Front Office Service Case Study: Inappropriate Promotion of Luxury Suites and Room Arrangements

Case Study 1

Luxury Suite Promotion

Xiao Wu, a room reservation agent at a five-star hotel, received a long-distance call from a British guest who wanted to book a standard room for check-in in three days.

Xiao Wu checked the room availability and told the guest that all standard rooms were fully booked because the hotel was hosting a large tour group the day after tomorrow.

Xiao Wu didn't hang up the phone there, but continued with concern, "Could you postpone your trip by two days? Or could you contact other hotels?" The guest replied, "I still prefer to stay at your hotel. Could you please find a way?"

In order not to disappoint the guest, Xiao Wu discussed with him: "Thank you for your trust in our hotel. We very much hope to host a distinguished guest like you."

Please don't rush. If possible, I suggest you stay in one of our hotel's deluxe suites for two days after you arrive. The service is top-notch, and I'm sure you'll be satisfied with your stay.

The other party remained silent for a while, seemingly hesitant. Xiao Wu seized the opportunity to guide them: "I think you are not simply concerned about the price of the room, but rather whether this suite is worth the money."

Please let me know when you will arrive, and we will send a car to pick you up. Once you arrive, please take a look at the suites before making a decision.

The British guests found it hard to refuse and finally decided to book a luxury suite for two days.

There are many promotional opportunities for front desk room reservations. It's not enough for reservation staff to just provide enthusiastic service; they need to skillfully and appropriately use promotional methods and master sales psychology and language skills.

In this case, Xiao Wu mastered the "principle of incentive" when promoting the service, making customers focus on what services they could enjoy after renting the room.

Whether guiding the guest's thoughts to this room is worthwhile, or even more than what they pay for.

Xiao Wu's success also lies in the fact that her words avoided making the guests feel uncomfortable or embarrassed, and instead made them feel respected, thus naturally leading them to believe that Xiao Wu's suggestions were reasonable.

Case Study Questions

1. Based on this case study, discuss your understanding of the importance of front-of-house service skills.

Inappropriate room arrangement

The hotel lobby was bustling with people. Mr. Zhang went to the front desk to book a room, but was told that there were no rooms available. He asked the front desk to think of another way.

Ms. Wang from the front desk warmly greeted him and helped him search on the computer. She found that the guest in room "6008" was only half an hour away from the reservation time, but there was no news of the guest. At this time, Mr. Zhang had an urgent matter and asked Ms. Wang to transfer the room to him. Ms. Wang hesitated and looked at her watch, thinking that the guest probably wouldn't come, so she arranged room "6008" for Mr. Zhang.

Fifteen minutes later, the guest who had booked the room arrived. At this point, Xiao Wang hurriedly called Mr. Zhang on the sixth floor, hoping he could change the room, but Mr. Zhang had already left the hotel. The original guest became very angry and started arguing with Xiao Wang. Xiao Wang repeatedly explained, "We don't have your information and didn't know if you were coming or not."

The guest said, "I didn't exceed the reservation time."

Xiao Wang was punished by the hotel for his wrongdoing.

What would have been the right thing for her to do at that moment?

A. Based on the guest's booking time, Xiao Wang cannot assign the room to Mr. Zhang;

B. Xiao Wang did this to protect the hotel's interests;

C. Rooms cannot be booked even if the reservation time has passed;

D. Tell Mr. Zhang in advance that you can check in first, but if a guest with a reservation comes, you will have to give up the room.

Comment: Answer: A.

According to international practice, the rooms booked by guests must be guaranteed within the booked time. This is to protect the rights of guests and the reputation of the hotel.

Therefore, hotel staff must act in accordance with international practices and the hotel's rules and regulations, and cannot act based on their own feelings.

If a guest fails to cancel their registration within the scheduled time, the room must not be assigned to another guest.

Only when service staff effectively protect the rights and interests of guests can the interests of the hotel be maintained and protected.

The solution to this case is:

(1) If the above situation occurs, the room can only be rebooked after the reserved guest fails to check in within the reserved time.

(2) Explain the situation to the guests who made the reservation and apologize;

(3) Contact and arrange transportation for the booked guests to other hotels of the same star rating.

Case Study Questions

1. When the guest arrived at the hotel, the room he/she had booked had already been rented to someone else.

In this situation, what is the correct approach?

We welcome guests with reservations.

New Receptionst:Good morning,may I help you,Madam?

Guest 1: I booked a single room four weeks ago.I'm Mary Winn.

New Receptionst:Just a moment,please.I'll check the arrival list.Yes,I have your reservation,Miss Winn,a harbor-view single room with bath.You paid $200 advance deposit.Is that correct?

Guest 1: That's it!

New Receptionst:Miss Winn.your room number is 618.Would you please complete this registration card?

Guest 1: Oh, sure. What is the rate of this room, please?

New Receptionst:It is right here on the card,Madam-$410 per day.

Guest 1: Any discount?

New Receptionst:Unfortunately no,Madam.We only have special corporate rates for certain commercial accounts.I see you are staying five nights.

Guest 1: Is that all right?

New Receptionst:That's fine.Madam.May I recommend our luncheon buffet in the Chaojiangchun Room,and the show there tonight?

Guest 1: Thank you, I'll try to catch the show.

New Receptionst:Thank you!Miss Winn.here is your room key.Enjoy your stay.

Tony,please show Miss Winn to her room.

Bellman: Yes, this way please!

Guest 1: Thank you!

This case demonstrates the polite and efficient customer reception procedures at the front desk.

She greeted the customers very politely and proactively. After learning that the guests had made reservations, she quickly reported the details of the guests' room reservations based on the hotel's guest arrival list.

After confirming that everything is correct, please have the guest review and sign the registration form that has been filled out in advance.

This form is filled out by the hotel based on the guest's booking information. This avoids the hassle of guests filling out forms, shortens their waiting time at the front desk, and allows them to check into their rooms as soon as possible, thus truly improving work efficiency. On the other hand, it reflects the service standard of receptionists actively promoting other hotel services while fulfilling their own duties.

They not only performed their departmental duties well, but also took care of the overall operations of the hotel.

Finally, at the end of their shift, the receptionist wished the guest a pleasant stay and politely handed them over to the next porter, Tony, ensuring that the guest remained under the service of the staff from the moment they checked into the hotel.

This work procedure is complete, systematic, and interconnected, forming a well-organized service chain.

Case Study Questions

1. How to improve the level and quality of front desk service?