By Chelsea Benetz
Let’s first begin by defining the word memorable. By definition memorable means, “worthy of remembering or unforgettable”. Now to define the word experience, which means in this instance in specific, “a particular incident, feeling, etc., that a person has undergone”. The question then becomes, the goal of every hospitality institution in the world, how can we create a “memorable guest experience”? One that will drive the guest to tell their friends all about it and come back for more. How can we, as the venue, ensure that this specific experience was better than all the rest and stands out above all others?
Every hospitality institution has their own way of empowering their employees to create this “memorable experience” for their guests. It is typically an integral part of the company’s core values and even more importantly, their standards. These expectations can range widely from encouraging employees to memorize a guests name to recall by heart or offering each employee $100.00 a day to “treat” the guest to something special.
Yet what if they fail to get my name, and I don’t want dessert at the end of my meal? How else can your employee ensure that I am leaving with an “unforgettable feeling”?
This answer lies within two things: personality and true hospitality.
What is one thing that can make your guests experience different than all the others? A personal touch. By empowering your employees the ability to let their own personality and styles shine through (strictly, in a professional manner, of course). What is it that makes each employee unique? Is it the way they greet the guest, is it the way they “quality check” them, or is it the way they drop the check? Does your employee introduce themselves personally extending a proper greeting and instantly building trust in their newly formed relationship? All this talk of “expressing personality” is not to say that employees should not follow company’s strict “steps of service” in fear of deterring from the brand standards. It is only to encourage your employees to find creative and unique ways of letting them be themselves while following the guidelines!
**It is important to remember this at all times: some guests do NOT want to have a memorable experience. For instance, some rather order their meal, eat and leave, without too much server-guest interaction. In these cases, the server must be sensitive to pick up on these signs and provide exactly that type of service…in turn, it will be just as memorable for the guest.
Lastly, and I hate to sound sappy, it is essential to get back to the true meaning of hospitality. Hospitality defined is kindness for, and in, welcoming strangers. It is intended to be a warm greeting: sincere and genuine through and through. It is what humanity is based on: a kindness for strangers.
This mentality is easily forgotten on a daily basis in the general public as we cut people off in a line, or let the door close behind us without looking to see who follows. If we, members of the hospitality industry, can not succeed in being professionals of hospitality, then we leave very little hope for the rest of them.
True hospitality is hard to teach. For those destined to be in this industry, it’s almost a calling, similar to that of religious callings; both of which are akin to making friends with strangers and welcoming them into your home.
When this true hospitality is alive in a staff, the room will have a renewed sense of energy and memorable experiences will be created instantaneously without much effort. The $100.00 a day stipend to ensure these memorable experiences sent down from a corporate office, will be things of the past or only needed for emergency salvaging. Relationships will be built without trying and your guests will leave feeling part of something bigger than just another dinner out.
Empower your employees to imagine that they are their own boss. That a job so small as being a server, can have quite a bigger impact. It is all about the attitude, personality and true hospitality that they bring to the table, both literally and figuratively.