Any business travel agent worth their salt will have a good idea about the facilities and services available at the hotels they sell to their clients.
However, there is a limit to their knowledge. It was with this in mind that the Guild of Business Travel Agents teamed up with its partner hotel groups (Hyatt, Starwood, Radisson, Inter-Continental, Holiday Inn and Thistle) to give GBTA members the chance to see behind the scenes at six different hotels.
GBTA’s product manager for hotels Julie Grout said:”The whole point of the exercise is to give agents who may have experienced hotels as guests, the chance to appreciate the running of a hotel from the operational side.”
Places were limited to Hotel Champions, who are the designated hotel specialists within each agency. Among them were Jo Philips, the manager of hotels at Ayscough Travel,and Doreen Duncan, director of sales at Travel Alliance. Both sit on the GBTA Hotel Working Party.
They visited the May Fair Inter-Continental for the day where they were shown almost every aspect of running the hotel.
For the May Fair Inter-Continental it was a chance to reassure the agents of the level of service their clients can expect at the hotel. Senior sales manager Laurence Arca said: “The business market represents a very important market for us. Between 40%-45% of our business comes from corporate bookings. This exercise will instill even more confidence in them. If Jo and Doreen have a really good day, every time they think about a hotel they will think of us.”
For the two agents it was an opportunity to see aspects of the hotel they would not normally see, from checking reservations to the preparation of room-service orders. The GBTAhopes to get all of its Hotel Champions from its 41 members to take part in the Day in the Life of scheme. It also plans to get staff from the participating hotels to see what it is like to work at a travel agency.
Security
Doreen and Jo arrive at the May Fair Inter-Continental unsure of what the day ahead will bring. Any hopes of a big welcome party for them are dashed when they realise they have to use the staff entrance where they are issued with their day passes. Senior sales manager Laurence Arca is there to greet them on their arrival and give them a run down of their duties for the day. There’s just time to grab a coffee before the day’s work begins.
Room service.
The pair are taken to the kitchen area where all room-service orders are taken and prepared. “The room service was fascinating because it is such an important part of how the hotel is run and it is something that can easily go wrong. We were very impressed at how much is done by so few people – there is just four of them in the team,”said Duncan. Jo carries a tray up to the Montecarlo suite, which at £2,800 a night is one of the most expensive in the hotel. Fortunately there is no one staying there because by the time she arrives she has spilt coffee all over the cloth and is about to drop the tray altogether.
Concierge
While Doreen takes a telephone call, Jo is allocated to the concierge. She has barely pinned her trainee badge to her jacket before a guest is asking if she can recommend somewhere in London where he can buy engravings. She handles the enquiry very professionally and, feeling confident, deals with the next customer too who wants to know where the Albert Pub is. “Guests expect you to know everything,”said Jo. At the concierge, she also learns how special guests, including the many celebrities who stay at the hotel, can bypass the check in and go direct to their rooms.
Guest relations.
There is a steady flow of guests at the desk where they handle all enquiries on behalf of all VIP guests and loyalty-club members as well as any complaints. Requests may vary from simple room changes to requests for duvets.
“This is a pretty hectic job but they manage to look cool and calm throughout,” said Doreen.
Front office
While Jo is busy handing out maps and directing guests to Harrods, Doreen is getting to grips with the hotel computer system. The system, known as HIS, not only carries all the vital details such as which rooms are occupied and for how many nights, but also information on regular guests and members of the Six Continents Club, the hotel’s loyalty scheme. “This is very interesting from our point of view because we know that if we put in a request, for example if a client likes to read the Wall StreetJournal every morning, it will be noted and communicated to everyone. It is up to us as business travel agents to make these requests on behalf of our clients,”said Duncan.
Lunch in the staff canteen.
“Staff are looked after very well here. The food is as good as you would get in a restaurant. The only difference is there’s no alcohol,”said Jo. This is probably a good thing because Jo and Doreen reckon they deserve a drink after there hard morning’s work. Before long it’s time to get back on duty at 1.30pm.
VIP Department
Remember, it is not just guests with fat wallets who qualify for VIP treatment. For example, Jo and Doreen discover that women travelling alone are also deemed to be VIPs and as such will receive extra service such as a box of chocolates in their room. “The woman who runs this department has been at the hotel for 15 years so she knows exactly what she is doing,”said Philips.
Kitchen/Pastry
This cooking lark is not as easy as it seems. First off, Jo and Doreen have got to get into their whites. Knotting the neck scarfs and donning the garb is almost as difficult as their kitchen tasks. When they are dressed, it’s off to the pastry kitchen to knock up a plateful of petit fours for afternoon tea. “The one thing that really sticks out here is the camaraderie of the staff from the chef down,”said Doreen.
Feedback
A chance to sit down and reflect on the day over a well deserved gin and tonic! One thing that struck both Jo and Doreen was how how strict the hotel is at maintaining standards. “Every department has a detailed diagram of what their product should look like from the presentation of an omelette to what side the bible should be placed in a drawer,” says Jo. For senior sales manager at the hotel Laurence, the day proved invaluable. “I can tell agents 100 times how well we are run but it is no comparison to showing them first hand.”
Time to go
This time the two are allowed to use the main entrance. After being on their feet all day, there is no way they can face walking all the way to the underground. Instead doorman Ian Suleyman, who has worked at the hotel for 23 years, hails them a taxi. After a day of hard work, being treated like a star – or just a I-CH guest – is just what the doctor ordered.
Doreen
“I was very impressed with the length of service of some of the staff. The doorman has been there for 23 years. I think that says a lot about the hotel and how well it looks after its staff. The other impressive aspect was the level of communication between departments – it is the secret to the smooth running of the hotel. I will be able to go back to my office and tell my colleagues what a high standard of service the May Fair offers.”
Jo
“It was great. We had a super day but it was absolutely tiring. Before I came here I would have recommended the May Fair Inter-Continental anyway but now I feel even more confident having seen how hard the staff work and knowing that my guest will be looked after. There is no doubt that it takes a lot of work to keep the standards as high as they are.”