The Ideal Host
To give a comprehensive answer to the question of what makes an ideal host and what is the key to guest satisfaction, we need to start from a broader perspective.
In the world of hospitality, each guest’s expectations and emotions are as diverse and different as people themselves.
The art of hospitality lies precisely in “understanding” these expectations.
Simply put, hospitality is a kind of bridge between a guest’s expectations and the experience they actually receive.
Expected Needs (what unites different people)
Despite different expectations and moods, there are issues that unite all guests, for example:
the desire for a pleasant welcome, personal communication, attention. A good host has the ability to anticipate a guest’s expectations or needs and ensure that each of them is fulfilled to the fullest extent possible.
Creating the right atmosphere, personal communication, and attentive service can turn an ordinary stay into one of the most pleasant memories for each guest.
What helps us anticipate needs? (Ask questions)
Before you start receiving guests, it’s very important to know your own product or service well, so before the customer asks, ask yourself questions:
– What business are you in?
Hospitality and even hotels are very general answers, so make your activity even clearer, for example, describe your hotel in detail.
– What is your hotel’s character? (i.e., personality) – List the qualities, behaviors, moods that your hotel would have if it were a person. Personality gives you the opportunity to better express the reason for creating and existing your hotel and helps people form correct impressions and expectations
– Who are the people who will most likely decide to stay with you considering the above-mentioned character (i.e., define your target audience).
Segmentation, or defining your target audience, is the most important step for the success of your business, because properly segmented audience significantly increases efficiency when working on communication strategy. The answer to each of the above questions provides information about potential guests’ behavior and interests, accordingly, you can now easily determine expected needs based on this information, which in turn allows you to take care of all details in advance.
Now let’s return to the answer to the original question of what makes an ideal host and what is the key to guest satisfaction.
“Yes, hospitality is an opportunity to care for those who chose to stay with you among countless hotels” and since people remember feelings, you must definitely send them away with happy days and a desire to return.
The key to satisfaction lies primarily in your love for your work (hospitality), and then in consistent, thoughtful, and dedicated work on the above-mentioned issues.
