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The quality of service, without a doubt, is one of the most essential aspects of accommodation for the customer’s satisfaction. Proper servicewill make your guests return if they plan to spend the next vacation in the same region. Often the quality of service is understood as the efficiency of the personnel - knowledge of duties, good organization of activities and perfect performance. Indeed, it is very important. So, for example, all calls should be handled professionally, by someone who knows about your business and who will treat the call with the necessary care, otherwise the booking will not be done. If you have a one-person company and are often not available at your regular phone number, you should reroute calls to your mobile phone (and not mention your regular phone number on your business mail). Otherwise, when leaving the office, remember to switch on the answering machine with a message that could be something like “You have dialled the number of B&B Regent House. Thank you for calling us. Our working hours are from 9 till 18. Please, leave your message, name and telephone number after the sound signal. We will call you back as soon as possible. Thank you!”. Don’t forget to call back as soon as possible if the client leaves his phone number! Otherwise you will lose your clients!
Apart from the efficiency, what makes an impression of the quality service is the staff attitude and behaviour towards the guests (conviviality). As rural accommodations are small-scale, the staff attitude should be personal. The staffshould show genuine interest in guests, be friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. It should become a custom that No Customer can ever be treated with the expression of indifference. It is simple human psychology that guests want to see that the accommodation personnel is interested in them, they need to be liked and respected, to feel relaxed, comfortable and important, they need to interact and enjoy the company of others during their vacation. If they have a problem or a complaint, they want it handled with courtesy. And when they leave, they want to be glad that they came to this place.
Conviviality is important for all the people involved in the accommodation business – from the host or manager to reception or kitchen staff. Prompt and friendly greetings should become a norm for all kinds of personnel, including the cleaning one. Nothing stirs such a positive reaction of people like a greeting nod, sincere eye contact and a pleasant natural smile.
You need to make sure that the people working in your accommodation are polite and attentive to the requests when talking to the guests. This rule is particularly valid for phone communication with your potential clients. Clear voice, friendly tone and no inappropriate expressions are the basic requirements. It is also important to adjust to the type of the person making a call: a businessman, for instance, will appreciate concise exact answers while an elderly couple will most likely want to be informed about all minor details.
Generally, the staff quality is the most valuable asset of the entrepreneur, the factor that defines a long-term success of business. Quite often one can hear a remark “I don’t remember the size of the room, but do remember the staff and their attitude”. Therefore, for any accommodation entrepreneur the training of the employees should become a top priority.
Requirements for reception personnel and restaurant staff are discussed further in this section.
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4.3. Interaction with Guests, Service and Attention | 4.3.2. The Art of Being a Good Host |
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