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Our service is a personalized service. We really try to care about our customers and
the service should not end when the guests are leaving the resort. We should still maintain
a relationship with them. We should be thankful for any feedback they are they giving us.
If it is good then itís motivational for the staff. If itís not so good itís an opportunity
for us to improve.
So, in the past, really, if you went to Trip Advisor or something, you will never find
any comments or response to the guests. But, when a guest sits down for an hour or two
hours writing a review, it really deserves some response because itís still a service.
If you ask for something at the resort, our responsibility is to make it happen for you
and if we cannot make it happen at least you expect an answer. Itís the same thing with
all social media. You expect and you deserve an answer and we (at the resort) should be
thankful for any response we are getting and you should be noted.
So basically, we started 2.5 years ago and it became really huge. Trip Advisor for us,
and unfortunately I cannot put it down in numbers, is probably the most important sales
engine for us now. Everybody is doing it, I do it, you do it too. You make a reservation,
you look at the hotel, you look for rates, you compare hotels and before you make your
final decision you will go to Trip AdvisorÖ at least 80% of the guests do.
And then it comes back to the little details which makes a difference. You get welcomed
here with a cold towel, and a flower and coconut water. When you check Trip Advisor you see
that there are comments and the general manager is answering the comments. And you say ëWow,
the general manager is answering the commentsí. If you check, maybe, the competition and with
the competition, maybe, the public relations manager is handling the comments, which is
a nice touch. But then you think, ëThey really donít care that much. The general manager
over there does it personally.í Itís the little details.
It is really important to answer all of them because as you said, ëhe didnít answer mineí.
So we did not fulfill all of your expectations which is a little cross that they are doing
a great job but they are not perfect, so we still have opportunity to improve.
I talk on a daily basis to our guests and it will not happen Ö ever.. that I donít
meet 2 or 3 or 4 guests a day who tell me that they chose the resort because of the
reviews, so it is important to handle it in the right way.
My advice is if you are doing a great service, if you care about your customers you will
do it. People in the hospitality business always talk about ëwhat is quality?í and
then they talk about ëexceeding the expectations of the customersíÖ which is all nice and
I agree but quality, in my opinion, is to get the ëwowí out of our customers and I
want to get the wow out even after the guests are gone. I want to call you and have the
butler call you when you get home to make sure that you got home all right. You are
going to say ëwowí.
With Trip Advisor if you get a answer right away you want to say ìthey even care even
though Iím not here anymore.î My advice is donít stop caring after they are gone.î