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Have you ever had a hotel, resort, inn or bed and breakfast guest standing in front of you complaining and you were not quite sure how to handle it?

Let me share with you tips you can use, along with some of the most common customer complaints.

Welcome to another edition of Hospitality Property School.

I am your instructor, Gerry MacPherson.

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Introduction

With the continued evolution of online hotel, resort, inn and bed & breakfast review sites, social media, forums, and fuming customers on YouTube, a property’s level of guest service is increasingly visible to the outside world.

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For this reason, it is vital that you have a working operation manual with the appropriate policies to handle customer complaints, as well as the properly trained staff who not only welcome guest complaints but actually, encourage them.

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Unfortunately, many hospitality property employees believe the handling of complaints is an unlikeable task but one that comes with the job.

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With proper policies in place and training from day one on how to use these policies, employees can change their view of customer complaints.

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Employees and especially owners of independent hotels, resorts, inns or bed & breakfasts should look at customer complaints as an opportunity.

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“The worst complaints are the ones you do not hear.”

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The majority of guests who were not happy with your property did not voice their opinion to the owner or the front desk but instead told their friends, family and colleagues and in more and more cases went online to express their irritation.

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Yes, some customers do complain, thus offering you a chance to find a solution, but what about all those customers who do not say anything.

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This is where training should involve employees to look for unhappy customers and give them the opportunity to complain.

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Most people are not comfortable with the idea of being confrontational and would much prefer leaving a property, not saying anything, but never returning.

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How can you get a guest, who was not happy to tell you?

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There are a couple of ways I have seen work.

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Have a specific e-mail address on the bill, on the evaluation form and in the room’s information packet for complaints.

For example, complaints@myproperty.com

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I’ve also seen the same idea with a specific telephone number – a complaint hotline.

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The best way is to have employees who can read a guest. This is done with proper training.

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If the guest is in front of you, with training and practice you can tell if a guest is as unhappy by listening to their voice, watching their facial expressions or body language.

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If the guests on the phone, listen to the tone of voice.

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Here you have an opportunity to be proactive and by asking the right questions a guest might tell you their concerns.

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I have seen many cases, where an employee might sense there’s a problem but will purposely avoid asking for any feedback so as to avert a confrontation.

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An employee with the right training and attitude will avoid any kind of confrontation by asking the right questions.

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Questions you should stay away from are the ones where one-word answers can be given, like “How was your stay?” or “Did you have a good night?” 

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Instead, you want to ask questions that require more thought and response.  For example “We’re very interested in what you thought of our property?” or “Is there anything we could have done to make your visit more enjoyable?”

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Train your employees to look into your guest’s eyes with sincerity and genuine interest in their response.

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When asking questions like these, employees are encouraging your guest to give honest feedback and to maybe tell you about any problems.

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By being proactive, and embracing complaints instead of ignoring them, hospitality properties have an opportunity to solve a complaint and turn an unhappy guest into a pleased guest, especially if they are happy with the way the complaint is resolved.

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You may be thinking,

“This might be a little easier said than done”. 

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Your right, training your employees to invite negativity might seem like an uphill battle, so let’s look at a couple of ways to applaud guest complaints.

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• Have a bell or buzzer to ring in the back office when a complaint is received.

Train everyone to feel that when the buzzer rings, there is an opportunity to turn a problem around.

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• Track the customer complaints and measure monthly. Have the employees document the name of the guest, their room number, the complaint, the action is taken and whether the guest was happy with the outcome.

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As time goes on, and problems are rectified, the number of complaints should decrease.

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These forms can be used as training tools, ways to handle better similar complaints in the future.

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• The first one is a skill or a trait every good employee should have; the ability to listen without speaking. Let the guest explain their complaint. Quite often this venting will take the form of a detailed story.

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• Maintain eye contact, demonstrating concern but remain quiet. If you’re taking the complaint on the phone, don’t respond until the complaint is finished but it is OK to interject the occasional “alright”, “I see,” and “okay”.

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• When the guest is finished telling their story, show compassion and give an apology.

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The apology does not mean you’re wrong or is an admission of guilt, it just means you understand your guest’s displeasure.

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You could say “I understand how you must feel; I can imagine I might feel the same way given the circumstance”.  The words “feel” and “imagine” are powerful in these cases.

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Re-state their complaint in a condensed version to show you understand the situation and provide validation for the guest. “Mr. Richter, I understand your frustration. You’re tired and hungry and room service is this slow.”

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Again, it is OK to say “I’m sorry”.  You might be surprised to hear that more often than not, guest service employees never offer an apology or worse an insincere apology.

