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Customer Service Advantage

By Amy Colbourn, Managing Director, Business Strategist at MONOGRAM

Without personal interaction and human touch, a hotel is just walls, windows, beds, and bathrooms. The people are what make the place.

Last month we attended the Skift Global Forum at the Glasshouse in midtown Manhattan. As you can imagine, improving guest experiences through AI was one of the hot topics. I was pleased to hear how reasonable the travel and hospitality industry is regarding artificial intelligence. Most hoteliers know when it’s a good idea to use it and when it’s not. I think we can all agree it works great on the backend for conducting activities, such as sorting through reviews and processing information from guest databases to generate personalized experiences. In an industry that is constantly evolving, there’s a baked-in comfort level when it comes to adopting new technologies and applying them to modernize the traveler experience. In fact, according to the 2024 Travel and Hospitality Technology Report published by Skift in coordination with AWS, 83% of executives in the industry said they increased their budgets for AI in 2024, and 89% said it will have a meaningful impact on their business in the next three years. 

While AI offers a clear potential to level the playing field, let’s discuss what hotels can do to make customer service a competitive advantage. It’s common to see and assist clients in addressing customer service “upstream” as equal parts of their internal operations and brand development.  

Developing a customer service advantage will set you apart from the competition, deliver a consistent experience, and enhance guest satisfaction overall. Guests who feel better about the property feel better about coming back again and again.

A customer service advantage can be accomplished in four steps.

#1 Defining Exceptional Customer Service 

Customer service is so much more than a smile. Exceptional customer service is about anticipating guests’ needs even before they realize what those needs are. It’s about problem-solving and empowering team members to make decisions in real time. 

Every detail of your customer service delivery should be spelled out.

#2 Adopting a Customer Service Brand Style

Your customer service style means delivering an experience and creating a feeling for the guest. At the brand style stage, defining elements of the customer service style can include uniforms, how guests are addressed, phrases used, and expectations of team members to look and speak a certain way. Including customer service guidelines as part of your brand style guide allows your brand to express itself on the human side of the experience.

Create a brand plan and deliver on it consistently. 

We love some of the exemplary examples that exist among hospitality brands today:

The Ritz-Carlton: Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen 

The Ritz-Carlton is well-regarded for its customer service ethos around creating personalized experiences that make guests feel like royalty, leaning into a truly exceptional service model. For example, a guest’s preference for room temperature is captured for future stays. 

The Peninsula Hotels: Service as an Art

The Peninsula Hotels service style is formal yet approachable. Known for blending tradition with innovation, the brand ensures each guest receives thoughtful, tailor-made service. They do a great job of balancing hands-on with technology. For example, guests may be greeted with small gestures like fresh flowers or handwritten notes to make them feel appreciated, while in-room technology is used to enhance services like customizable lighting and digital concierge services. 

The Hoxton: Home Away from Home

This brand is set on creating an inviting atmosphere that feels more like you’re staying in a local neighborhood than a chain hotel. To thread the brand through their customer service approach, guests can expect thoughtful touches like complimentary breakfast bags hung on their door each morning and casual, friendly interactions with staff.

#3 Communicating Internally

Once you’ve defined your brand and the customer service component, you will want to create a plan to communicate internally. The plan will include a campaign targeted at team members while focusing on recruitment and retention. Internal campaigns are more effective when they are engaging, including opportunities to be acknowledged, hands-on training, and perks and promotions that get team members excited and willing to participate.

Establish an engaging way to share the customer service advantage to ensure adoption. 

#4 Delivering at Every Touchpoint

When it comes time to deliver, it’s essential to solicit guest feedback and use it to improve. There’s always an opportunity to assess and evolve, especially on the customer engagement side of hospitality. 

Track success and implement improvements. 

The Last Word

Everyone on your team should know, understand, and implement the features of your unique and exceptional customer service delivery. The best part about defining that specific delivery is being part of the team responsible for delivering it.

MONOGRAM can help you create a branded customer service advantage Contact MONOGRAM today to schedule a complimentary brand consultation with our team.