The hospitality industry isn’t what it used to be. Guest expectations have changed drastically over the last decade. Having clean facilities and friendly service alone doesn’t cut it anymore—guests want personalized experiences, fast service, easy to use technology across their entire stay, and more. These changing guest expectations in hospitality don’t just affect hotels; it’s all over the industry. Restaurants, resorts, and B&Bs must change the way they think about their customer experience.

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What’s Driving the Changes

Hospitality guests are more digitally savvy and particular than ever before. They’re looking for convenient experiences—they want to order food, book rooms, and request services through their phone. Not only that, but they expect hospitality staff to know their preferences. When budgets are tight all around, people want a great experience for a good value.

The Challenges That Arise

Recognizing these changes put hospitality businesses in a better position to deal with them appropriately. However, the struggle comes with using outdated approaches to align with the changes.

This is particularly the case with staffing. Old standards for hiring don’t work anymore, because customers are looking for more out of the experience they’re being given. They’re looking for fast, efficient, and compassionate service at a level that’s never been seen before. Even the most talented teams will find themselves stretched thin and struggling with these new expectations.

How Smarter Staffing Helps Meet Guest Expectations

It’s time to get smart about staffing.

Aligning your hiring practices with how your guests are changing is key. You want a workforce that’s capable of handling these new expectations. Rather than focusing solely on years of experience or availability to hire, take a look at:

• Soft skills: also called “people skills” and “interpersonal skills.” Soft skills are a set of personal attributes that a person uses to interact with others effectively. Emotional intelligence, communication, and adaptability are three of the most important soft skills to look out for in potential staff.
• Tech capability: how easily a person picks up technology concepts and adapts to new systems. Your staff needs to be able to interface with point-of-sale systems, mobile check-ins, and guest messaging tools. Finding employees who are tech-capable is valuable. Their experience may reflect this, but relying on their resume alone won’t give you the whole picture.
• Flexible staffing models: this could be seasonal or event-based hiring. Instead of relying on your full-time staff to cover everything, hire a workforce of temporary staff to cover increased loads or busy periods.

When faced with changing guest expectations in hospitality, Tempstar Staffing can help keep you fully staffed with tech-savvy workers that have rock-solid soft skills. Contact us today to learn more!