Role of Communication in Service Recovery

Service recovery from complaint to compliment 😠 A guest is upset. 💬 They feel ignored, delayed, or disappointed. In hospitality, this is the defining moment. Do you brush it off—or do you bounce back with excellence? This is where SERVICE RECOVERY becomes your real superpower. Here’s how I approach it as a Front Office professional 👇 🛎️ 1. Listen With Full Attention Don’t interrupt. Don’t jump to explain. Just listen. Often, the guest doesn’t want answers first—they want to feel heard. Example: A guest complains that their room wasn’t ready. Instead of giving reasons, I listen patiently, nod, and maintain eye contact. That alone diffuses 70% of the frustration. 💬 2. Apologize Sincerely, Not Scripted “We truly regret the inconvenience caused.” “I understand how disappointing that must have felt.” 💡 Apologies should feel personal, not mechanical. Tone matters more than words. 🎯 3. Take Ownership Immediately Even if it’s not my mistake, I own the solution. “I’ll personally ensure this is resolved right away.” This builds trust and shows professionalism. No guest wants to hear: “It's not my department.” 🎁 4. Offer a Meaningful Gesture It’s not about free things—it’s about thoughtful actions. 🎁 Room upgrade 🎁 Dessert or amenity in-room 🎁 Priority service 🎁 A handwritten note Example: Once a guest faced a long wait. I arranged a welcome drink, expedited the room, and followed up with a personal note. 💬 The guest smiled—and mentioned it in their review. 🔄 5. Follow Up Personally 📞 “Was everything better after the change, sir?” This final touch proves you didn’t just react—you cared. 🌟 Final Thought: A guest whose issue was resolved beautifully often becomes more loyal than one who never had a problem. Real hospitality is tested when things go wrong. And when you recover well, that’s when the magic happens. ✨ #ServiceRecovery #HospitalitySkills #FrontOfficeTips #GuestExperience #HotelierLife #CustomerCare #HotelMindset #HospitalityExcellence #LearnAndGrow #HotelIndustryInsights #ProfessionalGrowth #frontoffice

Have you ever heard of the Service Recovery Paradox? 🤔 At this morning's #TTT24 in beautiful The Chedi Luštica Bay, Anthony Clement shared an idea (backed by data) that a properly handled negative experience can lead to higher guest satisfaction and loyalty than if everything had gone smoothly from the start. ✨ This is especially important in the travel industry, where small issues are inevitable. The key is how we respond! I saw this in action earlier this year when we launched Turneo with a European chain (30+ properties). A key feature within Turneo is a reviews module: After an activity is completed, Turneo immediately asks the guest for feedback on that activity or service. The very first review that came in was 1 star for a transfer from the airport to the hotel. Cold sweat literally went down my spine - what if they think our product is somehow to blame for this and they switch it off? Instead, something amazing happened. 💫 Because the notification went directly to Hotel’s Head of Guest Services, he quickly called the transfer provider and they agreed to apologise to the guest and give them a free ride back to the airport.  The result❓ The guest left a 5 star review for both the transfer provider (on Turneo) and the hotel (on Google). This is the Service Recovery Paradox in action right there! Instead of thinking of switching off Turneo, the hotel was extremely happy that we enabled them to spot and correct the issue, helping them turn an unhappy guests into a delighted one! 🎯 There is often this debate about focusing on delivering a human-touch vs automating through technology. The answer is that to deliver an amazing service, you need to have both. In this case, the technology enabled the hotel to spot the issue quickly, but of course, humans (not AI!) were there to handle the guest! 

Service recovery isn’t rocket science. It’s just about human connection. I get it—emergencies happen. I was at a hospital today (won’t name it), and they had an emergency patient come in. No issue with that—I’m all for saving lives. But what about communication? Not a word, not an update. All they had to do was talk to me. Just a simple explanation, and I’d have been on board. Instead, it became a frustrating experience, one that could’ve easily been avoided. 💡 Here’s how they could have saved the day: Proactive Communication: Just inform the customer! Transparency goes a long way. Set Expectations: Let the customer know what to expect, especially when things don’t go as planned. Empathy First: Acknowledge the situation and show that you care about their time and experience. Service recovery isn’t optional—it’s the difference between loyalty and losing customers for good. #CustomerExperience #ServiceRecovery #Leadership #CX #customersupport