HOC

Guest Service Recovery Case of Study

Hotel Operations Certificate Assignment

Guest Service Recovery
The answer to all these scenarios depends on the type of service the hotel offers,
the higher the level of service; more compensation will be given to the guest.
However, all hotels must be empathic with their guests because it is the only way
to ensure the return to stay in the hotel, doesn't matter. If the hotel is giving out
F&B credits or comps, the hotel always have to listen to the guests and try to give
an appropriate solution, "Good customer service isn't about completely eliminating
mistakes () but about leveraging the opportunity created by a mistake to build a
deeper relationship with your customer."
"The service recovery paradox is a result of a very positive service recovery,
causing a level of customer satisfaction and/or customer loyalty even greater than
that expected if no service failure had happened."1

1. The Front Desk Agent has double OOC room. How you handle the
situation?
The first thing I would do would be to check if the guest is still in the room or if it is
just a discrepancy, as the guest might have left the hotel without checking out.
After double-checking the room status, the next step would be to check for other
similar rooms. If there were any similar rooms, the next would be to offer a apology
and another room, also an F&B or resort credit for the inconvenience.
If occupancy is low and there is no similar available room, I will upgrade
the client's room for free. If there aren't any rooms available in the hotel, I will walk
the guest to another hotel and offer him a phone call and transportation. Also, if the
guest is very upset, I will give him or her a voucher for a free night in the hotel.

You Screwed Up, and You Have an Angry Customer. Now What?. (2016). Groovehq.com. Retrieved 10
July 2016, from https://www.groovehq.com/support/how-to-deal-with-an-angry-customer.

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Guest Service Recovery Case of Study

2. A guest has requested to be an NRG. What does NRG stand for and
what steps are needed to complete this task?
NRG stands for Not Registered Guest, and this happens when a guest doesn't
want any records of his or her stay at the hotel. To be an NRG, the guest must
request to be registered as one during the check-in process. The front desk agent
should then notify the staff (mostly in small hotels) about the arrangement. This
way, the staff will have to be especially careful and enter the request into the
system. If the process is completed successfully, an NRG sign will appear when
someone tries to reach the guest, and front desk agents will know that they cannot
confirm any information about the guest to the caller.
Celebrities or important people usually use this NRG status.

3. What is split folio used for?

A split folio is described as "a folio in which a guest's charges are separated into
two or more folios" 2 It is mostly requested by business travelers who want to
separate one account for room and tax charges (which is paid by the company)
from another account used for incidental charges such as Internet access, laundry
or F&B (paid by the guest).

4. A guest asks you to deliver luggage, and a DND is placed on the door,
how will you handle it?
To handle this situation, the first thing to do is to call the room, if no one answers I
would leave a message and/or (depending on the type of hotel) I will send a letter
and put it under the door asking the guest when they want to deliver their luggage.

5. A guest requested a smoking room at the desk, and we only have nonsmoking available. How will you handle it?
I would check the reservation, if the reservation confirmed a non-smoking room I
would apologize, touch basis on the guest mood and if needed offer the guest any
comp. If the guest only has a request placed on the reservation, I will also
apologize but let the guest know that the requests are not guaranteed, depending
on the hotel occupancy I would offer to upgrade (if there's any smoking room
available) or explain the nonsmoking policy and show designated smoking areas.
2

Kasavana, M. (2013). Managing front office operations with an answer sheet. [Place of publication
not identified]: Educational Institute.

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Guest Service Recovery Case of Study

6. The pool has been closed due to high winds and our guest claims that
the only reason they came to stay here is because of our pool. How
will you handle it?
Even though it isn't anyone's fault, I will listen very carefully that the guest
complaint, understand their position, offer an apology and explain the pool is close
due safety reasons. If the guest still upset, I might offer an indoor activities credit.
(F&B, Spaetc.)

7. The bell desk has lost a piece of luggage? How will you handle it?
I will talk to the bell desk manager and ask for pieces of information; it will be
necessary to do a further investigation with the security peoples (watch cameras
and records). The way I handle the situation will depend on the specific scenario,
maybe someone takes the luggage by mistake and is in another room, or maybe
someone stole it. Depending on the case the resolution will be different, offering
more or fewer comps but always extends a big apology to the guest and make their
stay as pleasant as I can by following up the guest stay.

8. A guest claims that she is Mr. Johnson's wife. She is not registered to
the room. How would you handle the situation?
I would explain to her that for safety reasons, I can't give her a key or access to the
room until Mr. Johnson registers her as a guest. I would ask her to call Mr.
Johnson and ask him to meet us at the front desk. If he's not in the hotel, I would
offer Ms. Johnson a key to the hotel facilities (e.g. pool, gym, lounge) so that she
can relax and wait comfortably until her husband arrives.

9. Our guest did not receive a wake-up call as requested and is 30

minutes away from missing his or her flight. How would you
handle the situation?
Giving an apology to the guest would be the first thing I would do. I would then
offer the guest a complimentary car ride to the airport. If it's too late and the
guest has already missed his or her flight, I would offer F&B credit and a
discounted overnight stay. I would also give a complimentary ride to the airport for
the next day and offer concierge assistance to rebook his or her flight.

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Guest Service Recovery Case of Study

10. A guest begins to scream at the bellman in the lobby. You witness the
transaction. How do you proceed?
I would listen to the guest's complaints and try to understand him. I would take the
guest to a separate area (always with another staff member, maybe security or bell
desk manager) to calm him down. I will then offer him a beverage and
ask him to talk about what happened. It's important to stay calm no matter what the
guest says. Depending on the problem, I would try to solve it and give the guest an
appropriate solution. After this, I would follow up the guest and call him to see if his
stay has been pleasant.