Hotel Front Office Management, 3rd Edition

322 CHAPTER 11: MANAGING HOSPITALITYThe motivation process begins with the selection of employees, which is all important.The average person applying for a job is interviewed by at least four people.When Four Seasons opens a property every single employee hired is interviewed bythe hotel general manager. First we look for people who are already motivated.Our compensation policies have been designed to support and reinforce our effortsin hiring, training, and development. We look on them not only as a motivator, butas a way of sending signals to our employees consistent with our philosophy andbusiness strategy—almost as an employee communication program itself. 18Group discussions among the managerial staff will help to highlight the attributes ofa person who will be able to deliver hospitality. These discussions should lead to a ratherinformal procedure for screening employees. Questions that determine whether candidatesdisplay maturity and self-esteem, are articulate, possess social graces, and have ahigh level of tolerance for continued guest contact can be discussed in group settings.Managers who are aware of what they are looking for in employees are better able tosecure the right people for the right jobs.EmpowermentEmpowerment—management’s act of delegating certain authority and responsibilityto frontline employees, those people who deliver service to guests as front desk clerks,cashiers, switchboard operators, bellhops, concierge, and housekeeping employees—isone of the rudiments of service management programs. The process of empowering employeesrequires front office managers to analyze the flow of guest services and determinehow the frontline staff interact with the guest. Are there any points of service at whichthe guest may request variations in the level of service provided? Might there be timeswhen a guest may question standard operating procedures, such as billing, guest roomaccess, or room accommodations? Do frontline employees constantly inform guests, “Idon’t have the authority to rectify this matter. You’ll have to see the manager”? If thereview of the guest cycle reveals opportunities for delegating responsibility and authority,then empowerment should be exercised.ADOPTING EMPOWERMENT INTO FRONT OFFICE MANAGEMENTFront office employees who are not accustomed to solving problems and are nottreated as members of the management team may be reluctant to suddenly take chargeand make decisions. Employees who have become comfortable with having their managerssolve all the problems may see no need to change the established routine. However,it is becoming increasingly apparent to front office managers that a supervisory style thatdoes not allow for employees to be involved in the decision-making process will not besuccessful. The challenge to the front office manager, then, is to begin to introduce empowermentinto the front office.The analysis of the guest flow (described earlier in this chapter) is the best way to startTLFeBOOK