front desk training
Do Your Hotel Leaders Truly Understand the Difference Between “Hospitality” and “Guest Service?”
Doug Kennedy | October 11, 2023
By Doug Kennedy My job as a hospitality industry conference speaker and training facilitator affords opportunities to speak with lodging industry leaders from a broad spectrum of management companies, brands, and independents. Based on my observations, I think there are a lot of leaders, including some with decades of experience who work at top-tier companies, who do not fully understand the difference between “hospitality” and “guest service.” I often hear these terms used interchangeably, yet while they are related, and while guest satisfaction requires both, they are fundamentally different concepts. Understanding the differe...
Doug Kennedy Announces Next Topic in His Webcast Training Series: Reservations Sales: Remember, Ring-Ring Means Cha-Ching!
Doug Kennedy | August 3, 2023
Complimentary Registration Sponsored by Travel Outlook, Better Talent, and Track Hospitality Software Kennedy Training Network Inc. (KTN) announced today the topic for Doug Kennedy’s next training webcast: Reservations Sales: Remember, Ring-Ring Means Cha-Ching!, scheduled for Friday, August 18 from Noon – 12:40 pm. REGISTER HERE According to Doug, “Smart revenue and marketing leaders know that the voice reservations channel is alive and thriving. Of course, resorts, luxury properties, vacation rental agencies, and boutique hotels all know this. Even at branded, select-service hotels, front desk associates regularly field calls fro...
Does Your Reservations Call Scoring Criteria Need To Be Updated?
Doug Kennedy | July 25, 2023
By Doug Kennedy When our KTN team onboards clients for either traditional mystery shopping or for call scoring of actual recordings (as captured in our clients’ various cloud-based platforms), part of our process is reviewing their existing call criteria. As a result, I get to peek behind the scenes and see what their reservations, front desk, and/or contact center staff are being trained to say. What I find is that most organizations are still using the same reservations call handling criteria as they did long ago, despite the fact that so much has changed on the caller’s side of the conversation. When it comes to information, t...
KTN President Doug Kennedy Addresses Questions About His Monthly Training Webcast Series
Doug Kennedy | July 11, 2023
Each month, Doug Kennedy presents a live webcast from the KTN headquarters office in Florida, reaching hotel and lodging professionals of all levels around the globe. The rotating menu of topics includes content for all disciplines within the industry, including rooms operations, sales, and even F&B. Some topics have a broad-based theme, such as hospitality & guest service excellence, while others are very specific such as training tips, transient reservations sales, and hotel group and event sales. Everyone who registers receives a link to a live recording which they can view later if they missed the live event, or select segments...
Train Your Hospitality Staff to Elicit Kama Muta (Commonly Called That “Warm, Fuzzy” Feeling)
Doug Kennedy | May 11, 2023
By Doug Kennedy It’s something that virtually all humans have experienced in our lives, especially those who work in guest-facing jobs in the hospitality industry when we make an authentic, personalized, and heartfelt connection with another human. For me, it seems to happen more often with strangers, rather than with loved ones we routinely see. It is a mutually experienced feeling, felt across cultures, nationalities and languages. There is even a common gesture that humans around the globe use when the feeling arises, which is raising the right hand and placing it over the heart. Recently while preparing for a conference keynote...
Doug Kennedy Announces Next Topic In His Webcast Training Series: Maximizing Textual Sales & Service Opportunities
Doug Kennedy | May 3, 2023
Complimentary Registration Sponsored By Travel Outlook, Better Talent, and Track Hospitality Software Kennedy Training Network Inc. (KTN) announced today the topic for Doug Kennedy’s next training webcast: Maximizing Textual Sales & Service, which will train your team on using personalized, persuasive writing for chat, email, and in-app messages. This webcast is scheduled for Friday, May 12 from Noon – 12:40pm. REGISTER HERE According to Doug, “The reality is that most reservations offices have become ‘contact centers,’ because most agents are spending as much time typing than talking these days.” This KTN traini...
What Will It Take to Succeed in Hotel Sales in 2023?
Doug Kennedy | January 11, 2023
By Doug Kennedy The skills required to succeed in hotel group, event, and BT sales are going to be hugely different here in 2023, but the disruptions that have caused these changes began much earlier. Traditionally, succeeding in hotel sales was more about personality than process. Target rates were locked in well ahead of time and fees were few, so negotiations were much simpler. A focus on filling the house made it easy to get concessions approved, but since most planners and BT buyers were novices, they weren’t asking for that much anyway. Closure rates on inbound leads were much higher because initiating an inquiry required more e...
Sentipensante – The Perfect Word for Teaching the Spirit of Hospitality
Doug Kennedy | September 20, 2022
By Doug Kennedy Having written hospitality and sales training articles for over two decades now, I’m often asked “How do you continue to come up with new ideas every month?” Truth is that it’s actually quite easy when you’re out on the road conducting training just above every week, spending time with the real experts in this industry such as the frontline superstars who make it all happen for guests. Recently, I found my latest writing inspiration while I was back at one of my favorite stops, the amazing Nizuc Resort & Spa in Cancún, Mexico. During one of my classes, we were discussing what I have always called “the lo...
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