When you need to ask the hotel staff a question, what should be the preferred means of communication?
- Pick up the phone and call
- Send an e-mail
- Send a message on Twitter or Facebook
Telephone
This shouldn’t be the first choice to get things done, especially since nowadays, hotels aren’t staffed to handle multiple calls at the same time. Your call from home is competing with the calls from people staying at the hotel and attention drawn by the person standing at the desk. Most of the time, your call may be transferred to a call center not even at the hotel.
So what about an email?
You know what your inbox looks like at home and work. Between sharing cute cat memes and corporate compliance messages, how soon do you think your request for a high level room or early checkout will be handled? Email is OK if it’s a non-urgent request, but not if you want to get something done now.
Facebook or Twitter
These places can be a great way to get some attention from a company employee quickly. Just remember, these accounts are usually handled by corporate staff. They can help with bigger issues or as facilitators between you and a hotel. They’re usually best when you’ve run into a wall at the hotel and they can work as a moderator to remind the staff of the rules they need to follow Specific requests still will be filtered down to the individual properties.
So what’s next?
If you want to communicate with the people working at the hotels, talk the language they do. Send a text message, It doesn’t have to filled with emojis or use a snapchat filter. Just a quick text like you would to anyone else.
At our current hotel, I read the pre arrival email. It gave me the hotel direct phone and below was a number that said “TEXT US”
I had two different reservations I needed to link (one free night certificate and one night with points). I sent a text asking if they could combine the reservations. Within three minutes, I received a text back, asking for my last name. Right after that, “Great, you are all set!”
Less than five minutes and mission completed.
When we checked into our room, I received another text from the front desk asking if there was anything else they could to, just text them.
I doubted this service at first but every time it’s been offered, it worked. One time we were returning to a hotel to head for the airport. We checked our bags with the bell desk and wanted them to be ready when we returned in 15 minutes. I texted a picture of the bag claim tickets to the concierge and it worked – our bags were waiting for us to head to the airport.
Final Thoughts
Obviously this isn’t going to work at every hotel, since not all of them are set up to use this technology. However, if you get a text from your hotel, I’d use that as your first means of contact if you have any issues. I’ve found the response time is much better than other means of communication.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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