Service: The Heart of Hospitality
Chapter 2
Hospitality & Tourism
Introduction
Service: activity that is done for another
person (often refers to the act or manner
of serving food & drink-more than thatsatisfy people’s needs)
 Customer Service: total customer
experience with that business
(performance of all staff, cleanliness of
property, and the way customers are
treated during their visit)
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Customers
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Customer: is someone who purchases
products or services from a business
(department store, hotel, etc.)
Guest: customer who purchases products or
services from a hospitality business
Guest & Customer are used interchangeably
Customer is the main reason of the
hospitality industry
◦ If there were no customers, there would be no
business
◦ Poor service is the #1 reason customers do not
return to a business
Who is the Customer?
Come in all shapes, sizes, abilities, personalities,
ethnic backgrounds, & religions
 Come from all over the world
 Different languages, customs, & expectations
 Some have special needs (diabetes, wheelchair,
etc)
 Hospitality workers need to develop the ability to
understand and relate to all different kinds of
people
 Empathy: ability to put yourself in someone else’s
shoes and know how that person feels
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◦ Will help you figure out customer’s needs
Customer’s Needs
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Customers look for a place where they feel
welcome
Quality of feeling welcome is often more
important than the quality of the food or the
comfort of the hotel room
Hospitality industry satisfies both physical and
psychological needs of customers
Abraham Maslow: developed a method to
describe how human needs are met.
◦ Maslow’s Hierarchy
 Basic needs are at the bottom of the pyramid
 Needs at the bottom of the pyramid must be partially or fully
met before you can move up the pyramid
Satisfying Customer Needs
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Customer Satisfaction: positive feeling
customers have about a business that meets
their needs
Hospitality companies meet the needs of
their customers through quality service
Quality Service: service that meets or
exceeds customer expectations
◦ Expectations change with the situation
◦ Expectations at a fast food restaurant are
different than those at a 5 star restaurant
◦ Certain expectations are universal (treated with
dignity & respect)
Quality Service
Quality service is the key to establishing
& maintaining a successful business
 Important service elements:
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◦ Cleanliness and attractive appearance of
facilities and grounds
◦ Employees who respond quickly to requests
◦ Employees who anticipate customers’ needs
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These elements are based on good
training and the attitude of employees
Consistent Service
Consistent quality service: providing the same
good service and products to customers each and
every time they come to your business
 Delivering quality service always involves people
 Service Encounter: interaction between a
customer and a staff member
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◦ Basic building blocks of quality hospitality service
◦ Service encounters occur before, during, and even
after the customer’s visit
Employees must be at their best at all times to
ensure good service encounters
 Hospitality businesses often fail or succeed based
on the quality of service
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Importance of Service
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Quality service is important because people
often talk about their experiences
Customer Focused Employees: employee
who can anticipate customer needs
Customer Focused Employees have the
following 6 characteristics
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Make immediate eye contact
Have good posture
Smile warmly
Respond quickly to requests
Use the customer’s name whenever possible
Clean and well groomed
Hospitality Employees
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People who provide quality service in the
hospitality industry
Two groups
◦ Front of House: employees that guests usually see
(entrance & dining room, lobby, etc.)
 Interact with customers-servers, cashiers, hosts &
hostesses, bell attendants, front desk staff
◦ Back of House (guests usually do not see) also
called the heart of the house (kitchen, receiving,
storage areas, laundry, offices, boiler room)
 Rarely involved with customers-chefs, cooks,
dishwashers, housekeepers, building engineers, grounds
attendants
Hospitality Employees
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Customer Focused (can anticipate
customer needs)
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Make immediate eye contact
Have good posture
Smile warmly
Respond quickly to guests requests
Use the customer’s name whenever possible
Clean & well groomed
Critical Moments
Critical moment: time when the
customer’s experience makes a bigger
impact on customer satisfaction than at
other times (11 critical moments in
hospitality)
 Phone calls, building entrance, the greeter,
the wait, the table or hotel room, the
busser & servers, the manager, the arrival
of food, the restroom, the check/bill, the
goodbye (See page 53 box at the top)
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Customer Relation Techniques
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Communication Skills
◦ Verbal Communication
◦ Written Communication
◦ Nonverbal Communication
Handling Customer Complaints
Listen with empathy
 Allow the customer to vent
 Be supportive
 Don’t blame someone else
 Have a positive attitude
 Offer solutions
 Follow through on the situation
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