Nearly every city has a hotel, and chances are you are overlooking the important customer experience role that hotel jobs have to offer.
In the hotel industry, customer experience is critical in order to set your property apart from the dozens, sometimes hundreds of other options available to hotel guests. Recently I was planning a trip, going to a place I’ve never been before. When it came to choosing a hotel, I wanted the best, but it seems like every hotel claims to be the best or premier property for travelers. How do you differentiate between all of the options?
You find them in nearly every city around the world. It’s likely that you live in a ten mile radius of at least a couple of hotels or guesthouses; this makes them very convenient places in which to work. If this isn’t the case, hotels are opening all over the country as demand grows in certain locations so the odds are that there will be something in the pipeline in your locality too.
Keep an eye out on your community newspaper as these will likely report on job openings, and many catering recruitment agencies use caterer.com to list them as well. If you find that a local hotel or guesthouse is recruiting for positions, what will you choose? Or if you’re hiring, are you selecting individuals who really see what they job is all about when it comes to delivering that ultimate exceptional customer experience? Here are a few different jobs to consider:
Porter, the front line of the customer experience
If you have the powers of charm and grace, as well as all important body strength, you might be interested in joining a hotel as a porter. These are your front line customer experience experts. They often are the first individuals guests encounter when they arrive at a hotel. What type of experience are they establishing? Are they warm, welcoming, helpful? Or are they just working a job, chatting with each other, waiting for guests to beg for help?
It should be noted that this position is often found in the more upmarket hotels, so you probably won’t find one advertised for a budget chain. The job roles and responsibilities will vary between each establishment, but you could expect to be the person on the door that meets and greets guests as they arrive. You may also be tasked with showing people and their luggage to their room.
Receptionist, a customer experience manager
Every hotel has a receptionist, even if there are computers in some that guests can use instead. You might want to think about becoming a receptionist if you have a friendly and helpful approach to the work you do. The receptionist is often the individual who hotel guests come to first when it comes to meeting their customer experience needs. Receptionists, though often seen as a lowly position, in reality can call the customer experience shots. They organize the labor at the hotel and deploy them when customers are in need.
You will need to think about the hours that you may be required to work, as some hotels allow guests to check in at late hours – however you might be able to agree shifts that work with your home life. In order to do this role you will need to be a customer service pro, as well as being a dab hand on the computer. But as a receptionist, you can be sure that all of your actions each and every day will be critical in establishing an exceptional customer experience.
Cleaner/Housekeeper, customer experience back-office support
For those who love everything clean and tidy, a position as a cleaner might be the ideal job choice. Housekeeping team members are rarely seen, but the fruits of their labor are critical to establishing an exceptional guest experience.
Some hotel properties have switched to a system of only performing housekeeping services on certain days of the week, leaving guests rooms as is for several days at a time. Although budget friendly, nothing says warm, caring, and peaceful as coming back to your room after the day is done to find it clean, tidy, and a few chocolates or mints on your fluffed pillow.
Hotels are often reviewed on their level of cleanliness, so you could make a big difference to the stay that guests’ experience. You will help to make their bathroom spotless, their bed welcoming, and of course laying out the tea and coffee facilities to make them feel more at home. When you have delivered an excellent service to guests staying a week or so, you could even get a nice tip left for you when they leave.
Breakfast chef, customer experience artist
Not all hotels have restaurants, but most will offer a form of cooked breakfast at the very least. Whether the hotel offers a full service restaurant, 24-hour room service, or just a simple morning (continental) breakfast, the quality of the food and service will be key to getting a guest customer experience started on the right track for the day.
Budget hotels that offer just continental breakfasts may only require food workers to work a few hours a day. You’d only be working a few hours each day, but this would allow you the time to spend with your family, or carry on with your education. If you are interested in following a career in culinary hospitality, you could take a crash course at a local college to get a certificate.
Your take?
What’s your take on the role of hotel jobs in the customer experience? Have you had a particular experience with a hotel employee that helped to make an exceptional or poor customer experience?
