You guide the ship through rough waters - all the while sipping tea and chatting with your guest- AND - when you see a ship in the distant fog- it's all hands on deck until you are satisfied that the potential for danger has passed.
 
Breakfast Diva said:
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
happykeeper said:
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
Click to expand...
When you have this done, it's pretty difficult for the innkeeper to keep their ego & emotions from taking over. We all think we know our business better than anyone else would. Often, it takes another's eye to see what the solutions are.
I've often thought that there could be a niche for me in this area when I 'retire'. I think it's needed in this industry. BUT...I've done some consulting in the past and have found that most owners/innkeepers aren't really willing to change their behaviors which have ultimately caused the problems to begin with.
.
Click to expand...
Breakfast Diva said:
I've often thought that there could be a niche for me in this area when I 'retire'. I think it's needed in this industry. BUT...I've done some consulting in the past and have found that most owners/innkeepers aren't really willing to change their behaviors which have ultimately caused the problems to begin with.
Click to expand...
I've made good use of what I've read here. Changed up things that weren't working. Still, the occasional guest comes along who throws a spanner in the works. For me. DH rolls with the punches. "It is what it is" is one of his mantras. I've let go of a lot of guest crap that used to bother me. Now, I'm down to petty stuff. That will be gone soon as well.
We were just discussing a guest we couldn't please. They were slumming when they came here, they should have been at the posh hotel but they waited too long to make a rez. Very unhappy with everything. They demanded their money back or that we let them stay for free another time to 'prove you know how to run a business properly.' No contest. Refund on the way. It stunk to refund them but it was far better to have them and their bad aura gone.
I know there are places you can go where it is the management's belief that EVERY guest can be catered to with the right attitude. That the employees are to find out what it is that makes the guest tick and glom onto that. Easier when you actually go home at the end of the day and it's not the same person dealing with the problem child at 7 AM as 11 PM.
The big change ahead for me is to accept that it's not personal.
We get to chat with a bunch of innkeepers in town who get the same kind of guests we do. Everyone gets the same annoying guests and the same wonderful guests and we all do things differently. Laid back innkeepers have the same issues as the uptight ones do.
 
happykeeper said:
gillumhouse said:
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
But you see, I can count the "bad behavior/undesirable guests" on the fingers of one hand and have fingers left over. The thing we have had as the most problematic over the years has been horse people who had truck problems coming over the mountains from the East. THAT I cannot change. I really do not know WHY this is true with our guests, but it honestly is. I had a bug up my butt last month with the "she loves" but that really is on me - I think I was tired because I normally would have just bought it. (He actually had me split the bill between HIS cc and HER cc - and it was her birthday/their anniversary trip - and knowing him as I did, it really did not surprise me.)
.
Click to expand...
Ah- I do see - that you are an excellent captain and helmsman. You steer clear of the icebergs, call out the extra watch, and review your steerage before you set sail. You guide the ship through rough waters - all the while sipping tea and chatting with your guest- AND - when you see a ship in the distant fog- it's all hands on deck until you are satisfied that the potential for danger has passed.
.
Click to expand...
I wish. I think it is because we are in a placve where you actually WANT to be or are so grateful there IS a place (at first because there IS one and now there is one available (gas & pipeline workers have filled most of the rooms around here) that they behave. For the horse people it is because there are so few places where they CAN stay. It really is a bit difficult to sneak a horse into a hotel room.
 
Breakfast Diva said:
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
happykeeper said:
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
Click to expand...
When you have this done, it's pretty difficult for the innkeeper to keep their ego & emotions from taking over. We all think we know our business better than anyone else would. Often, it takes another's eye to see what the solutions are.
I've often thought that there could be a niche for me in this area when I 'retire'. I think it's needed in this industry. BUT...I've done some consulting in the past and have found that most owners/innkeepers aren't really willing to change their behaviors which have ultimately caused the problems to begin with.
.
Click to expand...
