How to deal with a difficult guest in a hotel?

A difficult guest in a hotel is a situation that everyone would like to avoid. Such situations occur relatively rarely, unfortunately, they are part of the work of hotel staff.

In order to avoid unnecessary problems, it is advisable to prepare for the visit of difficult guests.

Generally speaking, there are two types of guests considered difficult:

- with well-founded claims;

- Confabulants, without justified remarks.

Guests with justified claims

Reality proves that the number of such guests is negligible and, more importantly, any kind of disgrace can be easily alleviated.

The vast majority of them are people who report a specific situation and at the same time inform the hotel staff about the damage suffered.

If the item relates to a situation that has actually occurred, it is the responsibility of the hotel staff to compensate for the damage and compensation, or at least to compensate for the damage suffered.

It should also be remembered that this is the most justified and constructive criticism.

Adequate compensation can effectively alleviate the conflict by guaranteeing the hotel a permanent and dedicated guest.

Confabulant, i.e. a guest without any justified pretensions

These are unpredictable people, often looking for a proverbial hole in the whole. In most cases, problems start already at the booking stage and even before the booking is made.

Contrary to appearances, it is a good sign for the hotel staff, who can start the counter-attack early enough, minimizing any problems in the future.

Milk has spilled, i.e. problems from a difficult visitor

Difficult guests can cause problems both to hotel staff and other guests. It is not difficult to notice that such a situation has a negative impact on the image of the facility, so it becomes necessary to take appropriate action.

What to do with a difficult visitor?

First of all, it should not be sent back to the instance above, regardless of whether we are a linear houskeeping or general manager, the problem should be solved by ourselves. If the guest does it by himself - it is difficult, certain reactions cannot be prevented in vain.

How to talk to a difficult guest?

A difficult visitor often means an arrogant or aggressive attitude when articulating accusations. Under no circumstances should one succumb to emotions, it is necessary to maintain absolute peace of mind.

When answering questions, care should be taken, and questions should be clarified - it happens that under the influence of emotions a person has a problem with the correct transmission of information. Peace of mind and factual questions from the hotel staff turn out to be crucial in this case.

You should also use courtesy to counteract expressive behavior with optimal control.

Asked with concern, the question will allow you to get to know the essence of the problem, expressing at the same time empathy towards the hotel guest.

It should be remembered that even a trivial problem for a difficult guest can be a serious obstacle, especially in the case of non-existent problems.

In this situation, it is necessary to listen calmly to what the guest is saying, both in terms of the complaint and the expected redress. The legitimacy of the complaint must then be reliably assessed and, if necessary, an appropriate verification must be carried out.

A sound assessment of the situation will allow us to adopt an appropriate strategy for action.

How to talk about a justified complaint?

A well-founded complaint means that the hotel is at fault, so it is necessary to take appropriate steps to remedy the damage. A positive resolution of a complaint should take place on two levels - substantive and emotional.

First of all, we should sincerely apologize to the guest for the situation, thus satisfying the emotional sphere of the client. In the following, the repair of the damage must be taken care of.

There should also be an appropriate form of apology, which should include both verbal and non-verbal sides.

After arranging the details and apologies to the client, you can go to your superiors, without losing your image.