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Hospitality training ←

Reception

The ticket trouble

A guest at a 5-star hotel in Reykjavík is very interested in culture. Whenever he visits Reykjavík, he has already booked tickets for various cultural events through a booking office. This time he had not booked any tickets as he had not had time. After a two-day stay at the hotel, he hears of a special show in Harpa. The booking office is closed so he asks the receptionist to order a ticket for him. The employee replies that it is too late, tickets had to be booked long in advance: "I don't know how to fulfill your wish because these tickets have been sold out for weeks", says the receptionist. The guest continues to ask if there are no options in the situation, but the receptionist tells him again that there is nothing he can do to secure a ticket. This leaves the guest very disappointed and he tells the employee that he would have expected more from a XNUMX-star hotel.

The questions

  • Should the receptionist have reacted differently in the beginning? Explain why and how.
  • What else could the employee have done for the guest?
  • Is booking tickets for cultural events part of the receptionist's job?
  • Why do you think the guest was dissatisfied with the employee's answers?
  • Would the management consider the employee´s response adequate for a 5-star hotel?
  • How would you respond to the complaint, when the guest told the employee that he would have expected more?

 

Situational case developed by Enterprised.

The booking system failure

A happy couple arrives at a hotel where a receptionist welcomes them and begins to register them in the booking system. The employee is alone at the reception desk at this point. The booking system is slow and stuttering and the registration doesn't seem to go through. Ten minutes pass and now a bus arrives with a number of guests who will join the queue and the employee anticipates that he cannot handle the situation. The couple in front of him is starting to show a lot of impatience. They tell the employee that they are signed up for a sightseeing tour that starts shortly and they need to get their room so they can change clothes. Now the guests from the bus have joined the line and are starting to look at the employee who is starting to feel uneasy about the situation.

The questions

  • If you were in this situation, how would you react?
  • What could the employee have done or said to the customers earlier in the process, when he expected not being able to handle the situation?
  • What processes would be optimal to follow in such a situation?
  • How can you ensure that the guests leave the hotel happy despite such an experience upon arrival?
Situational case developed by Enterprised.

The sick guest

A German couple is celebrating their wedding anniversary at a three-star hotel in Akureyri. One day, the woman wakes up coughing and has a fever. She also feels exhausted. Her husband fears she has Covid and calls the reception. He explains the situation to the staff and asks them to buy a rapid Covid-19 test for his wife.

The questions

  • What is the first thing the employee should do in this situation according to the Covid-19 protocol?
  • If you were an employee of this hotel, how would you act to prevent contagion from other guests and staff?
  • In your opinion, do you think that the staff should buy the antigen test at the pharmacy or wait for the health staff to come and follow their instructions? Justify your answer.

 

Situational case developed by Enterprised.

The day-tour confusion

A young couple is planning to go on a day-tour to see the natural gems of Snæfellsnes on their final day in Iceland and had booked the trip through their hotel in Reykjavík. The pick-up time had been confirmed via email by two different hotel employees. The couple arrives at the reception at the specified time in the morning, but the car that is supposed to bring them to the bus is not there. They go to the front desk, where the receptionist notices that the pick-up times his colleagues had confirmed twice are incorrect. The receptionist contacts the bus company and receives the information that the bus has already left.

The questions

  • What can the receptionist do to resolve this situation?
  • What could have caused this confusion concerning the pick-up time?
  • How can such an incident be prevented?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

Wait for check-in

An elderly couple arrives at a hotel and notices that there are beautiful flowers in vases outside, but also some cigarette butts. A receptionist is sitting at the computer but stands up and smiles when he sees them and warmly welcomes them to the hotel. He tells the couple when breakfast is and briefly tells them where everything is in the hotel. He adds: "There was a small problem and unfortunately your room is not ready. We are sorry for this. We are doing everything so that you can get your room in the next half an hour". The couple is asked to wait in the restaurant and are offered an aperitif on the house because of the wait. At the restaurant, the staff is preparing the room for dinner and it is evident that they want to be free from distractions. There is quite a wait for the aperitifs, and the couple has just received the drinks when the receptionist informs them that their room is ready.