Here's an example...got a call late last night, guest wanted to ask a 'few questions' before making a rez. With the crazy morning we didn't get to call her back until 2 PM. I heard DH explain several times which rooms would be best given her criteria. I could tell she didn't want any of those rooms she wanted the room she wanted and she wanted us to make sure it would suit what her needs were. She didn't book.
We tried to steer her toward the rooms where she would get what she wanted - no noise. No other guests too close. No, she wanted streetside rooms because those were the ones she liked the pictures of.
Her online rez just came in. Streetside room. Noisy. Exactly the room DH said wouldn't work. 4 other rooms all around this one. Plus traffic.
 
gillumhouse said:
happykeeper said:
gillumhouse said:
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
But you see, I can count the "bad behavior/undesirable guests" on the fingers of one hand and have fingers left over. The thing we have had as the most problematic over the years has been horse people who had truck problems coming over the mountains from the East. THAT I cannot change. I really do not know WHY this is true with our guests, but it honestly is. I had a bug up my butt last month with the "she loves" but that really is on me - I think I was tired because I normally would have just bought it. (He actually had me split the bill between HIS cc and HER cc - and it was her birthday/their anniversary trip - and knowing him as I did, it really did not surprise me.)
.
Click to expand...
Ah- I do see - that you are an excellent captain and helmsman. You steer clear of the icebergs, call out the extra watch, and review your steerage before you set sail. You guide the ship through rough waters - all the while sipping tea and chatting with your guest- AND - when you see a ship in the distant fog- it's all hands on deck until you are satisfied that the potential for danger has passed.
.
Click to expand...
I wish. I think it is because we are in a placve where you actually WANT to be or are so grateful there IS a place (at first because there IS one and now there is one available (gas & pipeline workers have filled most of the rooms around here) that they behave. For the horse people it is because there are so few places where they CAN stay. It really is a bit difficult to sneak a horse into a hotel room.
.
Click to expand...
You are welcome to sell yourself short if you want, but it just encourages others to believe that it is up to fate and not because of the way they run their business.
 
Madeleine said:
Breakfast Diva said:
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
happykeeper said:
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
Click to expand...
When you have this done, it's pretty difficult for the innkeeper to keep their ego & emotions from taking over. We all think we know our business better than anyone else would. Often, it takes another's eye to see what the solutions are.
I've often thought that there could be a niche for me in this area when I 'retire'. I think it's needed in this industry. BUT...I've done some consulting in the past and have found that most owners/innkeepers aren't really willing to change their behaviors which have ultimately caused the problems to begin with.
.
Click to expand...
Breakfast Diva said:
I've often thought that there could be a niche for me in this area when I 'retire'. I think it's needed in this industry. BUT...I've done some consulting in the past and have found that most owners/innkeepers aren't really willing to change their behaviors which have ultimately caused the problems to begin with.
Click to expand...
I've made good use of what I've read here. Changed up things that weren't working. Still, the occasional guest comes along who throws a spanner in the works. For me. DH rolls with the punches. "It is what it is" is one of his mantras. I've let go of a lot of guest crap that used to bother me. Now, I'm down to petty stuff. That will be gone soon as well.
We were just discussing a guest we couldn't please. They were slumming when they came here, they should have been at the posh hotel but they waited too long to make a rez. Very unhappy with everything. They demanded their money back or that we let them stay for free another time to 'prove you know how to run a business properly.' No contest. Refund on the way. It stunk to refund them but it was far better to have them and their bad aura gone.
I know there are places you can go where it is the management's belief that EVERY guest can be catered to with the right attitude. That the employees are to find out what it is that makes the guest tick and glom onto that. Easier when you actually go home at the end of the day and it's not the same person dealing with the problem child at 7 AM as 11 PM.
The big change ahead for me is to accept that it's not personal.
We get to chat with a bunch of innkeepers in town who get the same kind of guests we do. Everyone gets the same annoying guests and the same wonderful guests and we all do things differently. Laid back innkeepers have the same issues as the uptight ones do.
