45 Times Hotels Surprised Everyone With Their Creativity

Courtesy of Hospitality School, here are several 'Golden Rules' that each and every hotelier worth their salt should follow. That is, if they want to be proud of what they do, want their business to boom, and their guests to grace their doorstep once again.

Looking like a professional goes a long way in the hospitality business. That means dressing nicely, taking care of your hygiene and smiling brightly. It's also vital that the way you talk to your customers be sincere — they can spot it if you're being fake in an instant. What's more, keeping your guests' private life private is of utmost importance, as is helping them with everything and anything they might need. Finally, never, ever ignore complaints. Not even small ones.

However, the rules of hospitality are slowly changing over time, as Marcel Thoma, the General Manager of The Upper House hotel in Hong Kong told Euronews: “Twenty years ago, there were scripts and standards. And it was the same every day. These days, we expect the wait staff to be psychiatrists. Now, some guests want to be left alone; maybe you don’t refill their coffee because they’re in a meeting and concentrating hard. We like to see ourselves as hosts, not service providers. For that, you must give your staff the freedom to be spontaneous.”

Thoma also explained how staff members can help in unexpected ways. “For example, we once had a guest come downstairs and say, I want to go hiking but I’m alone and don’t know how to go hiking in Hong Kong. We had a staff who loves hiking and said, ‘Madame, I know a beautiful trail. Why don’t we go hiking together tomorrow, if you’d like me to come along with you?’ So, they went hiking together. In a traditional hotel, they would say, ‘We’re not paying you to go hiking! You’re paid to check in and check out guests.’”

According to Dr. Forgacs, the main reason why a guest would return to a hotel would be if they had good memories of the place.

“Not necessarily a gold plated door k**b or the extra skirt hangers in the closet; best memories are created through interaction with people. If service excellence exceeds expectations, guests always remember that.”

What’s more, the professor had some insightful advice for those hoteliers that are having trouble keeping their business afloat.

“Languishing hotels need to take an honest look at themselves to understand the reasons why they can't create special memories,” he explained. “Service culture is not built overnight; the way you hire, you train and conduct yourself is crucial. Mistakes are made all the time; how you recover and show genuine care would make a difference.”

“Following up is a secret weapon. Comping, offering a discount or an upgrade for a mishap is what a typical hotel would do. The better ones will always follow up with the guest and on top of a remedy, tell their plan how the mistake will be prevented from happening again,” Dr. Forgacs revealed the secrets behind getting hotels back on track.

When you're done with this list, take a look at Bored Panda's posts about other times hotels surprised everyone with their creativity, the coolest hotels in the world, and the worst hotel fails from people's trips!