How One Simple Greeting can Lead to Life-Long Customers

GEM Journal sits down for a Q and A with a hotelier to learn her secret sauce to great guest communication.

Elaine Fitzgerald understands the importance of saying hello.

The owner of Beach Vacation Rentals in South Florida offers tourists and business travelers short-term cottage and apartment rentals at five top-rated boutique properties, Fitzgerald goes out of her way to greet each guest personally, often waiting for them as they arrive.

We asked Elaine why the personal simple word “hello” is so important. Here’s what she had to tell us…

GEM: You greet each guest personally either face-to-face or by phone. Why is that important?

Elaine: We do not have a traditional check-in because each of my properties is too small to have an office on site. So, I like to make sure our guests get in okay, have their questions answered, and receive a bit of information about their apartment and the local area.

GEM: How do you greet guests? Is there a process you go through, or specific questions that you ask?

Elaine: We do not have a traditional check-in because each of my properties is too small to have an office on site. So, I like to make sure our guests get in okay, have their questions answered, and receive a bit of information about their apartment and the local area.

We send a confirmation letter our guests which asks that they call me when they land at the airport, or when they are an hour away if they are driving here. That gives me the heads up to meet them at the property.

Remember the old Fantasy Island TV show when the gracious resort manager awaits new guests on the pier and little Tattoo cries out “de plane, de plane” when he sees the seaplane arriving? It just seems like such a warm welcome that I like to imitate.

I show guests around their cottage, noting certain provided supplies that they do not have to go out and buy. I let them know how things work, where the laundry room is located, and directions to the best grocery store and access to the beach.

I point out information in our guest books and suggest highlights if they have never been to our area. In all, I spend about 15 to 30 minutes with our arriving guests, depending on how much information they would like. It saves them precious vacation time to skip their own research and go.

GEM: What impact does the personal “Hello” have on your guests? experiences?

Elaine: The personal “hello” makes guests feel important, which they are. But it is also rather self-serving for me. Guests who are greeted personally tend to become repeat guests more often. And on the rare occasion that something goes wrong during their stay, they are much more understanding and the situation is more easily rectified. Finally, the greeting is an “insurance policy” to help protect my property. When we develop a good rapport and the guests see how nicely everything is kept, they tend do everything they can to keep it just as nice.

GEM: Do you find that guests appreciate that the owner of the property is greeting them?

Elaine: Most guests love to be greeted, but some wonder why it’s necessary. I tell them I just like to make sure they get in okay since there is no office on site. When I keep it simple, they are extremely appreciative and happy to start their stay after I spend just a little time with them. I also provide two cell phone numbers in their confirmation letter in the unlikely event they have trouble getting in.

GEM: How important is a first impression of cleanliness when guests check in?

Elaine: Safety and cleanliness are always the top priorities. A lot can be forgiven so long as a place is very clean. Most of us would prefer an aging hotel room that is spotless and smells good, to an upscale room with leftover cigarette smell and soap scum on the shower liner.

It takes a 100-percent perfect score from intense annual surprise inspections to win the Superior Small Lodging Association’s White Glove award. It’s a credit to my incredible maintenance and housekeeping staff who all have the mindset of going the extra mile to consistently receive this award.

Know someone who would make a great Hospitality Hero? Send us their name for possible use in an upcoming issue and your contact information. Email us at: info@HospitalityExcellence.com