Tips on How to Handle Difficult Situations

Each & every hotelier has to go through some difficult situations with difficult guests in their hotel or restaurant.It needs some prior experience and knowledge to handle difficult guests in different situations. Even in some cases guest becomes frighten for other guest. Also in some cases if staffs cannot handle them tactfully then there may be a loss of property or even life as well. So, if you are a hotel management student or just beginning your career in this field then you should found this tutorial very much helpful. Here, I would like to share some tips on how to handle some difficult situations in hotel or restaurant.

While handling Guest Complaint in Hotel or Restaurant must remember these basic points:

1. Listen to guest’s complaint carefully, express your enthusiasm to help. Key eye contact.
2. Understand the matter. Never argue or interrupt when guest is still explaining. Wait until he/she has finished.
3. Analyze the matter wisely.
4. Apologize to guest with good reason, then handle the request in priority if able, even if the complaint is not concerning your section.
5. Take action until matter is completed.
6. Pass over the information to the Executive Floor Manager immediately, if it is out of your capabilities.
7. Try to make guest feel very comfortable while waiting and allow time for the guest to cool down.
8. When you see the guest at a later time, greet him and ask if everything is fine.
9. Log in follow up book for your colleagues to be aware of the situation.

NOTE: Ensure that guest already gets assistance or someone is handling his/her request before you leave the guest.

HOW TO HANDLE INTOXICATED GUEST:

1. Whisper, talk personally to persuade him out of the party. Do not talk facing the people.
2. Inform him that he is disturbing the party. Offer him your service.
3. If he does not agree, inform the host (as in the Hotel, inform the Duty Manager).

HOW TO HANDLE GUEST VISITOR

1. Screen the visitor in a polite manner.If there is advance information all ready from the guest, escort the visitor to the guest room. If not, request  the visitor to go with you to the Front Desk and establish the reason for the visit.
2. Offer your help and ask the visitor’s name.
3. Inform the guest by phone, and announce the name of the visitor.
4. If the guest agrees to see his visitor, escort the visitor to the guest room.
5. When they both meet, offer some services, such as coffee or tea service.

HOW TO HANDLE A VISITOR AT NIGHT

If the guest comes home with a joiner.

1. Greet the guest and his joiner like normal guests.
2. Offer your service to them.
3. Inform the Chief of Security and Duty Manager about the guest’s joiner.
4. Note in the follow up book for next shift for information.
5. Treat the joiner as your guest also.

HOW TO HANDLE A NOISY GUESTROOM

1. Go to the noisy room and politely ask the guest to tone down the noise level.
2. If the guest does not agree, inform the Duty Manager to handle the matter.

GUEST ON DIET/ALLERGY

1. Offer food item out of what the guest diet allergy is.
2. Give the guest the menu card to choose from.
3. Suggest to the guest to have:

• Fish from the river, if he cannot eat seafood.
• Beef meat, if the guest cannot eat pork.
• Vegetables, if the guest cannot eat meat.
• Unsalted meat, if the guest cannot eat salty food.
• Low calorie and less fat content/no sugar, if the guest is on a diet.

Training Video

Click Here to Watch our Free Video on Exclusive Tips on How to Handle Difficult Situations at Hotel or Restaurant