From 1990 to 1997, I lived and worked in the British Virgin Islands. I worked for a rum company called Pusser’s Rum. Pusser’s was a rum that was given out aboard the British navy ships for over 300 years. In the days of wooden ships and iron men, the purser would dispense a tot of…
Please, just acknowledge me
July 1, 2015 by
It still amazes me how tuned out people are to each other. What I find even more amazing is that this happens all the time in the service industry. How often have you had an experience like this… You go into a retail store and you’re ignored by the clerk. You stand in line at…
First Impressions
June 24, 2015 by
When I train service teams, I always inquire, “What is a first impression and how important is it?” First impressions are critical in the business world. It takes ten seconds for a person to decide if they like you or they don’t when they’ve never met you before. A good first impression, which is made…
If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.
June 17, 2015 by
“If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.” –Thomas J. Watson I love that quote because I believe that people learn much more from their dismal failures than they do from their screaming successes. Failures typically sting more, which necessitates changing your behavior so you don’t repeat your mistakes. Thomas Watson…
What is the number one way to make someone feel important?
June 9, 2015 by
I ask this question often in my hospitality and guest service training sessions. I get a plethora of answers from my audience, including smiling, greeting, making eye contact, saying hello, et cetera. I let my audience know that all of these things make people feel good—but not important. Invariably, I will get someone to give…
The Guest is Not Always Right—But They Must be Satisfied
June 3, 2015 by
I learned this principle a long time ago and it has served me well over the years. There is an old saying that the customer is always right. Ask anyone in the service industry and I’m sure they would give you countless examples of their experience where this was not the case. I opened a…
Escoffier
May 27, 2015 by
When I was still a chef, I never would have admitted this, but I’m convinced of this now: I can forgive an overcooked steak, but I can’t forgive rude or inattentive service. I believe that, while food is subjective, true hospitality is objective. To quote the great Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget…
Customer or Guest
May 21, 2015 by
When I do hospitality or guest service training, I ask my audience “What is the difference between a customer and a guest?” It is truly amazing at the replies that I hear, often including the one “that there is no difference”. I would disagree with this response because in my opinion, there is a big…
Hospitality and Technology – A Modern Day Oxymoron
May 12, 2015 by
When I do hospitality training sessions, I inquire from my audience if they believe that hospitality, by definition, is warm, personal, engaging guest service. Invariably, the answer is a resounding YES. I then tell my audience that every one of them owns a device that is the least hospitable thing there is and that every…
