FINAL ROOM SERVICE SERVICE EXPRESS1.doc

table of contentsstandard operating procedureroom service service expressf&b hospitality points3serving our guests our first and last impression3maintaining professionalism3generally:3with guests:3with associates:3speaking with guests4the 10 and 5 rule4one stop shopping4guest complaint guidelines4introduction: room service5service express agent6starting procedures for room service6order taking procedures6key points for consistent room service6order processing7questions to ask when taking the order8guest check process8call backs9settling room service guest checks9room service agent check-out responsibilities10processing of voids11pos system failure11basic tray and table setup - room service12guidelines: tray setup12guidelines: table/trolley setup13tray vs. table / trolley15express breakfast trays15room service order delivery sequence16delivery of multiple orders17room service delivery techniques17personalized toast service19beverage service - room service20liquor service21beer service21wine service21full-bottle liquor sales21side duties - room service22night owl side duties23food server assistant duties24general room service clearing procedures24tray and table removal25call back - clearing procedures25locator boards / locator sheets26how it works27amenities - room service28definition28hotel procedure28amenity procedures28amenity requests29amenity procedures29amenity set-up & checklist30agent duties30morning shift30afternoon shift30front office interaction31amenity delivery and placement31delivery31flower amenity procedures32pbx flower order procedures32agent flower delivery procedures32flower amenity pricing32setup and maintenance33amenity tracking33revenue/cost tracking34pricing philosophy34suggestive selling - room service35entice the guest35merchandising: pre-orders36merchandising: doorknob menus37hospitality sales37hospitality suite sales promotions37reservations37catering and convention services38front office/customer services38follow-up sales38hospitality sales organization procedures38filing system38reservations39correspondence39booking the hospitality party39hospitality guidelines and setup40menu40equipment40room setup40table setup40serving hors doeuvres41f&b hospitality pointsour primary concern is to provide exemplary and consistent service to all of our food and beverage guests. the following food and beverage hospitality points have been developed to guide you in offering the best possible service in our food and beverage outlets. serving our guests our first and last impressionthe most important element of your job is to make every guest feel important, welcomed and valued by projecting a genuine warmth and friendliness. your duties should never detract from your efforts to make a positive lasting impression on all our guests. greet all guests with a smile and a positive attitude that says, “welcome, we are happy youre here.” smile, make eye contact and engage in pleasant but brief conversation. never allow a guest to leave dissatisfied.maintaining professionalismprojecting a positive and professional attitude is vital to providing exemplary service to our guests. this includes the manner in which we conduct ourselves as well as how we interact with our guests and our fellow associates. generally: always remain friendly and professional. always smile and make eye contact. do not chew gum, eat or drink anything while in public areas. do not speak louder than is necessary; maintain a quiet atmosphere for the guests. always stand with a straight posture; never lean or slouch. keep your hands at your sides and never have your arms folded or hands in your pockets.with guests: always be courteous and give the right-of-way. always strive to ensure that your guests expectations have been exceeded. always use a guests name whenever possible. never stand with your back to a guest. do not speak to your guests in a foreign language unless the guest initiates the conversation or cannot speak english (or the local language). with associates: never carry on conversations with fellow associates in a foreign language. never make derogatory remarks about your guests or fellow associates. never conduct personal conversations in the presence of guests. do not stand in groups in public areas.speaking with guestsevery time you speak with a guest, you have the opportunity to create a positive impression of the westin. positive guest interaction increases guest satisfaction and loyalty as well as provides us with vital information we can use to improve our services. always use a positive tone that displays genuine concern. practice active listening. active listening is the ability to focus your full attention on the current call or guest interaction and respond in an appropriate manner. maintain eye contact when speaking to guests. remain patient if asked to repeat or explain something again. always use the guests name, if known. when you do not know their name, use “sir” or “madam”. whenever referring to the hotel or its f&b outlets, never use the terms, “they”, “them” and “theirs”, always use “we”, “us” and “ours”. never inquire into the personal affairs of the guest. accurately answer all questions. if you do not know the answer, do not say, “i dont know.” instead, tell the guest that you will find out and go get the answer as quickly as possible. never refer the guest to someone else. never give inaccurate information. go the extra mile!the 10 and 5 rule when guests are within ten feet, smile, make eye contact and acknowledge their presence. when guests are within five feet, greet them and offer assistance. always acknowledge a guest waiting to speak to you, even while you are on the phone.one stop shopping the “one stop shopping rule” means immediately addressing all of the guests needs and requests. the guest will need to make only one contact (via telephone, approaching the bar, stopping you in a public area such as the pool deck, etc.) to receive anything (from a fax to a hamburger to an extra towel to summoning transportation). remember refer to the request, not to the guest. after the initial guest request, ask if there is anything else that you may get for the