.
Click to expand...
Okay Maddie here's a chance to not take it personal, because it isn't about you, it's about your business.
A business that subscribes to the idea that every business in their business has the same problem as they do is missing the opportunity to find real solutions that will improve their business.
When I read the above post, I see a business that needs to find a core set of practices to guide them. Rules, established practices that remain firm, and a product with a value point that the operators can faithfully and confidently stand behind.
A business that subscribes to the idea that their customer is at fault is a business that is not getting the help they need to see their business through the eyes of their customer.
Is that an easy thing to do? Absolutely not. Is it essential for a business to be healthy. Absolutely.
 
happykeeper said:
gillumhouse said:
happykeeper said:
gillumhouse said:
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
But you see, I can count the "bad behavior/undesirable guests" on the fingers of one hand and have fingers left over. The thing we have had as the most problematic over the years has been horse people who had truck problems coming over the mountains from the East. THAT I cannot change. I really do not know WHY this is true with our guests, but it honestly is. I had a bug up my butt last month with the "she loves" but that really is on me - I think I was tired because I normally would have just bought it. (He actually had me split the bill between HIS cc and HER cc - and it was her birthday/their anniversary trip - and knowing him as I did, it really did not surprise me.)
.
Click to expand...
Ah- I do see - that you are an excellent captain and helmsman. You steer clear of the icebergs, call out the extra watch, and review your steerage before you set sail. You guide the ship through rough waters - all the while sipping tea and chatting with your guest- AND - when you see a ship in the distant fog- it's all hands on deck until you are satisfied that the potential for danger has passed.
.
Click to expand...
I wish. I think it is because we are in a placve where you actually WANT to be or are so grateful there IS a place (at first because there IS one and now there is one available (gas & pipeline workers have filled most of the rooms around here) that they behave. For the horse people it is because there are so few places where they CAN stay. It really is a bit difficult to sneak a horse into a hotel room.
.
Click to expand...
You are welcome to sell yourself short if you want, but it just encourages others to believe that it is up to fate and not because of the way they run their business.
.
Click to expand...
happykeeper said:
You are welcome to sell yourself short if you want, but it just encourages others to believe that it is up to fate and not because of the way they run their business.
Click to expand...
It really is not that I am trying to sell myself short. Honest. I guess I was brought up to not think too highly of myself as it is not nice/good/ appropriate - whatever term. I was taken to task on another Forum recently for not being humble. I really do not think of it as running a tight ship or not. I just do what I do.
I had this discussion just this morning with my son who is in Finland. He said he was almost an adult before he realized we were conservative. We had brought them up to do the right thing no matter what. If you were in the wrong, you fess up. They always knew where the line was and crossing it brought consistent consequences. He actually thought we were liberal. I am proud to say my children ALL think for themselves - event the ones we consider (shudder) brainwashed. What I am saying is not meant to be political before anyone takes me to task for it. It is that we taught them to stand on principle and we did it by example - as I was fortunate enough to be brought up, not with words but by example. We were not to lie nor cheat. If anyone was going to be cheated in a deal, it should be us rather than us cheat someone else. BUT GOD help anyone who did dirty to someone who knowingly tried to cheat us or worse, someone who did not know better.
I stand on my policies. I would not and will not be told "give me what I want or I will write a bad review" or some such thing. My policies are straightforward. Being small also makes a big difference. I do not have other guests to be infected with the virus of the "bad guest". When we get a "pie-plate Harley" guest, I stuff DH in his area with orders not to exit until they are gone. The one time I had my biggest jerk (yes, a pie-plate) I let DH have him and disappeared once I served breakfast since I never wished to see him again. DH did everything except call him an idiot to his face for not wearing proper safety gear. That was MY revenge for him costing me 2 nights of revenue (his revenge was the way he left the room when I said I was going to charge him for 1 of the 3 nights reserved (the only reason he stayed)). When it comes to guest relations, DH is a HUGE liability that I am stuck with.
