Orlando, Florida, March 2015—The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) has awarded the Sanibel Beach Club on Sanibel Island, Florida, the designation of Certified Guest Service Property. To earn the designation, the property’s guest contact employees passed AHLEI’s Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP®) certification exam.
Sanibel Beach Club is the first property on Sanibel Island to earn the Certified Guest Service Property designation and the third of the VRI (Vacation Resort International) managed properties to do so. Sanibel Beach Club is a member of the Lee County (Florida) Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB), which has set a goal of becoming the first Certified Guest Service Destination. To achieve this goal, all of its members must complete the VCB’s Guests First Customer Service Training Program, which incorporates training material from AHLEI’s Guest Service Gold® program and includes the opportunity to earn AHLEI’s Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP®) designation.
Sanibel Beach Club is a 31-unit timeshare resort whose patrons include owners, guests, renters, and exchangers. Eric Ryffel, CGSP, property manager, stated that the guest service training and certification has helped him to better understand the varying needs of all types of guests and to serve them more effectively and positively.
“Being a Certified Guest Service Property shows our guests and owners that we understand each and every one of their needs and work diligently to meet those needs,” said Ryffel (pictured above with Donna Sage, VRI Director of Resorts, and Elizabeth Cruz, CGSP, Front Desk). “We work to find solutions to any problems and then follow through to make sure that everything has been completed to their satisfaction.”
For more information on Guest Service Gold® and becoming a Certified Guest Service Property, visit www.ahlei.org.