The questions

  • How do cleanliness and decorations affect the guests upon arrival?
  • What can be considered exemplary with regard to the employee-guest communication in this story?
  • How could the service be improved?
  • What can you do when dealing with such mistakes/delays? Make suggestions.
  • How can you notice if staff do not want to be disturbed?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

The romantic adventure

This review was posted on Booking.com: "My girlfriend and I went on a long-awaited trip to Iceland to see the northern lights and the country's spectacular nature. The hotel lobby and reception were sparkling clean and tidy when we arrived. As soon as the reception staff saw how tall I am, they offered us a bigger bed. We also got to go to the room right away even though we had arrived early and before check-in time. Such a warm welcome made us feel very welcomed. We had a northern lights tour booked, but for some reason it was cancelled. The receptionist heard about this and immediately offered to contact the bus company they did business with and book a trip for us that same evening. We had a wonderful evening tour and saw the northern lights, stars and a full moon. It was one of the most amazing things we have ever experienced. The next day, however, our experience of the hotel was completely different! We waited a long time at the reception for help booking a taxi. The employee did not smile at us or other guests, his hands were crossed and he frowned. He ordered the car, but told us that we should just order a taxi ourselves next time."

The questions

  • How do cleanliness and decorations affect the guests upon arrival?
  • How did the staff exceed the guests' expectations upon arrival at the hotel?
  • Discuss the impact of body language and facial expressions on the guest experience.
  • What could the receptionist who ordered the taxi have done better?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

Expectations and reality

The following review was posted on Hotels.com: "The breakfast was so unappetizing, it was a joke! Usually, a continental breakfast with bread, cold cuts and vegetables is just so so, but this one was beyond bad. There was one plate with one sliced ​​tomato and sliced ​​cucumber and one sliced ​​orange. There was only one type of stale and dry pastry, several plates of cold cuts, one type of cheese and several types of cereal. Checking out of the hotel was equally ridiculous. I had seen four employees that morning but not a soul was there when I waited at the reception desk. After a while someone who spoke little English came and took my keys, just said 'Okay bye' and left."

The questions

  • What could explain this service level?
  • Are the friends to demanding? Explain.
  • What is important to keep in mind when guests check out?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

The room complaint

Two friends reserve a room with two single beds, but upon arrival they see that there are many things wrong with the room. They have to separate the double bed into two single beds themselves. One of the friends then goes down to the reception and says, "Our room is very dark, there aren't enough sockets, the TV is an old tube TV with a remote control that is taped together! The chairs is stained and the soap dispenser in the shower is empty. This is by no means what we expected based on the pictures on the booking page."

The questions

  • How could you respond to and resolve this complaint?
  • Make suggestions on how the receptionist can turn this negative experience into a positive one.
  • How do guests feel when their expectations are not met?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

Unacceptable

This review was posted on Booking.com: "Don't come near this hotel or this town! I'm serious when I say: Don't visit this town, stay somewhere else. These people have no understanding of what service is. There are not many accommodation options in this town but if you can you should stay somewhere else. Just plan a day trip there and back on the same day. The only advantage of the hotel is that it is by the port, but if you are not planning on a boat trip, you should know that there is nothing else to do in this town. There were no signs anywhere when we arrived at the hotel except for a tiny yellow sign in front of the front door. It was not easy to drag the bags to the reception over stones and gravel from the parking lot. We also had to cross potholes before reaching the front door. There was no one there to check us in, but there was a phone number to call for help. The person who answered promised to send an employee in 5-10 minutes."

The questions

  • What effect does such an arrival have on guests?
  • How do employees feel when they read comments like this on social media?
  • What should managers do when reading this?
  • Why does the hotel guest write such a negative review - is it fair?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

Is the visitor always right?

A couple believes they have already paid for their hotel stay through the booking site. When they check out, they have to wait quite a while. When it's their turn and they say they've paid, the receptionist starts scrolling back and forth on the computer. The guests are impatient and point out to him that they are in a hurry. The employee says he can see in the system that the payment has not been completed. He kindly asks the couple to check their bank statements, and then the guests discover that the employee is right.

The questions

  • What could be the reason for this misunderstanding?
  • What could be improved in this situation?
  • How could this delay have been prevented?
  • How does an employee who has to correct a guest feel?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

  • Skipholti 50b | 105 Reykjavík

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