72. I am ONLY a...

While I was checking in at one of the Fusion hotels in Vietnam, the pleasant receptionist mentioned that their Fusionista would be able to assist us during our stay. Out of curiosity, I asked....

Me: Sorry, what's that? And what does the person do?

Receptionist: He will come to your room and say hello, and assist you during your stay.

Me: (Thinking that I don't want someone to come to my room and say hello.)        

                                Could you do that too? Say, if I need assistance during my stay?

Receptionist: Err....yes, I can help if you have some questions but I am only a receptionist.         

                                The Fusionistas can help you more.


Reflective thoughts: I wonder what had led the receptionist to think or feel this way - as he seemed to give the impression of feeling inadequate. In fact, he was competent and made us feel welcomed during the arrival experience. Furthermore, language was not a barrier since he spoke very good English too.

Do you think such titles take away the sense of ownership from the other team members? How do you make your team members never feel like they are "only" or "just" a role?

Popular posts from this blog

1. The Service Bank Concept

Put simply, it is an analogy of how a service interaction makes you – the guest, client or customer – feel.  Just like your bank account, the feelings experienced can be negative (a withdrawal or minus), neutral (status quo  or zero), or positive (a deposit or plus).  In each and every service interaction, whether a hotel stay or flight experience, a retail or house viewing encounter, a phone reservation or bar experience, there is the bland and disappointing (minus), or the thoughtful and extraordinary (plus). Expected service – even if good, garners a zero in the Service Bank. (e.g. Getting a clean room upon check-in or the restaurant hostess extending a standard   welcome doesn’t count as a service deposit. However, should there be a strand of hair on the bed or if the greeting was done half heartedly without eye contact, these would amount to a withdrawal in the service bank.) To illustrate further, each plus is represented by a heart 💖. The more hearts, the mor...
Read more

132. Post-Stay Surprises

What are some mention-worthy post-stay surprise you have received from a hotel after you have returned home? Here are some of examples: The mailman arrived with a rather large package from this Bangkok hotel: packets of tom yum paste presented in a woven pouch with recipes of the signature tom yam soup. (The guest had ordered this dish on two occasions during the hotel stay.)  Front office manager at a Japanese property emailed the guest to ask if she was feeling better. The guest had a high fever the day prior to checking out and had requested for a doctor. Email greeting from a Thai resort, with a photo of the butlers standing in front of the villa (in which the guest had stayed), holding several hand-drawn signages with messages such as   "We miss you (guest name)",   "Please come back soon", and "Have a lovely day in (country)!" A handwritten thank-you card, signed by various departments. A personalised email greeting on guest's birthday six months...
Read more

134. Small Gesture, Big Impact

At NH Leidseplein Hotel in Amsterdam, guests are offered a coupon for a hot beverage or small glass of wine/cocktail should they decide to skip Housekeeping services for the day.  During the morning check-out, I returned the 3 unused coupons to the receptionist, who then asked if I would like to use it to have some coffee or tea. I thanked him, but informed I just had my cappuccino from the hotel restaurant.  Evan the receptionist then asked, pointing to the coupons:  "Is there anything you'd like with these?" , to which I replied, "What could you offer?"   He then asked what I would like and he would see what he could do. So I told him I was over at the lounge area writing some postcards with my niece and enquired if he could arrange for a plain croissant for her. He smiled and said he would give it a try.  After quickly informing his colleague he was stepping away for a minute, Evan walked to the breakfast restaurant which was just adjacent to t...
Read more