Weekly Email
August 17 - August 23
New Member!!
I'm sure some of you may have already seen her, but we have a new member joining our front desk team. Her name is Francesca. If you see her, don't forget to give her a warm welcome to the team!
Got free time during your shift??
I have the cure for that! Guys, we have so many things that need to get done at the desk. If you have free time, please make it a point to divide and conquer all this work! We need to work together as a unit, and that means, everyone needs to do their part. Here are some of the things that need to get done:
- Sort and file the remainder of the booking.com reservations
- Create the gift bags! (These are bags that we will be giving to people who enroll for Wyndham Rewards and are paying directly to the hotel at our RACK rate).
- Make keycard envelopes. We just received more of our keycard envelopes with the ads. You can always fold and prepare them for use.
TRIPADVISOR PERKS PROGRAM!
You are all familiar with TripAdvisor, I assume. If not, it is a website where people can post reviews for hotels, restaurants, etc. Presently, we are trying to improve our online ratings. As you all know, we are renovating and changing our whole image, so we want to change our image online as well. As a way to get us started, we have implemented the perks program. If you are interacting with a guest who is really happy, tell them to give you a a review on TripAdvisor. Collect their email address and make sure to give it to me, so that I can send them a direct link. If the review is positive and they mention your name, you will receive a cash incentive! It's that easy!
People filter
I hate to say this, but in this job we need to filter people. That means, you need to see what type of people you are checking in and assess where you need to check them in, how much you need to charge, etc. For example, if a nice family from out of town comes to check in, put them in a nice room. Based on availability, you can even upgrade them. These are the people that are most likely to go online and write a review or go home and tell their friends about us. Now, if a local person comes to check in and they already smell like smoke, and don't have a credit card and only want to pay with cash, then give them standard rooms. If they have booked a deluxe room, keep them on the 3rd floor. This is because they are most likely to smoke or damage the room, and our 4th and 5th floor rooms are our best rooms. We have also had an influx of homeless people checking in to the hotel. The problem with that has been that they check in for 1 or 2 people and actually have 7 or 8 people in the room. All these people who did not pay for the room, also come down for breakfast. Additionally, they damage the room. Finally, when the time for checkout comes, 8 out of 10 times, they refuse to leave and we have to call the cops to have them removed from the property. So as you can see, we are taking a loss by checking them in. If they come to check in, quote them a higher rate than the RACK rate.
As you work at the desk, you should be seeing the different types of people checking in. Take a look at them, make an informed decision, and then check them in.
read the comments
If you have trained with me, then you know that my mantra is "read the comments." ALWAYS READ THE COMMENTS. Comments tell you if the reservation is prepaid, so that you don't swipe the guest card. Comments tell you if a guest is not supposed to be extended, if a guest needs a rollaway, if a guest has a deposit, etc. Always read the comments, and if something happens with a guest, write it in the comments.
parking permits
I mentioned this in my last email, but this is still not being done. PARKING PERMITS NEED TO BE GIVEN OUT TO ALL CUSTOMERS KEEPING THEIR CAR ON THE PREMISES. Parking is free while you stay here. Extended parking is 7/night + tax.