Noticing what a guest needs before they ask

We are often asked what more you have to give to exceed expectations. But the moments people remember are rarely the ones where they received more. They are the ones where something was noticed that they never said.

Preparing before it is needed

A surprising amount is knowable in advance from the booking and the messages around it.

• If a guest says they will arrive late, have the entry process and night guidance ready before they ask.
• If the booking suggests an anniversary, prepare something small in the room.
• If the party size implies extra bedding, have it ready in advance.
• If someone asks about borrowing an item, have it out by the time they arrive.

What these share is that none of them costs much. What they require is the time to look at the booking once more.

Judging for the guest in front of you

Some of it cannot be written into a manual. For a family with a small child, safety is the first thing visible; for another guest a room change is the better fix; for someone arriving with a lot of luggage, help carrying it is the most useful thing anyone can do. There is no single answer to the same situation, which is why a person makes the call.

We divided the roles of people and systems in an earlier piece, and this is exactly the side that belongs to people.

Staff experience becomes the service

What is interesting is that the material for good service usually comes out of the staff’s own experience. A map of places to eat that they have actually been to, a short handwritten note, a line written on a cup holder, a small event put together for the season. None of that arrives as a directive from head office, because it is knowable only to someone who lives in that area and works in that building.

Where does the time come from?

The difficulty is that all of it takes time. Looking at the booking again, guessing at a guest’s situation and preparing for it, going out and finding the good places nearby: those need slack. And the slack has to come from somewhere.

• Time spent matching inventory and rates by hand on every channel.
• Time spent giving the same answer to the same question.
• Time spent transcribing and re-checking reservation details.
• Time spent holding the desk waiting for a late arrival.

Spend the time a system saves on looking at the guest once more. The point of automating is not fewer people but somewhere for people to stand.

Pick one arrival today with something unusual about it and give it five extra minutes. What you could prepare is usually already written in the booking.

In short

Exceeding expectations does not come from giving more. It comes from noticing the moment first. Prepare from what the booking tells you, let people judge the situation in front of them, turn what staff have experienced into service, and use systems to buy the hours that makes possible.