Keeping up appearances

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Keeping up appearances

A laid table with glasses and cutlery

When it comes to running a successful hospitality business, first impressions count. From the moment a guest glimpses the outside of your venue, they have already begun their experience. So, making sure your site is looking its best is vital to ensure any guest's visit gets off on the right foot. This doesn't just include hygiene inside - the very minimum that guests expect. This includes checking the car park is litter free, the flower displays are looking their best, and that every member of staff is wearing the correct uniform and looks well turned out. When it comes to hospitality, the devil's in the details.

Appearance matters to the guest experience because it shows that you care about your guests and have taken the time to ensure everything is 'just so'. A lack of upkeep tells guests that you don't really care about what they think, that they aren't receiving great value for money, and that they shouldn't expect much of the experience to come. On the other hand, if your venue and team look great, it will boost guests' confidence that the rest of their experience will offer a similar high level of care.

While guests are unlikely to comment when a table or utensil is clean, they will most certainly notice when cleanliness isn't up to the standard they expect. Marked bed linen, a dirty fork, a table-top not properly cleaned - these are the things that can result in complaints, bad reviews and no return business.

The problem is, sometimes when you work in the same place, day in and day out, it's surprisingly easy to forget how it looks from a guest's perspective. Encourage your team to put themselves in the guests' shoes as they move around the venue, so that they notice any issues before the guests do.

You might also want to consider arranging mystery visits, such as the ones we provide at HGEM, so that you can gain fresh, honest feedback that helps you pinpoint the areas for improvement from an outsider's viewpoint. One which won't cost you custom.

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