Why hospitality matters
Hospitality has always been important to me. My deep appreciation for - and awareness of - hospitality stems from my days as a waiter, especially in the US. While pursuing acting, I waited tables at night; I know; how cliché right?
I liked the frenzy that accompanies the hospitality industry. Waiting tables came easy to me, because I like to take care of others, and for the most part very much liked the social interaction with different people. I also liked working in a team, even though waiting tables can seem solitary, you very much need teamwork in order to thrive in the hospitality industry.
The positive examples
I tend to focus in my articles about all the things I see lacking in terms of hospitality; how the wait staff and management treat their guests, so I figured it was time to look at some positive examples.
Recently I was shopping at a vitamins and supplements store, and I had a whole list of stuff I needed to buy. Items that were completely foreign to me, and I found myself meandering the store is a daze, trying to find each item. A very friendly employee came over to me, obviously aware of my “help me, I’m lost!” body language, and asked if she could help me find what I was looking for. I gave her the list, and the next 10 minutes were a delight. She was friendly, patient, answered my many questions, gave suggestions, and at no point made me feel rushed. She was exemplary in her hospitality and customer service. I left the store happy and impressed.
A couple of weeks later I was buying some fish at a local fish store near my house. It was one of those rare record sweltering hot days; 40C. The store, like most stores in Europe, didn’t have air-conditioning. The owner and his employee both greeted me with a big smile, welcoming me to their store. And it worked; I felt very welcome; by their smile when they greeted me, their readiness to help me. I felt I mattered.
I ordered my fish, and while I was waiting for them to get my items, a delivery guy came in to pick up a delivery. The owner told him it would be ready in just a few minutes, and asked if he could get him some water while he was waiting. The delivery guy was on a bike delivering food, and it was as I said 40c. The delivery guy smiled and gratefully accepted a glass of water.
It seems like a small thing, but that made not only an impression on the delivery guy, but also on me; his customer. If he treats people so warm and friendly and goes the extra mile for a delivery guy (who is just in and out the store usually within minutes), what does that say about the way he treats his customers?
It says something to me that we really remember these moments; moments when we experience outstanding hospitality, when we truly feel special as customers and guests. I know I’m not the only one. I often hear surprise from those I go to restaurants with, when the waiter is kind or friendly. And every time they seem to say it as if it’s the exception rather than the norm.
These examples illustrate an important key to hospitality, and how you can bind your customers and guests to your store, restaurant, café etc. so they keep coming back; by treating each of your customers as if they’re no 1. By truly welcoming them to your place of business. By smiling. By going the extra mile. By making your customers feel special. When that happens; it’s magical.
I will indeed keep coming back to those stores, and that is in large part because of their enormous hospitality. Going the extra mile for your guests and customers keeps them coming back for more!