The science of delighting hotel guests

MANILA, Philippines - Beyond amenities and industry awards, hoteliers swear that the real key to good business is offering the utmost guest experience. More specifically, this means training hotel staff to consistently exceed the guest’s expectations.

Training that aims for customer satisfaction is de rigueur in the hospitality industry. Filipino hotel brand Seda takes service to a higher level with its culture of generosity of spirit and humility.  The AyalaLand Hotels and Resorts brand now has three properties throughout the country set up with progressive partners: Seda Bonifacio Global City, Seda Abreeza in Davao City, and Seda Centrio in Cagayan de Oro City.

Call it service from the heart. The brand that appeals to business and leisure travellers seeking global standards distinguishes itself by going way beyond industry standards.

Wilma Estaura is Seda Hotel’s accredited trainor of the Certified Guest Service program offered by the American Hotels and Lodging Educational Institute. She says,  “We want our managers and colleagues to anticipate the needs of guests and respond by offering service over and above their duty. This is what it takes to delight the guest.”

Seda, which means “silk,” is one of the first brands in Asia to undergo this new program which underscores important values in guest service such as sincerity, empathy, prompt delivery, initiative, and chivalry, to name a few. Estaura adds: “We aim for selfless service, dedication and commitment. All these give rise to a genuine concern for others.”

“Guests are made to feel special and not as if they were interrupting your routine,” says Estaura.

Seda is the first hotel in the Philippines that is batting for the Certified Gold Service for Hotel Professionals. This certification affirms the highest international standard of service rendered by the frontliners. To get this seal of approval, the participants underwent a test run by the American Hotels and Lodging Educational Institute.  These were composed of Seda’s Front and “Heart of the House” which also included the waiters, front desk, managers, housekeeping staff, and the administrative department.

Seda general manager Andrea Mastellone says, “To delight a guest entails that a staff member constantly seeks ways to surprise a guest. After all, what guests remember most about a hotel is not so much the furnishings but the stories of their memorable experiences there.”

These unforgettable experiences start with little details. For instance, if you ask Seda Abreeza frontliners to get you a box of pomelos, they will not just point you to the nearest fruit stall. Instead, they will source the sweetest and most succulent pomelos in Davao. If you were served a fruit tray of rambutan, pomelo, mangosteen and banana and skipped the latter, the next day, the fruit tray would not contain the banana but more of the other fruits.

At the height of a recent typhoon, guests returned, wet and miserable, to Seda BGC when flights were canceled. Even before they arrived, the staff prepared towels and hot drinks to soothe their frayed nerves.

In Cagayan de Oro, a staff of Seda Centrio spotted a flat tire on the car of the manager. Without missing a beat, he changed the tire even without being told. The staffer gave as much importance to the need of the internal customer, the manager, as he did with guests.

Says Estaura, “We remind our colleagues to seize every opportunity to delight the guest.”

The special training also gives assurance that when Seda rolls out a brand to another destination, that property will be distinctive and unique, not cookie cutter.

As a fruit of the hotels’ efforts, Seda BGC is No. 1 in TripAdvisor and averages 90 percent guest commendations.

“Research shows that a guest keeps coming back because of the positive experiences: the staffers are authentic and intuitively read the guest’s needs,” says Estaura.

All told, guest’s stories are the best marketing tool.  Quality service translates to better occupancy.