How to make the most of your next hotel or resort experience…
The staff and management of Long Beach Lodge Resort always strive to offer the best possible experience to each and every guest that chooses to visit us, but despite all of our best efforts, there will always be times when the “ball gets dropped” and that someone’s experience is negatively affected. I have been in the hospitality industry all of my adult life (29 years... yikes!) and never have I seen the “perfect” experience. It just can’t happen–there are too many variables in an industry that deals with people. For example, here at the Resort we have 60-85 staff that are also tennants, and when we are full, we have approximately 175 guests, all with different backgrounds and expectations. In addition, Long Beach Lodge is a “young resort” with a young team of staff, in a very young Community (the average age of a Tofinitian is 25). With all of these dynamics in play, chances are, something will go wrong.
So what do you do if something goes wrong during your stay, here or at another hotel? Bring your concern forward immediately to the Front Desk or better yet, directly to the General Manager. In all my years in the business, I have not met a single GM who has not cared about the outcome of a guests experience. I am sure that (as I am) the GM will appreciate the time you took to bring your concern forward and will do whatever is needed to recover the experience.
Let give me an example: Two weeks ago I was staying at hotel which I have stayed at before and which consistently delivers great service. When I walked into the elevator with my family, we discovered that someone had not cleaned up after their pet in the elevator, and the elevator car ride was unbearable. As a result of this experience, do I now think the hotel is poorly run or unmaintained? No, as Forest Gump said, “---- happens”. But if I had not made a staff member aware of this incident, it may not have been detected immediately and thus not been corrected in a timely manner, resulting in other guests' experiences being negatively affected as well.
If I could recommend to every guest of every hotel -- bring your concerns forward, as that is the best way to get a positive experience. Ultimately if you don’t enjoy a particular hotel then by all means try a different one next time you travel, but by not bringing forward your concerns during your stay and/or by voicing them “after the fact”, you do not provide the hotel/resort the opportunity to “fix” the issue or maximimize your experience.
As stated on our website, Long Beach Lodge Resort staff are committed to excellence and our mission is “to meet and exceed the expectations of our valued guests, through warm and personal service offered by our experienced staff, in our beautiful and peaceful surroundings”. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, and occassionally “service recovery” is required–we promise to do everything possible to ensure that your experience with us is the best possible!
My “Blackberry” phone number is written on the first page of the guest directory located in every guest room at Long Beach Lodge, and I encourage guests to call me should they require anything at anytime (much to my spouses’ dislike). I am always attached to my “Blackberry” and even if I am not on the property I can direct a solution to whatever issue may have come up. We want you to leave with great thoughts in your head, and most importantly, we want you to come back!
Stay tuned for the next Perry’s Perspective... I will provide some tips on getting the best deal on your next hotel or resort stay!
