There is no issue more challenging for hoteliers than achieving consistency and quality across all elements of the guest experience and getting employees to continually meet and exceed customer expectations is the holy grail of hotel operations.

All owners and managers struggle with this issue to some degree, spending significant time pulling their hair out trying to ensure that employees work to the required standard. Of course, there are wider concerns at play here, such as employee engagement levels and management effectiveness, but at the core of this issue is the need for clear guidelines as to how key guest-focused tasks should be performed; all basic stuff, undoubtedly, but in these turbulent times nothing matters more than service quality.

Despite the challenges associated with this area, and those challenges are indeed significant, it can't be ignored because unless there is a 'right' way of doing things, guest expectations wonˇt be met, never mind exceeded. Most of the hoteliers that I encounter are bored silly at this stage hearing terms such as standard operating procedures, standards of performance, SOPs or similar to define how key tasks should be performed.

Unfortunately, too many hotels get the approach to quality assurance wrong and end up with manuals full of standards with accompanying procedures, only to find them gathering dust on a shelf in the HR Office, but adding little real value to daily operations. 

Changing Mindsets

Before highlighting a simple but effective approach to combating the paper problem, part of the trouble here, in my experience, is that many employees and indeed managers do not fully understand what standards and procedures are all about in the first place; in fact they often view them in a negative rather than a positive light.

Here is a not uncommon extract from the many workshops which I have delivered on the subject over the years:

• 'As you all know, the purpose of our workshop today is to focus on standards of performance here at the hotel'. Blank stares all round ranging from disinterest to despair. 'Let's start with an easy question. What's the difference between a standard and a procedure?' Silence. Growing despair among some. 'Ok, what is a standard then?' Furtive glances between participants. 'The way we're supposed to do things.' Great an answer. Not a very good one but it's a start. 'No that's a procedure', shouts another. Confusion abounds, well, at least amongst those still conscious.
• 'Ok, letˇs try another track. When a guest telephones down to room service and orders a pot of tea, what do they mean? 'All attentive now, only because they are wondering why they are being asked such a stupid question. 'A pot of coffee?' replies the previously most disinterested participant, sensing an opportunity to relive the boredom by having a go at the tutor. 'No, itˇs definitely a pot of tea, but from the guests' perspective, what would matter about the tea?' Again silence, but some sniggers. 'That it was hot'. Great. 'And in a clean pot'. We're on a roll now. 'What else would be important?' 'That there was milk and sugar'.

And on it goes.this is not an exaggeration of the kind of thing that happens when you address the issue of standards and procedures with employees in some hotels and it's not down to tutor incompetence, I might add! Unfortunately, most employees - even the engaged ones - donˇt really get the full picture regarding standards and procedures, so letˇs clarify that once and for all.

Taking the pot of tea from room service as an example, a guest wants their tea to be hot, served in a clean pot, on a clean tray that is well presented and has all the necessary accompaniments and so on.

These are natural basic expectations but I am amazed when I stay in hotels how often there is something obvious missing from the room service tray, or lacking in the quality of the product when delivered. Standards and procedures are supposed to be about helping employees to meet guest expectations consistently:

• A standard is simply what they are trying to achieve, in other words, to meet the guest expectation
• A procedure is what they must actually do in order to achieve that standard

It's surprising how often this is not fully understood. Don't get me wrong, it's not because people are stupid; it's more a case that the concept is rarely explained in meaningful terms. Employees often believe that standards and procedures are something they are being forced to do, or what the boss wants, when in reality they are completely geared towards the guest.

A related difficulty here, I find, is the terminology used; words like standards and procedures scream conformity and rigidity and they certainly don't instil any sense of excitement or passion for service. In fact, they are likely to have the opposite effect. I always recommend replacing the term standard with service goals, or something like that because everyone can grasp the concept of a goal and it has more positive connotations. .

Do away too with the term procedures and simply call them service steps, or similar, in the sense that they are the steps to achieving the goals. Whatever they are called, donˇt underestimate the importance of phraseology in setting the right tone about this important area.

Defining Service Goals

The start point to enhance service quality is therefore to define guest expectations and then translate those expectations into short, snappy goals. For 'Check-In', the service goal might read as follows:

The service goals, as a first step, set the boundaries for what everyone involved is trying to achieve in terms of service delivery.

They are:

• Challenging because the aim is to achieve them all the time
• Relevant because they are based specifically on what guestsˇ generally expect
• Easy to communicate to employees because they simplify what it is they are trying to achieve for their guests

Defining Service Steps

Like any goals, it is necessary to actually do something to achieve them. For each service goal identified, it is therefore essential to consider what guidance will be given to employees on how to consistently achieve that goal. Are written and documented service steps needed for every goal, or should employees be allowed to work on their own initiative?

My advice is to only use written formats when it is really essential; a good quality photo depicting the end result required for a practical task, like say tray set-up, supported by effective on-the-job training can be more beneficial than written materials.

However, for some tasks, such as the check-in example, the visual approach wonˇt work so written service steps might be required.

When developing written service steps, it is always advisable to use a simple template and keep them short and to the point; a one pager should suffice for each key activity. Here is a sample of how this approach might look for Check-In, showing the link from the guest expectations to the service goal to the service steps:

If all employees at reception were to consistently adhere to the ten steps in the right hand column above (the part employees use as their guide), then most guests' expectations would be met on a consistent basis. To support this Check

In example, the correct 'check-in procedure' must be defined but is it necessary to have a separate set of written instructions for this? Probably not, because when you consider all the tasks across all elements of the guest experience, this is what leads to the paper mountain, which is ultimately of no value to anyone.

What is needed though is to ensure that there is actually a defined procedure for key tasks like check-in, which is communicated through robust training and monitored by effective supervision and coaching.

There is no pretence that the guidance offered here will solve all problems related to service delivery and it is always easier to talk about it than to make it happen in practice. However, the advantage of the simple approach outlined is that it builds an easy to apply framework around the only thing which ultimately matters in hotels' guest expectations.

The same principles as covered here for check-in can be applied for all elements of the guest experience. This approach works best when employees are involved in defining and agreeing the service goals and steps in the first place because that harnesses their commitment.

It is effective because guests like consistency and they also feel more valued and special when they receive similar quality across all elements of the experience.

About the Author
Enda Larkin has over 25 years experience in the hotel industry having held a number of senior management positions in Ireland, UK and the US. In 1994 he founded HTC Consulting, a Geneva based firm, which specialises in working with enterprises in hospitality and tourism. Since that time, he has led numerous consulting projects for public and private sector clients throughout Europe and the Middle East.

He is author of Ready to Lead? (Pearson/Prentice Hall) and How to Run a Great Hotel (How to Books) which expands on the themes highlighted in this article. He may be contacted via www.htc-consult.com or at info@htc-consult.com