 
gillumhouse said:
happykeeper said:
gillumhouse said:
happykeeper said:
gillumhouse said:
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
But you see, I can count the "bad behavior/undesirable guests" on the fingers of one hand and have fingers left over. The thing we have had as the most problematic over the years has been horse people who had truck problems coming over the mountains from the East. THAT I cannot change. I really do not know WHY this is true with our guests, but it honestly is. I had a bug up my butt last month with the "she loves" but that really is on me - I think I was tired because I normally would have just bought it. (He actually had me split the bill between HIS cc and HER cc - and it was her birthday/their anniversary trip - and knowing him as I did, it really did not surprise me.)
.
Click to expand...
Ah- I do see - that you are an excellent captain and helmsman. You steer clear of the icebergs, call out the extra watch, and review your steerage before you set sail. You guide the ship through rough waters - all the while sipping tea and chatting with your guest- AND - when you see a ship in the distant fog- it's all hands on deck until you are satisfied that the potential for danger has passed.
.
Click to expand...
I wish. I think it is because we are in a placve where you actually WANT to be or are so grateful there IS a place (at first because there IS one and now there is one available (gas & pipeline workers have filled most of the rooms around here) that they behave. For the horse people it is because there are so few places where they CAN stay. It really is a bit difficult to sneak a horse into a hotel room.
.
Click to expand...
You are welcome to sell yourself short if you want, but it just encourages others to believe that it is up to fate and not because of the way they run their business.
.
Click to expand...
happykeeper said:
You are welcome to sell yourself short if you want, but it just encourages others to believe that it is up to fate and not because of the way they run their business.
Click to expand...
It really is not that I am trying to sell myself short. Honest. I guess I was brought up to not think too highly of myself as it is not nice/good/ appropriate - whatever term. I was taken to task on another Forum recently for not being humble. I really do not think of it as running a tight ship or not. I just do what I do.
I had this discussion just this morning with my son who is in Finland. He said he was almost an adult before he realized we were conservative. We had brought them up to do the right thing no matter what. If you were in the wrong, you fess up. They always knew where the line was and crossing it brought consistent consequences. He actually thought we were liberal. I am proud to say my children ALL think for themselves - event the ones we consider (shudder) brainwashed. What I am saying is not meant to be political before anyone takes me to task for it. It is that we taught them to stand on principle and we did it by example - as I was fortunate enough to be brought up, not with words but by example. We were not to lie nor cheat. If anyone was going to be cheated in a deal, it should be us rather than us cheat someone else. BUT GOD help anyone who did dirty to someone who knowingly tried to cheat us or worse, someone who did not know better.
I stand on my policies. I would not and will not be told "give me what I want or I will write a bad review" or some such thing. My policies are straightforward. Being small also makes a big difference. I do not have other guests to be infected with the virus of the "bad guest". When we get a "pie-plate Harley" guest, I stuff DH in his area with orders not to exit until they are gone. The one time I had my biggest jerk (yes, a pie-plate) I let DH have him and disappeared once I served breakfast since I never wished to see him again. DH did everything except call him an idiot to his face for not wearing proper safety gear. That was MY revenge for him costing me 2 nights of revenue (his revenge was the way he left the room when I said I was going to charge him for 1 of the 3 nights reserved (the only reason he stayed)). When it comes to guest relations, DH is a HUGE liability that I am stuck with.
.
Click to expand...
So really, you are just verifying what I said- you run a tight ship- and your inn runs according to your intention - and all the while you are even finding a way to make a pie-plate (what the heck is that?) situation work out.
 
happykeeper said:
gillumhouse said:
happykeeper said:
gillumhouse said:
happykeeper said:
gillumhouse said:
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
But you see, I can count the "bad behavior/undesirable guests" on the fingers of one hand and have fingers left over. The thing we have had as the most problematic over the years has been horse people who had truck problems coming over the mountains from the East. THAT I cannot change. I really do not know WHY this is true with our guests, but it honestly is. I had a bug up my butt last month with the "she loves" but that really is on me - I think I was tired because I normally would have just bought it. (He actually had me split the bill between HIS cc and HER cc - and it was her birthday/their anniversary trip - and knowing him as I did, it really did not surprise me.)
