Over a number of years there has been some focus on the way different star allocations are used, very often in a marketing context. As someone who has worked within the hospitality industry for over 40 years, I am often asked by people outside the industry what the star ratings refer to, and how to accurately define the difference between 4 star and 5 star. Or to quantify what is 7 star?
It is something which is always difficult to answer, and I feel that I have often failed to clearly communicate a lucid concept. But what I have done over time is to develop a notion which I call “all star”.
To me “all star” is about trying to quantify those things that should be the minimum that a guest can expect, especially from a service perspective, no matter what the star rating of the property they visit.
Let’s see if we can illustrate what this means.
Imagine we have two hotels – Hotel A is rated “5 star”, and Hotel B comes in as a “3 star”. For want of simplicity, assume that Hotel A invests in uniforms that cost $500 to reflect their rating standard and subsequent rate structure, and Hotel B in uniforms that cost $300 based on the outlay it is prepared to make according to its rating and rate.
According to the “all star” philosophy, it should not matter how much the uniform cost but rather the presentation and the maintenance of the uniform. It should be worn with pride, and be representative of an industry that is professional and of importance.
Same two hotels, when a guest approaches Reception they should be greeted with a smile and eye contact. No matter what the room rate, guest names should be used whenever possible to create a personal connection. All guests should be treated equally and attended to in a timely manner.
This type of service should not be dependent on a rating standard, it should be an industry standard.
Yet how often do we go to a hotel or a restaurant, and the staff look shabby and their personal grooming is questionable? Or they don’t take pride in the service they are delivering? Or they are more interested in talking to each other than to the guest?
As an industry, I believe that the ingredients of hospitality should become minimum standards for all businesses, as important to the integrity of our industry as those of, for example, hygiene. These should be our “all star” benchmarks.
Whilst in the past hospitality included the concepts of protection and survival, today it is more associated with image and entertainment. However, it still involves showing respect for one’s guests, providing for their needs, and treating them with dignity and professionalism.
As an industry, we need to protect the integrity of the concept of hospitality, and to ensure that in the continued growth and expansion of the industry we do not lose the “all star” fundamentals of hospitality.
Timothy Millett’s training roles have seen him deliver programs across Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa and America ensuring cultural sensitivity as well as a broad base of experience in lecturing, teaching and training.
A graduate of the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland, his hospitality career spans management and director positions in Front Office, Guest Relations, Public Relations, Food & Beverage and Training with organisations including the Regent of Melbourne, The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and Mövenpick Gastronomy. He was also a founding staff member of the internationally renowned Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School in Australia.
Tim is currently the Director of Training and Development at iperform, an organisation that specialises in Sales and Service, Leadership and Effective Personal Organisation programs.
