Guestroom at forefront of guest satisfaction

Hotel & Motel Management, Sept 20, 2004 by Stacey Mieyal Higgins

USA Today is delivered to the guestrooms along with an express check-out folio, which puts Wingate ahead of its competitors in the midscale limited-service segment, he said.

These slight improvements make the difference, Pierce said.

"Things always change and evolve and improve," he said. "You have to stay in step. They're not dramatic changes."

Homewood Suites focuses on four basics of customer satisfaction: condition and cleanliness of the bathroom and the guest suite, the initial impression at the front desk and breakfast quality, Holthouser said.

"You can never take your eyes off the fundamentals of your business," he said. "If you make mistakes there, it's going to be very difficult to satisfy the consumer."

The brand is in the process of upgrading bedding standards, Holthouser said.

Along with a new Westin Workout by Reebok product that addresses health and wellness on the road, Westin is focusing on service, said Sue Brush, senior v.p. of Westin Hotels & Resorts, a brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

"We are constantly adding modules to the training program all associates go through," she said. "The newest are problem resolution and empowerment. We can never stop focusing on that as technology takes over traditional functions, service evolves and becomes more important. It's giving guests what they want on time."

The Ultimate Service Program at Hilton Garden Inn, which was developed three years ago, aims to get every team member thinking and acting as a concierge, Kurre said.

Other "Ultimate" programs address food and beverage, sales and leadership. They will be updated every four years.

"It's not a program just sitting on the shelf," he said. "We'll keep each program fresh and we'll be able to stay ahead of the curve on training people to take care of the guest like a concierge would at a full-service hotel."

Global Distribution System trends
GDS and Pegasus Hotel e-Commerce room night growth YTD 2004

Jan '04    2.8%
Feb '04   12.7%
Mar '04   12.6%
Apr '04   15.7%
May '04   11.6%
Jun '04    7.4%

Source: TravelCLICK. Bookings from SABRE, Galileo,
Worldspan and Amadeus GDSes and Pegasus Solutions

Note: Table made from bar graph.

shiggins@advanstar.com