.
Click to expand...
Ah- I do see - that you are an excellent captain and helmsman. You steer clear of the icebergs, call out the extra watch, and review your steerage before you set sail. You guide the ship through rough waters - all the while sipping tea and chatting with your guest- AND - when you see a ship in the distant fog- it's all hands on deck until you are satisfied that the potential for danger has passed.
.
Click to expand...
I wish. I think it is because we are in a placve where you actually WANT to be or are so grateful there IS a place (at first because there IS one and now there is one available (gas & pipeline workers have filled most of the rooms around here) that they behave. For the horse people it is because there are so few places where they CAN stay. It really is a bit difficult to sneak a horse into a hotel room.
.
Click to expand...
You are welcome to sell yourself short if you want, but it just encourages others to believe that it is up to fate and not because of the way they run their business.
.
Click to expand...
happykeeper said:
You are welcome to sell yourself short if you want, but it just encourages others to believe that it is up to fate and not because of the way they run their business.
Click to expand...
It really is not that I am trying to sell myself short. Honest. I guess I was brought up to not think too highly of myself as it is not nice/good/ appropriate - whatever term. I was taken to task on another Forum recently for not being humble. I really do not think of it as running a tight ship or not. I just do what I do.
I had this discussion just this morning with my son who is in Finland. He said he was almost an adult before he realized we were conservative. We had brought them up to do the right thing no matter what. If you were in the wrong, you fess up. They always knew where the line was and crossing it brought consistent consequences. He actually thought we were liberal. I am proud to say my children ALL think for themselves - event the ones we consider (shudder) brainwashed. What I am saying is not meant to be political before anyone takes me to task for it. It is that we taught them to stand on principle and we did it by example - as I was fortunate enough to be brought up, not with words but by example. We were not to lie nor cheat. If anyone was going to be cheated in a deal, it should be us rather than us cheat someone else. BUT GOD help anyone who did dirty to someone who knowingly tried to cheat us or worse, someone who did not know better.
I stand on my policies. I would not and will not be told "give me what I want or I will write a bad review" or some such thing. My policies are straightforward. Being small also makes a big difference. I do not have other guests to be infected with the virus of the "bad guest". When we get a "pie-plate Harley" guest, I stuff DH in his area with orders not to exit until they are gone. The one time I had my biggest jerk (yes, a pie-plate) I let DH have him and disappeared once I served breakfast since I never wished to see him again. DH did everything except call him an idiot to his face for not wearing proper safety gear. That was MY revenge for him costing me 2 nights of revenue (his revenge was the way he left the room when I said I was going to charge him for 1 of the 3 nights reserved (the only reason he stayed)). When it comes to guest relations, DH is a HUGE liability that I am stuck with.
.
Click to expand...
So really, you are just verifying what I said- you run a tight ship- and your inn runs according to your intention - and all the while you are even finding a way to make a pie-plate (what the heck is that?) situation work out.
.
Click to expand...
Motorcycle helmet that looks like a pie-plate bent to fit a head - and provides about that much protection.
 
happykeeper said:
Madeleine said:
Breakfast Diva said:
happykeeper said:
Breakfast Diva said:
I think this is an area where many innkeepers can't see the forest for the trees. We think we have a firm rudder but are too close to the situation.
It could be invaluable to be able to have an outside source evaluate and critique. This is where having innmates or other industry professionals come to stay with you and getting their honest feedback of the whole process would be great. From making the reservation to check-out..
Click to expand...
Thanks for capturing the essence of what I was getting at.
