July 23: Exceptional Guest Services
This course provides an overview of hospitality guest services, focusing on the principles and practices essential for delivering exceptional guest experiences. Employees will explore topics such as effective communication, problem-solving, cultural competence, and interpersonal skills crucial for interacting with diverse guest populations.
Through hands-on exercises participants will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to anticipate guest needs, handle inquiries and complaints professionally, and create memorable moments that enhance guest satisfaction and loyalty. Whether aspiring to work in hotels, resorts, restaurants, or other hospitality establishments, this course equips learners with the foundational competencies to excel in guest service roles and contribute to the success of hospitality operations.
Participants will learn:
- How to handle guest inquiries professionally and courteously.
- Techniques for personalizing guest experiences and creating memorable interactions.
- The impact of small gestures on guest satisfaction and loyalty.
- Strategies for turning guest interactions into opportunities to exceed expectations.
- Skills that are transferable across various hospitality sectors.
- To excel in guest service roles and contribute to the success of hospitality operations.
July 30: Effective Communication
Hotels, casinos, restaurants, tour companies, and travel agencies rely on effective communication to deliver excellent customer service and maintain a positive reputation.
Ensuring your team is well-equipped to communicate effectively can mean the difference between a thriving business and one struggling to stay afloat. Strong communication skills are a must for all hospitality workers.
This training module will provide instructional training including brief role-plays on the following areas:
- Using Open-Ended Questions vs Closed-End Questions to better understand customer needs and to resolve problems and issues.
- A Five Step Approach for Active Listening to understand better understand customer wants and needs and how to tailor services accordingly. This can lead to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.
- Understanding and Using Empathy to help staff put themselves in their customer’s shoes, which helps them anticipate and meet their needs more effectively.
- Techniques for Clear Verbal Communication to ensure customers understand what services are available and how to utilize them best is essential. It also helps customers feel comfortable and at ease with the hospitality of the staff.
- Understanding and Using Body Language (Non-Verbal) Communication Effectively to help staff use the best body language to positively impact their customer interactions and how to read customers’ emotions and respond appropriately.
- Understanding Cultural Differences to Enhance Positive Experiences. This can be especially important when verbal communication is limited (e.g., if the customer does not speak the same language as the staff)
August 6: Conflict Management Skills
In the hospitality industry conflicts are common. Conflicts can come from different sources such as:
- A customer is unhappy with their service or accommodation.
- Two customers conflict with each other.
- A staff member conflicts with a customer.
- A staff member conflicts with another staff member.
Managing conflicts in hospitality settings requires a combination of effective communication, empathy, and problem-solving skills. In this “mini” role-play-based module, participants will learn about the causes of conflicts.
In addition, they will learn the following:
- The Five Myths of Workplace Conflicts and How to Overcome Them
- The Impacts of Unresolved Conflicts with Customers
- Effectively Deescalating Tense Situations
- Using Open-Ended Questions to Uncover the Root Causes of Conflicts
- The important of Using the Customers Name and Positive Words
- Managing Unrealistic Customer Request or Expectations
- The Four-Step Method for Problem-Solving, Showing Empathy, and Resolving Conflict
Providing a positive customer/guest experience is much like a performance: prepare and practice. This session will help prepare participants for customer questions, concerns and conflicts that may arise. It provides them a “toolbox” of ideas, action steps, and solutions they can actually use.
August 13: Emotional Intelligence for the Hospitality Industry
In simple terms, Emotional Intelligence (a.k.a. Emotional Quotient) refers to the ability to understand and manage emotions, both within ourselves and in others. It’s all about being aware of how you feel, and how others feel, and using that awareness to interact socially with empathy and understanding.
Hospitality, at its core, is all about providing exceptional service and creating memorable experiences for customers and guests. It’s about going the extra mile to ensure their satisfaction, delight, and/or comfort. And that’s where Emotional Intelligence steps in as the key ingredient in the hospitality industry.
As a restaurant operator, hotelier or other member of the hospitality industry; high levels of Emotional Intelligence among staff can bring your organization a multitude of benefits. Where interactions with guests and/or customers are frequent and varied, your staff having a high E.I. can make a significant impact in providing exceptional service and thus, a positive impact on the bottom line.
In this role-play-based training session, participants will learn:
- The Four Basic Elements of Emotional Intelligence: Self-Awareness, Self-Regula?on, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management.
- An Individual Self-Assessment of E. I. Interpreting their personal E. I. picture.
- Using E.I. To Go Beyond the Standard “How Can I Assist You?”
- Using E.I. To Strengthen Communication Skills. This will help your staff express clearly and listens actively to guests’ concerns.
- Using E. I. To Build and Maintain Better Customer / Guest Relations. This means understanding customer / guests’ preferences and cultural backgrounds, to offer recommendations that better align with their preferences.
August 27: Career Navigation and Professionalism & Certification Presentation
Organizations in the hospitality industry should support employees in their career planning is a relatively new concept. Organizations need to take a more active role in encouraging individual career planning.
The career navigation portion of this workshop module is built around three key aspects of career assessment and goal setting:
- Understanding and Targeting Career Opportunities and Trends in the Hospitality Industry
- Conducting a Personal SWOT Analysis: Your Strengths, Weaknesses, Potential Opportunities, and Threats that can impact personal career growth.
- Self-Advocating Strategies: How to Toot Your Own Horn Effectively.
In addition, this module includes emphasis on the importance of individual “Professionalism” and its impact of career advancement. A high level of professionalism shown by your staff not only helps to establish a good reputation for your organization but also sets the standard for the level of service that guests can expect.
Topics include:
- The Role of Passion for Service and Its Impact on Individual Professionalism
- The Importance of Team-Orientation and Its Impact on Individual Professionalism
- The Definition and Impact of Professional Ethics on Individual Professionalism
