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Guztavo Sanchez and team at Hotel B Unique in Cozumel, Mexico.

Gustavo’s Secrets to Leadership and Service Excellence

A good leader never forgets where they came from. That way they can always lead anyone in a lower position.

Gustavo Sanchez started in an entry-level position. He now manages a team of 40 people.

But like a coach of soccer, his favorite sport, Sanchez learned to lead. The Director of Food and Beverage for Hotel B Unique in Cozumel, Mexico tells GEM Journal how he learned to coach a team. His secret to success is a culmination of lessons learned from nearly two decades of working from the bottom to the top.

“The secret is starting off in a lower position,” Sanchez tells GEM Journal. “Knowing how people feel from the waiters to the kitchen staff in the back. You need to understand their worldview.”

From left to right: Roberta Nedry, president of GEM Journal and Guztavo Sanchez, Director of Food and Beverage for Hotel B Unique.
From left to right: Roberta Nedry, president of GEM Journal and Guztavo Sanchez, Director of Food and Beverage for Hotel B Unique.

Understanding the ins and outs of every position helps him better understand his employees. Because as he says, people are what makes good hospitality.

Below is a breakdown of Sanchez’s top-secret game plan.

A hands-on approach

Sanchez starts every day at 9 a.m. He likes to knock out paperwork and emails early, so he can focus more time on the floor with his team.

He gathers the team together for a meeting before the bar and restaurant open.

“We go over what happened in the previous shift,” Sanchez. “Then we get everything in the bar and kitchen stocked.”

Going over previous shifts gives Sanchez and his team a better idea of the problems they encountered. History has a tendency of repeating itself in the hospitality industry. So identifying those issues early on helps set a game plan for the next time.

A coconut cocktail, mixed and served by Sanchez.
A coconut cocktail, mixed and served by Sanchez.

It’s a hands-on meeting for Sanchez. Hotel B Unique is known for its unique mixology. The drinks require fresh, locally-sourced, hand-squeezed juices.

The cocktails are an important part of the company culture. That lead to Sanchez’s next step in the recipe.

Teach the company mission

During his tenure, Sanchez has learned the importance of educating his team on the mission of the company. If that’s to have the freshest juice for cocktails to enjoy with a tropical view, then the staff needs to learn that laidback vibe while on the clock.

Bringing guests an experience unique to Cozumel, Mexico matters. Even if the staff is short a sous chef and stress is at an all-time high in the kitchen, servers need to keep their cool on the floor. This mindset and working philosophy start with leadership and trickles down to every staff member.

“People make the decision to work here. Once they make the commitment, it’s up to me to train them,” Sanchez says. “We have a lot of guests from other countries, new to here in Mexico. We have to be experts in that Mexican experience. It’s up to us to answer our guests’ questions on the country – and truly bring an authentic experience.”

Motivational notes to staff and guests from Sanchez and team at Hotel B Unique.
Motivational notes to staff and guests from Sanchez and team at Hotel B Unique.

Leadership and compassion go hand-in-hand for Sanchez. He teaches his team soft skills focused on communication. Anyone can learn to cook and make drinks. To him, a true talent in hospitality comes down to communication skills.

Sanchez’s biggest advice to serving staff: Always make eye contact; always show you authentically care.

There are times when staff members have to move on for various reasons. Some may leave due to conflicts of interest, but others we’re simply filling a void between the next step in their careers. When that happens, Sanchez feels it’s important to learn how they felt about the working experience.

“We don’t just interview the staff when they get the job – we do an exit interview, as well,” Sanchez says. “It’s important to find out what they believe guests enjoy about the experience most. You know, we work with our hands. But really, in this business, we work with our hearts.”

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.

(From right to left) Elaine Fitzgerald shakes hands with a guest.

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.

The Must Dos:

For Fitzgerald, our Hospitality Hero, to provide exceptional hospitality excellence a business must:

  • Make it personal: greet guests personally
  • Tell ’em how things work: orient guests to your business/organization to save them time
  • Keep it simple: tell guests what they need to know
  • Go the extra mile: it’s the only way to create the best guest experience possible

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