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When guests complain, they want results.

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In a perfect world, you could give them what they want, but we are in the real hospitality property world, and that is not always possible. A great way to handle the guest’s complaint is to offer them two options.

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By being offered two options, they are given the opportunity to make a choice, which will feel empowering.

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Trained staff who are proactive, can find unhappy guests, uncover a problem, and help properly resolve it can reduce the odds of further complaints and online rants. By being understanding and helpful you can turn a disgruntled guest into a loyal patron who might be happy to share the news about your great service.

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Independent hotels resorts, inns and bed & breakfasts are in the business of customer satisfaction.

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As I said in an earlier chapter,

“The customer is not always right, but it is your job to make them think they are.” 

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I don’t feel that in the immediate future all hospitality properties will be operated by robots, so for the foreseeable future, there is a good chance that human error will still be the source of problems at properties.

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It has been my experience that customer complaints can be categorized into different groups.

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Here are the 5 most common groups.

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The Mild Customer

They normally do not like to complain, but if you see there is a problem, you might be required to ask more precise questions to get them to tell you what is wrong.

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The Pushing Customer

Blunt and not at all timid about telling you what’s on their mind. With this type of customer you’re better off not being pushy back, rather react with “What else may I help you with?”

Prove that you’re willing to listen to their problem.

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The Big Spender

Your “enterprise” customer. They have no problem paying for convenience and top-notch service, however, they demand superior support. No customer cares for excuses, and this type of customer detests hearing them.

Don’t make excuses, just tell them how you are going to take care of their problem.

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The Habitual Complainer

This customer will contact you a great deal, but that does not mean that their problems should be brushed aside. Here is where patience is called for.

One thing is for sure when this customer is satisfied they will have no problems with telling others how great you are.

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The Rip Off Customer

This might sound a little harsh but we have all seen them. This customer is never happy and is not actually looking for an acceptable reaction, they’re just seeking to get something they don’t deserve. Nothing is good enough unless they are getting a handout.

The best thing you can do is to stay calm and react as objectively as you can.

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Books with Tips & Strategies for Your Hotel, Resort, Inn, Bed and Breakfast

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Here are 18 of the most common customer complaints

 

1. Noisy neighbours

No matter what type of property you’re running, you will eventually have to deal with guests complaining about noisy neighbours. Your guests paid good money to stay at your property and getting some peace & quiet shouldn’t be too much to ask, it’s the bare minimum of what’s expected.

Politely ask their neighbour to please keep their volume down because it’s bothering the other guests. Keep in mind that the noisy neighbours are still guests at your property and should be treated with appropriate respect.

 

 

2. Hot water & plumbing glitches

There’s a number of things that can go wrong here. First is the amount, or lack of, hot water.

This is a common issue that property guests have, but it’s your job to ensure there is enough hot water for all your guests.

Next is the plumbing in general, smells and mould.

If the issue isn’t able to be fixed, make sure to move them to a new room or consider calling in a plumber. For any smells and mould, make sure it’s immediately addressed by having a cleaning crew go to their room and scrub it clean.

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3. Beds too small/soft/hard

It’s a personal thing, and you won’t be able to please everyone all the time. Make sure you purchase your beds from a supplier that understands the hospitality property industry.

Is this making sense? Let me know by leaving a comment.

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4. Unclean rooms

Mistakes happen, so don’t spend too much time freighting over it.

Apologize, correct the issue and develop a checklist to make nothing is missed when turning over a room.

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5. Room temperature

I wish there was a one-fix solution for this, but there isn’t.

In much of North America, air conditioning is expected. In Europe and other parts of the world, if a property has air conditioning, it is often turned off when a guest is not in the room (the reason is the cost of energy); and even when on full blast, it’s not going to get super cool.

You can apologize but inform your guests that this is the norm.

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6. No free Wi-Fi

People are so used to free Wi-Fi nowadays that whenever they’re in a place that doesn’t have it, they tend to get frustrated. Simple answer, supply Wi-Fi.

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7. Food problems

When the food comes up short, it only makes sense that the customers will complain. Bring all food complaints straight to the kitchen staff as well as the wait staff that are responsible for delivering the food.

If breakfast is included in the room rate, the fact still remains that your guests expect a high-quality meal to start their day. Many properties make the mistake of skipping on quality just to save, which leads to low-quality meals that your guests are going to remember the next time they want to book.

Make sure to go above & beyond when it comes to your breakfast.

