Tips on managing from the property level

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Tips on managing from the property level
By Brent A. Lare                                                                    employers. An employee that can work both at the front desk and
hwn contributor                                                                     in housekeeping is more valuable than an employee trained in one
                                                                                    aspect of operations. Employees that are cross-trained tend to be



A
          fter months of cutbacks, downsizing and layoffs, the hotel                more reliable employees with a better sense of accomplishment.
          industry is facing challenging times. As front-line managers,             Employers benefit from having an employee that is versatile.
          we’re being asked to do more with less: fewer hours, less                    3 Time to talk with guests
staff, smaller budgets and fewer overall resources—but we must                         Less people checking in also means that the staff has more
still be able to deliver the same products and exceptional services.                frequent and longer opportunities to capitalize on “face time”
   hard times, like those we are currently experiencing, can also                   with the guests. these moments, if done correctly, will lead
be great for testing, training and improving                                                             to lasting positive impressions. Encourage
your current staff. one of my favorite sayings                                                           employees to ask open-ended questions; the
is “when the tide goes out, you’ll see who’s                                                             more talkative they are, the more fun they’ll
skinny dipping.” when business was booming                                                               have while on shift. As managers, we should
and hotels had more demand than rooms                                                                    be looking for creative rewards and contests
available, customer service (i.e. customer                                                               that promote guest interaction.
retention), took a back seat in the minds of                                                                4 Appreciate your guests
management: the thought that someone else                                                                   Your guests know that our industry is slow
would come along to fill the lack of business                                                            and looking for business. Make sure your staff
from an unhappy guest was far too common.                                                                is sincerely thanking each guest for “choosing
now that the tide has gone out and hotels are                                                            to stay with us.” i once read a poster that said,
experiencing a lack of demand, companies that                                                            “business goes where it’s invited and stays
did not take care of their guests are struggling                                                         where it’s appreciated.” Make sure your staff
to replace that business.                                                                                is properly inviting the business and making a
   the good news is this is the time to                                                                  lasting impression.
polish and refine your staff’s ability to deliver                                                           the basics for improving customer service
exceptional customer service.                                                                            and increasing customer retention are simple:
   1 Use slow time as training time                                                 train your staff to the best of your ability and make sure your staff
   regardless of how effective a company’s training program                         is honest and sincere to truly build lasting relationships with your
is, there is always room for improvement. During busy times,                        guests. Maximize training opportunities during slow times and
employees develop bad habits, learn to cut corners and tend                         make sure everyone is performing at their best during peak times.
to allow certain aspects of their jobs to become afterthoughts.                     Learn from mistakes and use each opportunity as a coaching
ongoing training can refocus efforts and realign performance with                   session to retrain and address areas that need improvement.
customer expectations.
   2 Cross-train in different departments                                           Brent Lare works at the Embassy Suites in Beachwood, Ohio. Contact him at
   cross-training is great for employees and great for their                        blare@embassybeachwood.com


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Celebrate It »
Winning Strategy:
America’s Best
Franchising

W
           hile the downturn continues to affect the
           hospitality industry, hoteliers are becoming
           increasingly upbeat and investing in the          It’s hard to keep afloat in
opportunities that lie ahead. that’s the case with the four  this economy, much less
hotel brands operated by America’s Best Franchising          grow. Our weekly “winning
because during the second quarter of 2009, the company       strategy” feature will focus
                                                             on companies with
sold 12 new franchises, totaling 907 rooms and opened
                                                             positive news to
11 new properties, totaling 925 rooms.                       report to break through
   combined with its performance during the first            the negative news cycle.
quarter, America’s best has achieved solid first-half
results for 2009: 25 new franchises sold, totaling 1,859
rooms and 21 new properties opened, totaling 1,577 rooms.
   this represents a growth of 13 percent in properties under operation since the start
of the year—well on the way to the company’s targeted annual growth rate of 20 to 30
percent based on the goal of selling and opening 40 to 60 properties during 2009.
   “Entrepreneurs are the real economic stimulus of this country—and they realize
that they must create their own momentum by investing in themselves,” says Doug
collins, chairman and cEo of the Atlanta-based company. “hotel owners are looking for
value—lower risk without lower return—and they’re finding it with our brands, both for
the near and the long term.”
   America’s best operates three upper economy brands: country hearth inns & Suites,
America’s best inns & Suites and budgetel inns & Suites, as well as the upscale 3
Palms brand for independent and condominium hotels.
                                                                       hwn@questex.com




Watch It »
Jack Welch on self-confidence
 In the last part of a four-part video series, outspoken former General Electric CEO
 Jack Welch talks to hoteliers about why self-confidence is a good trait.




                              A
                                      t the Asian American hotel owner’s Association
                                      convention in washington, D.c., David Lieberman,
                                      senior reporter for uSA today, sat down with Jack
                              welch, former cEo of General Electric, to discuss issues
                              affecting the lodging industry. the hotelworld network
                              put together a four-part video podcast series of welch’s
                              comprehensive and sometimes comical commentary. to
                              view part four, visit video.HotelWorldNetwork.com/

                                An excerpt from the video:
                                n Welch: “You want people ... that don’t need you, that
                              are there because they love the work.”

                              Other videos in this series:
                                 “Jack welch on the economy” (Day 67)
                                 “Jack welch on managing personnel” (Day 77)
                                 “Jack welch on card check” (Day 90)