Learn how to calm a guest down, from a conversation between a hotel staff member and a guest
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Braden:Hi, everyone. Braden here. |
| Ann: Ann here. Putting a Guest on the Wait-list. In this lesson, you will learn how to how to put a guest on a wait list. |
| Braden: This conversation takes place on the phone in the afternoon. |
| Ann: It is between the guest and the reservation specialist. |
| Braden: One of the speakers is a guest and the other is a reservation specialist, so they will be speaking professionally. |
| Ann: Let’s listen to the conversation. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Ann:Giving two or more options is a useful technique of upselling and suggestive selling, but it can also be very useful in customer service. |
| Braden:In this dialogue, the reservation specialist was specific when offering methods of contact. However, she could have said... |
| Ann:“What is the best method of contact for you, sir?” |
| Braden:This may seem more polite because she wasn’t forcing the options on the guest. However, hotels often have limitations on which methods of contact they can use. For example, imagine the guest said... |
| Ann:“Text messaging is the best method to contact me.” |
| Braden:But the hotel didn’t offer text messaging as an option for contact. The reservation specialist would have to explain that and then ask again... |
| Ann:“What is the best method of contact for you sir?” |
| Braden:To avoid the confusion and wasted time, the reservation specialist offered two alternatives that the hotel could use - telephone and email. |
| Braden:Let’s move on to the vocab. |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Ann:Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Braden:The first phrase we're going to look at is “what would be.” |
| Ann:The phrase “what would be” is a very useful phrase and means the same as “what is.” Saying “would be” instead of just “is” sounds more polite. Both are correct and acceptable. |
| Braden:However, especially if the hotel is more expensive, the guest will expect that extra level of politeness. Let’s hear that one time slowly, |
| Ann:“What would be...” |
| Braden:and, one time fast, |
| Ann:“What would be” |
| Braden:Notice how the “t” of “what” and the “d” of “would” are almost silent. |
| Ann:Our next word is “waitlisted” |
| Braden:The word “waitlisted” is an example of how English can be flexible. Grammarians will often tell you that certain things are “right” and other things are “wrong”, while linguists will tell you that as long as the people you’re talking to understand what you mean, it’s just as right as anything else. |
| Ann: So, for example, some dictionaries say that “wait list” is two words. Other dictionaries say that it can be one word with or without a hyphen. In the dialogue, “waitlist” was used as a verb as in “to be waitlisted.” |
| Braden:This is a form that many English grammarians believe to be wrong, but is a term used many times a day at hotels, restaurants, or anywhere there is a waitlist. |
| Ann:This phrase is normal, accepted, and used in all dialects of English. However, some hotel managers don’t like the term, so they will tell you to say something like, |
| Braden:“Put on the waitlist.” or “Put you on the waitlist.” |
| Ann:Alright. Let's take a look at the grammar. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| Braden:In this lesson, you’ll learn how to put a guest on a waitlist. |
| Ann:In the dialog we hear the phrase “I apologize Mr. Winters but this reservation will have to be wait-listed because all of our rooms are sold out and we do not have any rooms available for those dates.” |
| Braden:Most hotels have what is called a “wait list.” The wait list exists in order to both assist customers in finding a room, as well as to help the hotel retain contact with a prospective guest. |
| Ann:Guests may be waitlisted for any number of reasons, but the two most common are that the hotel is fully booked, or that the type of room is fully booked. |
| Braden:There are several main steps you should take when wait listing a reservation. |
| Ann:First is the Preparation needed. |
| Braden:Again, and we have said this many times in the series, remember to smile. Since you are talking on the phone, hoteliers may think that smiling is unnecessary. However, smiling can affect the way you sound. |
| Ann:That’s right. For example, listen to this sentence when we are not smiling, |
| Braden:“Hi, this is Alex at Hotel Innovative. How may I help you?” |
| Ann:Now, listen to it again when spoken with a smile, |
| Braden:“Hi, this is Alex at Hotel Innovative. How may I help you?” |
| Ann:Can you hear the difference? |
| Braden:The guest would then reply with something similar to what is found in the dialogue, such as, “I would like to make a room reservation please.” |
| Ann:Next we’ll look at getting the guest’s name and phone number. The first thing you should do is get these details. |
| Braden:This is both courteous, as you will now be able to address them by name, and practical in case the phone line is disconnected. With their phone number you will be able to call them back if necessary. |
| Ann:That’s right. You would say something like, “Of course sir. May I have your name and phone number, please?” |
| Braden:Depending on the hotel, you may request the email address instead of the phone number. In that case, it would sound like this, “Of course sir. May have your name and email address, please?” |
| Ann:It’s often best to ask the guest if they are with a particular company. Most hotels have special agreements with at least some companies. You can ask them by saying, |
| Braden:“Are you with a particular company, sir?” |
| Ann:Depending on the company, the guests may qualify for certain discounts or even special rooms. |
| Braden:Next, ask the guest for their arrival and departure dates. You can do this by saying, “When do you plan on arriving, sir?” and then “And the date of departure, please?” |
| Ann:After that, you need to check availability and inform the guest of a wait list decision. Tell the guest that you will check the availability for those dates by saying... |
| Braden:“Please hold a moment while I check the availability for those dates.” |
| Ann:As you heard in the dialogue, informing the guest that their reservation has been waitlisted should be accompanied by an explanation. For example, |
| Braden:“I apologize Mr. Winters but this reservation will have to be wait-listed because all of our rooms are sold out and we do not have any rooms available for those dates.” |
| Ann:Please notice that, in this explanation, the explanation is not complex. A simple statement that there are no rooms available is usually sufficient. |
| Braden:In the dialogue, the room reservation specialist attempted to help the guest find alternative dates to avoid being waitlisted. However, as is often the case, the guest’s dates were not flexible. |
| Ann:Before terminating the call, agree on a time frame within which the guest will be notified of room availability. For example, |
| Braden:“We will call you as soon as a room becomes available. If no room is available by the 15th, we will notify you by email.” |
Outro |
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| Braden:That’s it for this lesson. Thanks for listening, everyone! |
| Ann:And we’ll see you next time! |
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