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Training Services

Pillars™

Pillars™ incorporates principles that are essential for success in service-related industries. Pillars™ seeks to address those behavioral issues that directly affect the culture of hospitality. In doing so, it becomes more than a workshop; it suggests a way of being, a conscious way of viewing human behavior, and makes clear the ways in which employees, management and guests can all benefit from an inspired outlook on hospitality and service.

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Overview

Pillars™ is an employee-designed and employee-driven training program created to facilitate cultural change.

Pillars™ provides the foundation for creating a culture of ultimate hospitality for luxury clients. The goal is to create a guest experience that drives loyalty, which, in turn, helps owners and investors to maximize their organizations' asset value and growth potential.

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Objectives

  • To facilitate the management team and employees through a process of identifying and understanding the core service values and standards that drive the organization and to revitalize customer service.
  • To help the management team and employees come to the realization of how they personally impact and build guest loyalty through relationships.
  • To ensure each individual in the organization is held accountable for the core service standards, through the implementation of an objective measurement system.

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Method

  • Define and establish operating standards - or customized pillars - that directly affect the guest's intent for a return visit.
  • Create accountability within each individual's service performance.
  • Create a strategic process through management and individual training and development of Standards manuals.
  • Ensure that all levels of management have the correct skill-sets to implement, monitor and maintain the service process.
  • Create an objective measurement system to monitor progress.

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The Pillars™

The philosophy of guest care is built upon key standards -or pillars- of guest care. These pillars are essential to achieving the highest understanding and best delivery of hospitality and service.

Hospitality Hospitality will define the basic foundation of guest relations. Several exercises will be facilitated to confirm that it's the emotions -or feelings - of the luxury clientele that drive loyalty to the brand, not just the physical asset itself.
Acknowledgement The first of ten pillars outlined in this workshop, Acknowledgement serves as the key for determining respect between the guest and the hotel employee, whether it's a simple smile, eye contact and taking the time to speak with the guest.
Recognition Guest recognition is a critical component in elevating the brand in a competitive luxury market. This portion of the Pillars™ workshop will work to define standards for addressing the guest by name throughout his or her entire guest experience.
Anticipation This portion of the Pillars™ workshop will define what it truly means to anticipate the guests' needs. It also will provide a step-by-step framework for learning guests' preferences and using this guest knowledge for future opportunities.
Experience The guest experience is defined as the point where guests make their first inquiry to the point of checkout. It will map out the entire guest experience and pinpoint the exact emotional touch points that make a difference in the guests' sense of hospitality.
Relationships There can be no future without the nurturing and acknowledgement of repeat clientele. Building these relationships starts with the personal touches, from handwritten notes to acknowledging the guest by name. Pillars™ will provide the standards for building these relationships.
Flexibility Flexibility is key to managing the needs of a luxury client. As Pillars™ explains, flexibility means always being prepared with alternative options and always being focused on creating a solution.
Listening Providing full attention to the guest and understanding their needs is a critical component of the Pillars™ foundation. It's also a necessary pillar for handling complaints both quickly and professionally.
Recovery In discussing Recovery, the Pillars™ workshop will review the positive and negative impact of guest complaints and define a recovery process that is integrated at all levels of the organization.
Communication Pillars™ views communication as a two-way channel for improving upon an organization and for moving it forward. This two-way communication is especially critical in working with hotel employees at all levels to define the standards, processes, and culture.
Knowledge Another critical component to the Pillars™ process is Knowledge. It is the responsibility of the organization to provide the tools for the employees to learn the necessary services and amenities of one product. Also, employees need to know the standards and processes for delivering an expected level of hospitality.
Culture What does it mean to define a culture? Through group and individual exercises, the culture that is defined by the Pillars™ workshop is actually initiated by the PILLARS -or standards- themselves.

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