A great first impression depends on a well-trained front of house staff! Click To TweetThe way your staff runs front of house operations affects your entire brand integrity and image. Your front of house team should be experienced with all manners of communication and knowledge of the brand and hotel facilities. The way they problem solve, manage client requests and think outside the box will have a huge impact on the hotel.
Regardless of the star rating of your hotel, the front of house team are vital to the success and longevity of your hotel.
So what areas of improvement can you make and what aspects of training can you consider?
What you should include in your training for hotel front desk staff will vary from venue to venue. What is key is that everybody on your team, no matter how large or small, are on the same page. Before you start the training you should identify the areas of improvement.
Understanding Room Types
Your front of house staff is vital to guiding and helping with room selection or upgrades. Your staff can also use this knowledge to up-sell rooms and increase turnover. Your staff should be clear on all terminology and types of rooms that might exist in the hotel. These could include:
- Single
- Double
- Triple
- Quad
- Queen
- King
- Superior
- Studio
- Suite
- Executive Suite
- Suite
- Junior Suite
- Presidential Suite
- Apartment
- Connecting Room
- Disabled Room
- Villa
- Smoking/Non Smoking
Rules & Regulations
From the way your team manage their time and ensure prompt arrivals, to correct presentation and hygiene, there should be rules and regulations that your hotel instates and then closely follows. If these rules or regulations are not followed, this could have a negative impact on sales or client reviews. These rules can be reviewed during training to ensure they are up to date and also realistic for your current staff in place. Simple tips and tricks can transform your staff, such as:
- Treat every guest like a VIP
- Never lean against the wall
- Never hide a mistake, instead learn and don’t make it again!
- Ensure security is followed such as guest credit card data protection
- Never leave your desk unattended
Important Skills Which Require Training
There are many important skills which would require training. So which important skills should a front-of-house staff require training on? Once you’ve identified the areas which need to be improved, you can then tailor the training to adjust and inspire your team to a new level of understanding and practice. It can be a detailed and lengthy process, or it can be concise and short – these are some of the skills you can improve with training:
- Upgrade Up-Selling – help your staff increase your revenue by subtly and efficiently upgrading the way your staff handle upgrades.
- Telephone Skills – there can be subtle ways to increase your team telephone techniques, which can be immediately implemented to make a huge difference.
- Communication – this is an art form and should be practiced, from cultural differences through to body language and first impressions.
- Handle Guest Complaints – a part of any business, the way your staff handle it will allow your guest’s issues to be handled with integrity and respect.
- Health and Safety – a vital part of a public business, your staff should follow this to the letter, helping them understand why will improve their attitude towards it.
- Fire Procedures – the difference between life and death – no corners should be cut, the staff should have regular updates on the correct and life saving fire procedures.
What Are the Standards a Front of House Department Should Have?
The standards you choose to set will have an overall impact on your staff and client retention. Your hotel, no matter how small or large, should set realistic standards and then ensure your staff hit the mark. These standards can be adjusted and in time improved. After all – why not improve your standards if it is possible?
Polo & Tweed train front of house in London, the UK and around the world. We have a number of flexible packages to suit all hotel needs, including hotel size, the number of staff and the desired outcome. Why not get in touch with us today and we can discuss how best we can help you.