04:48
Faizan
Sitting in my Nanjing hotel on a rainy day, during my third visit to China, I'm struck again by the realization that hospitality is not just the purview of "the hospitality industry" -- bed and breakfasts, hotels, resorts, amusement parks, or restaurants. It's also not culturally dependent, though culture plays a role in making others feel welcome, comfortable and at home. This is the third hotel in which I've stayed in as many months, and I have had a wide range of hospitality experiences.
One hotel room was so dark, even with all the lights on, I couldn't read the numbers on my suitcase lock to get it open, so I resorted to using the flashlight app on my phone for the needed light; poor hospitality. In another hotel, every employee I encountered showed their appreciation for my presence with smiles, service, and sometimes even a big thank you; top notch hospitality. Luggage delayed from the airport was brought straight to our room with a smile; perfect hospitality.
Maybe those don't seem like big gestures of hospitality, or "un-hospitality", but that's part of the point. What seems like nothing to one person will seem like an impossibly large gesture by another.
As a B&B innkeeper your daily actions are (or should be) the epitome of hospitality; that's a lot of what brings your guests back and has them recommending to friends and family your inn as the place to go. Cleanliness and good food help, but ultimately it's the service, the hospitality, that makes your business sing and shine. Can you do more than you are doing?
Hotels can sometimes strive to imitate that B&B hospitality, and some even succeed, but they often miss the mark. Not enough delegation of power to the people on the front line, and rule-laden and bean-counter controlled policies interfere with the natural flow of hospitality. It often seems to me that hotels just don't care enough to think about offering the service to their guests that brings them back with joy.
Hospitality Outside the Lodging Industry
In a broader focus, I think that any business which interacts with people is in the hospitality industry. Get much health care? Doctors, nurses, and front desk people would benefit by paying more attention to courtesy, and treating their patients as if they matter! They could offer hospitality along with their health care and be well ahead of the competition.
Travel any? Airlines, train and bus companies, and taxis could learn something about customer service and caring for people. Restaurants can fall short of the mark as well. Hospitality is an easy way to differentiate yourself and bring customers back to you.
One hotel room was so dark, even with all the lights on, I couldn't read the numbers on my suitcase lock to get it open, so I resorted to using the flashlight app on my phone for the needed light; poor hospitality. In another hotel, every employee I encountered showed their appreciation for my presence with smiles, service, and sometimes even a big thank you; top notch hospitality. Luggage delayed from the airport was brought straight to our room with a smile; perfect hospitality.
Maybe those don't seem like big gestures of hospitality, or "un-hospitality", but that's part of the point. What seems like nothing to one person will seem like an impossibly large gesture by another.
As a B&B innkeeper your daily actions are (or should be) the epitome of hospitality; that's a lot of what brings your guests back and has them recommending to friends and family your inn as the place to go. Cleanliness and good food help, but ultimately it's the service, the hospitality, that makes your business sing and shine. Can you do more than you are doing?
Hotels can sometimes strive to imitate that B&B hospitality, and some even succeed, but they often miss the mark. Not enough delegation of power to the people on the front line, and rule-laden and bean-counter controlled policies interfere with the natural flow of hospitality. It often seems to me that hotels just don't care enough to think about offering the service to their guests that brings them back with joy.
Hospitality Outside the Lodging Industry
In a broader focus, I think that any business which interacts with people is in the hospitality industry. Get much health care? Doctors, nurses, and front desk people would benefit by paying more attention to courtesy, and treating their patients as if they matter! They could offer hospitality along with their health care and be well ahead of the competition.
Travel any? Airlines, train and bus companies, and taxis could learn something about customer service and caring for people. Restaurants can fall short of the mark as well. Hospitality is an easy way to differentiate yourself and bring customers back to you.
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