If I have a continuous stream of guests that behave in ways I dislike, one of the first questions to ask is, "who's driving the train?" They're the guest, which means they have little or limited knowledge of what they are supposed to do as your guest. Do I really want them driving? If the answer is no, then the next question might be, " Am I doing enough to keep the train on the right track?"
This isn't just about guest interaction. It's about helping our guests' be our very best guests ever.
If you read that and say, "I am helping our guests be the best ever" and yet they are not, .........perhaps it's time to follow the above advice.
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
.
Click to expand...
happykeeper said:
We had our inn evaluated by industry professionals and we learned from it. It takes time, but we are making some changes that are driven by that insight.
Click to expand...
When you have this done, it's pretty difficult for the innkeeper to keep their ego & emotions from taking over. We all think we know our business better than anyone else would. Often, it takes another's eye to see what the solutions are.
I've often thought that there could be a niche for me in this area when I 'retire'. I think it's needed in this industry. BUT...I've done some consulting in the past and have found that most owners/innkeepers aren't really willing to change their behaviors which have ultimately caused the problems to begin with.
.
Click to expand...
Breakfast Diva said:
I've often thought that there could be a niche for me in this area when I 'retire'. I think it's needed in this industry. BUT...I've done some consulting in the past and have found that most owners/innkeepers aren't really willing to change their behaviors which have ultimately caused the problems to begin with.
Click to expand...
I've made good use of what I've read here. Changed up things that weren't working. Still, the occasional guest comes along who throws a spanner in the works. For me. DH rolls with the punches. "It is what it is" is one of his mantras. I've let go of a lot of guest crap that used to bother me. Now, I'm down to petty stuff. That will be gone soon as well.
We were just discussing a guest we couldn't please. They were slumming when they came here, they should have been at the posh hotel but they waited too long to make a rez. Very unhappy with everything. They demanded their money back or that we let them stay for free another time to 'prove you know how to run a business properly.' No contest. Refund on the way. It stunk to refund them but it was far better to have them and their bad aura gone.
I know there are places you can go where it is the management's belief that EVERY guest can be catered to with the right attitude. That the employees are to find out what it is that makes the guest tick and glom onto that. Easier when you actually go home at the end of the day and it's not the same person dealing with the problem child at 7 AM as 11 PM.
The big change ahead for me is to accept that it's not personal.
We get to chat with a bunch of innkeepers in town who get the same kind of guests we do. Everyone gets the same annoying guests and the same wonderful guests and we all do things differently. Laid back innkeepers have the same issues as the uptight ones do.
.
Click to expand...
Okay Maddie here's a chance to not take it personal, because it isn't about you, it's about your business.
A business that subscribes to the idea that every business in their business has the same problem as they do is missing the opportunity to find real solutions that will improve their business.
When I read the above post, I see a business that needs to find a core set of practices to guide them. Rules, established practices that remain firm, and a product with a value point that the operators can faithfully and confidently stand behind.
A business that subscribes to the idea that their customer is at fault is a business that is not getting the help they need to see their business through the eyes of their customer.
Is that an easy thing to do? Absolutely not. Is it essential for a business to be healthy. Absolutely.
.
Click to expand...
happykeeper said:
Okay Maddie here's a chance to not take it personal, because it isn't about you, it's about your business.
A business that subscribes to the idea that every business in their business has the same problem as they do is missing the opportunity to find real solutions that will improve their business.
When I read the above post, I see a business that needs to find a core set of practices to guide them. Rules, established practices that remain firm, and a product with a value point that the operators can faithfully and confidently stand behind.
A business that subscribes to the idea that their customer is at fault is a business that is not getting the help they need to see their business through the eyes of their customer.
Is that an easy thing to do? Absolutely not. Is it essential for a business to be healthy. Absolutely.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but sometimes the customer IS at fault. Not really fair to say that this customer who demanded a free stay is somehow something that could be fixed. One like that came to us and we couldn't run the refund fast enough. She didn't belong in our house and our house wasn't what she wanted. Fine. Not my fault and not something I could ever fix.
 

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