117. Hotel Check-Out: More Mundane Than Extraordinary

Many hotel employees handling the checking out process may see it as a transaction - ask about mini-bar consumption, print the bill, check the bill, settle the payment, offer soft copy of receipt, print the receipt, place in envelope and done! 

Sadly, even in the luxury hotels, the check-out process seems to be a cookie-cutter and mundane process devoid of positive emotions on part of the employees. Those who know the standards will offer luggage assistance and transport. Even fewer would ask about the stay - in a genuine manner. The following is quite a common occurrence:

Employee:        How was your stay? (while looking mostly at the screen)

Guest:              It was great! We enjoyed it very much and had a good time in (the city) too.

Employee:       (hardly smiling) Thank (looking back at the screen) you. (typing rapidly at the keyboard)

(Silence.........until employee asks guest to check the bill and enquires about method of payment.)


On the other hand, some hotels try to make it more memorable......by offering a small token at departure point. Whether this achieves the desired outcome is debatable. Many of us do not care much for a hotel pen or a small notebook with the corporate logo. These are too gimmicky and come across as trying to rid old/excess stock. Don't forget, freebies that are not valued = a waste.

Amongst my memorable check-out momentos are: a certificate showing that a small token of my stay had used to plant a tree, a recipe of the dish I had ordered on several occasions during the week's stay, a hand towel embroidered with my initials, a weather forecast for my next destination (as I had mentioned in passing to a restaurant staff during breakfast of my departure day), etc.

Reflective thoughts: How can you make the check-out experience at your hotel extraordinary, a special experience in itself? (The current benchmarks are so low that it is really not difficult at all to make a positive difference)

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