Effective communication is important in the hospitality sector because it leads colleagues and guests to learn about activities, services, events but also shareable thoughts and emotions.
Effective communication improves relationships, both internally between workers and between employees and customers.
The hotel guest appreciates clear and prompt communication following a request made and this turns into satisfaction and consequently into good publicity for the hotel.
Likewise, colleagues in a hotel department who receive clear communication relating to a certain activity will be more confident and confident, reducing the risk of making mistakes and helping to create a more inclusive and relaxed working climate.
We can all communicate, we have been doing it since we were born but being aware of how we are doing it makes the difference between success and failure in a hotel. There are some simple roles you can follow to create the right attitude and the best communication.
The importance of communication in hospitality industry
Hospitality workers need to be able to effectively communicate with guests from all over the world, understand their needs, and provide them with the information and assistance they require.
Those who travel often look for the necessary information on the location to reach before leaving and to obtain it we increasingly rely on the web, for this very reason the first stage of our journey on communication in the world of hospitality starts from the best possible information on who we are and what we can offer our guest. Create your own image.
Figure out what your writing needs to achieve, along with what your company needs to achieve.
1 . Useful questions in hospitality communication
How well do you know your hotel? Questions allow you to asses your understanding as well as others. Identifying gaps in your knowledge is the first step to filling them. We can learn a lot, often more, from the work involved in answering a question than from the answer itself.
Ask yourself questions that can give you positive feedback, useful for building the right message to send to your guest. Are you aware of what the identity of your hotel is and what feature makes it unique compared to your competitors? Is the language and form of communication you use adequate for your target audience? What emotions does the communication you use evoke in relation to the type of hospitality you intend to adopt in your hotel?
2 . Written communication in hospitality industry
Whether it’s an hotel description on your website, an email sent to a guest, a memo to give to a colleague, a message to deliver to the hotel guest, a report for the Manager, or a social media post, all forms of written communication have the same goal of disseminating information clearly and concisely. In fact, poor writing skills often lead to mistakes and sometimes even potential legal risks. A message written on the web, of whatever type it is, especially in the digital age we are living in, continues to live, perhaps forever. So, there are two things to remember: first, write well: take care of the contents down to the smallest details, make sure the content of the message is something you want to promote or be associated with in the long term.
3 . Visual communication in hospitality industry
Visual communication is the use of visual elements to convey ideas and information that we want the guest to find in the hotel. In the hospitality industry, visual communication can include signs, typography (brochures available at the reception, menu printing…), graphic design of the website, advertising, animations, photo galleries for the description of the rooms or services offered in hotels, and other resources.
The images and videos we post online are intended to convey meaning, communicate a message, evoke an emotion or recall a memory. A video can be a great visual aid to capture attention, however when we use it to describe the hotel, it must always be supported by a written message that reinforces its meaning.
Verbal and non-verbal communication in hospitality industry
Welcoming and greeting, regardless of the classification of your hotel, is an integral part of creating an excellent guest experience. Giving the hotel staff the right tools and resources is crucial if you want to make every guest feel valued and appreciated from check-in onwards. Is there a way you can get the best out of your hotel staff? The answer is -yes, there is-.
Train your hotel staff appropriately, have the right attitude and knowing the rules of communication makes the difference resulting in a higher degree of satisfaction of hotel guests, higher quality of the services delivered, secure customer loyalty and consequently greater profits.
To learn more about this topic, read our article- Best practices in hotel welcoming –