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8. It doesn’t match the website or brochure

Don’t exaggerate on your website or brochures. If your guests are expecting five-star accommodations and you only offer a three-star, you’re going to have unhappy customers. If your property is not perfect, relax… In fact, few properties are perfect! Just make sure that you share all the exact details of your property in your description. If your property description is not the issue, then dig a little deeper. You might find that they’re really just mad because it’s raining outside when they expected bright blue skies.

Stay professional about the situation, saying sorry even when a sorry isn’t needed.

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Are these making sense? Let me know in the comments.

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9. Extra charges

Hospitality property stays can be expensive for many people and customers are not going to be happy having to pay more than what they previously had in mind. Be upfront and clear with any possible charges, leaving no surprises. Properties that do engage in hidden charges can expect to face plenty of negative reviews.

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10. Employee issues

We can all have a bad day and no matter how well operated your property is, there will be times issues arise between customers and staff. These problems can range from complaints regarding their attitude, not feeling like they’re doing everything they can, etc. This is a tricky area to manoeuvre because you don’t want to make the mistake of alienating your employees in an effort to please the customer, but you also want the customer to feel like their concerns are being heard.

Listen intently to the customers’ complaints while apologizing on behalf of the business and working to come to a resolution that you both can agree on. While this may lead you to have to offer free amenities on behalf of your property, it’s still better than having the customer flood review sites with negative comments.

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11. Ignoring the “Do not disturb” sign

A “Do not disturb” sign is sacred. Your guests paid for the right to feel at home and a big part of achieving that is having staff respect there do not disturb sign whenever it’s presented. Ensure each room comes equipped with one and that your staff respect the sign.

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12. Not honouring reservations

There are times when properties overbooking their rooms in an effort to maximize their profits. While this may be a profitable practice, but what happens if all your guests show.

To no surprise, this can cause guests to be furious and demand an explanation as to why their rooms aren’t available.

If you find yourself in this situation, it’s best to put them up in a nearby property and pay for an upgrade plus a meal or drinks.

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13. Theft

This is a very serious issue that shouldn’t be taken lightly and you should have a policy in place to handle the situation. If you don’t have procedures in place, then create one immediately. If this matter isn’t handled properly, then it can evolve into something much bigger if it’s left unchecked, and there’s always the possibility of a lawsuit.

Practice due diligence to ensure your property is protected.

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14. No pets

Certain guests are always going to have issues with rules that are explicitly stated on your website and brochures. But that doesn’t change the fact that they’re your guests and still deserve the utmost respect. If a guest shows up with a pet to your property when you have a strict no pet policy, be sure to explain your rules regarding the subject and suggest nearby properties that are pet-friendly.

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15. Lack of complimentary amenities

By complimentary amenities, I mean are things like shampoo, soap, hangers, etc. While you may be concerned with theft, it’s important to note that not having these available to your guests won’t score you any points and will put a damper on your brand.

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16. Not available

One of the easiest ways to impress your guests is by just being available, especially small properties. Guests want to know what they can expect, and that things like the check-in and check-out times are clear. If you are unable to welcome them in person, communicate this to them and double-check that they know the check-in procedure.

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17. Lack of useful information

New guests arriving at a property might not have any idea of what to see, where to eat, how to make a call, how to use the TV.

Create an information package that includes all useful information a person, new to the area would need. Very few independent properties offer this and it is too bad because they are hugely appreciated.

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18. Lack of appropriate outlets

More and more of us are travelling with phones, tablets, cameras and require them to be charged. Walking into a room to only find one or two outlets hidden behind the bed or end tables is no longer acceptable. This requirement is not going to change in the near future so ensure you have plenty of outlets available and accessible.

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In conclusion

Running a hospitality property can be difficult for a variety of reasons.

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There’s a ton of moving parts and no matter how hard you work, it seems like there’s always going to be a customer complaining about something.

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Ensure you and your staff are adequately prepared to deal with the common complaints and that this is documented in your operations manual. Make sure to update it as any new issues arise.

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If you have come across customer complaints that I have not covered, I would like to see them. Leave them in the comments.

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You will have access to this post for six weeks before it gets locked in the “vault” for Hospitality Property School Group members only. When you see that we have something new, don’t mark it “Unread” or file it away in the belief you’ll read it later because you might miss your chance.

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To see all the other valuable material you’d have access to as a member of the Hospitality Property School Group, check out the short video in the episode post-show notes.

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In the next episode, I will talk about great guest experiences.

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That’s it for today’s episode,

Until next time, have a fun day.

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PS. Are you signed up for INNsider Tips? You can find the link in the show notes.

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