The Evolution Of Best Practices In Hospitality And Tourism (part 2 Of 2)

Last month I was asked what service management topics I felt would be relevant to focus on to mid-career hospitality and tourism professionals attending a 2-day executive education program devoted to service management. My response was:

The initial step must be to establish program Objectives. These should include:

1. Providing a series of industry specific programs and courses for professional development
2. Linking University Hospitality program students/graduates to industry professionals with the executive education series and interaction from on campus programs
3. Supporting the mission and vision of University Hospitality programs by expanding this pilot program over an agreed upon period in support of the mission and vision of the University Hospitality program.
4. Increasing interaction between University Hospitality program faculty contact and industry executives to facilitate and student success

Specific service management topics:

• Positioning Competitive Differentiation: Best-in-class hospitality and tourism businesses work and plan to leverage superior guest service to overwhelm competitors. This mindset reflects a strategic understanding that this industry must maintain a sense of personalized attention to keep guest loyalty.
• Addressing the declining profit margins of the traditional product-based hospitality industry through service management via factual data by market and business segments
• Providing interactive group exercises to demonstrate the power of linking service delivery as a pro-active management tool to combat the commoditization of the mature hospitality industry
• Introducing specific service management tools and initiatives aimed to build guests’ perception from a neutral level of satisfaction to an attitude of loyalty, preference and passion for the total experience.

Many of my articles and columns have addressed variations of these questions, as it has been an important part of my professional experience. Reader comments and suggestions are welcome for inclusion in future publications.