Hospitality is 95% of Innkeeping

[Samster]

I definitely agree that calling someone by their name has a great impact. I frequently have guests --especially groups-- comment on the fact that I remember their names. Some of my repeats I recognize their voice on the phone before they give me their name, or they just give their first name and I know them. They like that.
I've never been good at remembering names, but I think I manage it with guests because I see their names for a week before they arrive. Of course I have all their booking info on my computer, but we also have a white board for quick reference. It has a matrix with 7 days of the week across the top and the rooms down the side. We write the first names of the guests in the appropriate cells and have an at-a-glance picture of who's where when. It especially helps hubby remember as he's a very visual learner.
I also agree that smiles go far in hospitality. As well as a genuine interest in people and a genuine love of where we are and what we're doing. That can't be faked, and people feel it..

That would work for me. I have the names in the guestbook right by the computer, but I sometimes don't refer to it frequently enough. I always get the kids' names, tho. That's the teacher coming out!
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I used to always write all the guest names largely on a piece of paper and post it on the side of our fridge. That way we could remember everyone's names
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I have a wet-erase board on the side of the fridge with a grid with 8 calendar days and the rooms, guest LAST name is on there with arrival time. Too small to have the first names too. boo hoo... It has been really helpful for notes about special packages, breakfast time, etc. though. I'll stick a post-it on there with food allergies too.
A distracted innkeeper can't be very hospitable!
I have to use whatever tricks I can these days........

 

[Morticia]

I don't always remember their names. .... I have to play a mental name association game to remember - and also what really helps is if I'm the one that made the reservation - the ones that Jim makes (even the online ones) I have a harder time remembering the name... perhaps it's the repetition of the info in front of me. After they leave, the info goes out the door with them!
Tricks for remembering names:

• repeat their name as often as possible in the first meeting (without overdoing it, of course)
• associate their name with fact about them - job, where their from, car they drove here in
• silly association - Tom who is tall become Tall Tom, Betty Brown Hair, Shorty Stuart, etc, etc
• association with someone else you know - Tom: name of my favorite cousin or my favorite actor (Tom Hanks)

Here's a link for a post that lists other tips that I just found on google - (some more help for me).

The name thing gets me, too. I can't go far wrong with 'David' for the guys, tho. I bet I have a measurable % of return guests named David. What's tough is I realize as I am trying to ask if they would like anything more and I have to get their attention, that I have totally forgotten their names. I try to visualize the guest book. But that only works if I wrote the names. And we have a guest who comes every year with a friend who makes the rez and I have NO idea what her name is. And it's too late to ask now. I keep waiting for the friend to say, 'oh, "susie," let's go here today,' but she never uses her name.
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Then, there's the problem of the "Davids" looking like a Brian or some other name. haha. I'm pretty good on the names once I meet them & I play those name association tricks but repeating their name often is what works for my sieve-like mind these days
There is a fine line between being attentive and helo-hovering (good term for the glossary btw). There are times when I feel like I'm too chatty and I'll usually make a joke to the guests about that. My dh is also pretty talkative, but he's just not around the guests as much since he has his own full-time plus job. Double trouble if we're both around.
There have been a couple of occasions when I feel like I've been sucked into a conversation with the guests and I really have a lot to do. I enjoy it, but those are the nights (and there are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many of them) that I fall into bed at midnight or later.
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Last week we had a young couple here who were the only guests. They seemed very relaxed and interested in talking. So, there we stood until well after 9AM yakking. Then hubs said, 'Well, when I was in the Navy...' wherein I interrupted and said, 'There are 6 years of stories about to be revealed, would you rather eat first?'
Everyone laughed, but they did sit down to eat!

 

[egoodell]

Greyswan - You are better than me, I cannot recall names from one room to the next, I am more worried I will call them the wrong name if I try to use their names. I would LIKE to do this, but my brain hurts just thinking about attempting it.
Sometimes I find the opposite to be true - when we are fully booked I can provide more as I am out there more often and when one couple are talking/asking questions in the foyer the others might come in and then everybody gets some interaction. Esp if it is a weekend and people are more layed back. Prob depends on who is here too..

Greyswan - You are better than me, I cannot recall names from one room to the next, I am more worried I will call them the wrong name if I try to use their names. I would LIKE to do this, but my brain hurts just thinking about attempting it.

Hee hee.... happens to me all the time ... Even if I surely know the name, when I go to use it, my memory will fail. When we serve breakfast we write the guests names on a post-it and stick it to the bottom of the coaster I use under my coffee mug. When my memory fails me on a name, I sereptitiously tip the coaster over to refresh my memory, then flip it again and carry on with the conversation. Keep in mind we serve breakfast to everyone at once and our kitchen and dining room are part of the same open floor plan so there is no sneaking back in the kitchen to look it up.
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That is genius!
Riki