We are very fortunate to be able to stay at some of the top hotels, including some amazing five-diamond properties.  While your hotel may not have the staffing budget of a five-diamond hotel, there are still plenty of service tips that everyone can learn from the five diamonds.

Here are some tips for providing five diamond service that does not cost much:

1. Teach all of your associates the phrase ‘my pleasure’:  When a guest says ‘thank you’, associates at top properties always respond with ‘it is my pleasure’.  Other properties respond with ‘you’re welcome’ or ‘no problem’.
2. Every associate must be guest-focused instead of task-focused:  At a three-diamond hotel, a housekeeper held up the elevator that I was in to wait for her friend so they could go to lunch together.  The next day at a five-diamond, an engineer who happened to be walking near an elevator saw me walking down the hallway and automatically pressed the elevator button.  The engineer was aware of my need as a guest.  The housekeeper was only aware of her own need for a lunch break.
3. The guest’s name must be used by every associate that serves him/her:  At a five-diamond hotel, every person from the Bellman to the Guest Service Agent, to the Restaurant Server knows the guest’s name and uses it.  The valet attendant asks the guest for the name and then introduces the guest by name to the bellman who then introduces the guest by name to the guest service agent.  The PBX operators see the name displayed on the telephone.  The restaurant servers and bartenders see the name on the room charge or credit card receipt.
4. Have your associates also use their own name:  At top hotels, the associates always introduce themselves by saying ‘my name is John and I will be serving you this evening’.  This works especially well for bellmen, servers, bartenders, and in-room dining associates.
5. Learn how to fully anticipate guest needs:  Anticipating a guest’s needs requires experience.  Log and track all of your guests’ requests in all areas of the hotel.  Begin to provide the most common requests automatically to the guests so they do not need to ask anymore.  For example, if cotton swabs are frequently asked for in your hotel, consider placing them automatically in each room.  Also, consider having other not as frequently requested items on hand just in case.
6. Be aware of the guest:  Train your associates to make eye contact and greet each guest as they pass.  At five-diamond hotels, each associate that you pass will greet you and notice you.  This helps when you are trying to stop an associate for help and also makes guests feel important.  At most other hotels, the associates seem to try their best to avoid you.
7. Walk with the guest:  When a guest asks for directions, make sure that your associates are trained to take the guests as far as possible.  At five-diamond hotels, associates, unless they are tending to an outlet, will fully escort guests to their desired locations to make sure they do not get lost.  At other hotels, associates usually just give directions and point.

With these points of service in place at your hotel, it will be tough to distinguish between the service of your hotel and the service of a hotel with a five-diamond award.  The good thing about these simple service tips is that they only take some training and dedication from your associates.  Very few extra costs would be involved.  In addition, you will build the perceived value of your hotel through the improved service. We, as mystery shoppers, would also enjoy our stays much more!