guest. make certain that you communicate the request completely to the proper person. guests should never have to make a second or follow-up call. it is our job to make certain that we fulfill all guests requests and needs during the first contact and to ensure the prompt delivery of those items or services. go the extra mile!again, we want to do everything we can to eliminate the word “no from our vocabulary. we must be prepared to meet all guest requests to the best of our ability and we must be committed to meeting requests the first time they are made.guest complaint guidelinesif you observe, encounter or have a problem brought to your attention, make every attempt to resolve the matter. it is very important that you listen and try to resolve all problems to ensure guest satisfaction. all complaints must be relayed to a manager or supervisor before the guest leaves the premises. telephone calls from emotional or anxious guests should be treated in the same concerned, friendly manner as a “typical” call. you need to maintain control of the conversation and find a satisfactory resolution to the guests needs in an efficient manner. listen with concern and do not interrupt the guest.o isolate the guest so that other guests do not hear the discussion.o remain calm and speak softly do not argue or give excuses to the guest; remain impartial and flexible.o make every effort to discover the cause of the problem. apologize for the problem regardless of who is right or wrong. empathize with the guest; show that you understand how he/she is feeling and that you are concerned about the situation.o do not take complaints personally!o use the guests name frequently and take the complaint seriously no matter how minor it may seem. summarize your understanding of the complaint in your own words back to the guest.o take notes while the guest is informing you of the problem.o if the complaint is in reference to a hotel policy: look for alternative solutions, such as resolving the guests complaint another way. if no alternatives are available, clearly explain to the guest why the policy exists without becoming defensive. remedy the situation and ask the guest “what would you like us to do?” usually, the guest will ask for less than what we would be prepared to give. most guests who complain want an understanding of the problem so that it can be resolved.o thank the guest for bringing the problem/situation to our attention and allowing us the opportunity to rectify the problem.o do exactly what you promised the guest.o accept responsibility for the resolving the situation. do not refer the guest to someone else.o never attempt to lay the blame on other departments or associates. follow up with the guest to make certain the solution was satisfactory.o record all pertinent information in the appropriate logbook, including any guest history information.review the problem with your manager to determine how we can avoid similar situations in the future.introduction: room service room service is provided through the service express department. it shall be positioned as a restaurant that is open twenty-four hours a day, providing a high quality product in a quick and pleasant manner. a full complement of the hotels food and beverage menu items shall be offered and made available to the guests dining in their rooms.the service express agents and attendants shall be trained to deliver the orders quickly and efficiently with a personalized touch and a smile, while using the guests name. the most important aspect of room service is the consistent delivery of the service necessary to meet the guestsexpectations and needs.the hotel guest is the main target audience for room service and guest room refreshment centers. a secondary target, which must be nurtured and maintained, is the hospitality suite patron.service express agent starting procedures for room servicegeneral service express agent responsibilities described in this section relate specifically to room service, amenities, refreshment centers and hospitalities.at the start of shift, the service express agent shall:1. punch in. pick up bank and any messages. 2. process a change request if required. 3. report to service express command center. 4. sign in on the pos system. 5. check the station for supplies. 6. sign out guest checks (if appropriate). 7. review preorders, amenities, vip list with agent going off previous shift. 8. review all daily specials. 9. receive any tip transfers from ending agent. see the service express agent work flow chart in the appendix at the end of this document.order taking procedures1. the service express agent shall answer phone as directed by the westin telephone courtesy manual. 2. the agent shall take guests order on an order taking sheet (or shall enter the order directly into the pos system), noting name and room number. 3. up-selling and suggestive selling are a must at this point. the guests name shall be used at least three times. 4. legible writing is essential to ensure correct and prompt service. abbreviations are permissible as long as they are consistent and understood by all. 5. everything a guest mentions shall be noted, no matter how insignificant. this will save time of making an extra trip and prevent inconvenience to the guest. 6. after the order is complete, the agent shall read it back to the guest to guard against errors or omissions. this shall include verification of the guests name and room number. 7. the agent shall give the guest a specific time for delivery of the order. the agent shall be accurate and honest. 8. the agent shall thank the guest and say good-bye using the guests name. it is polite to let the guest hang up first. key points for consistent room servicefollowing these few key points will ensure consistently good service.1. the service express agent shall always write the guests name in neat capital letters on the guest check so the attendant may call the guest by name. room service is the only restaurant in the hotel where the attendant always knows the guests name beforehand. the attendant, on entering the guests room, shall use the guests name at least three times.2. the agents shall note on the guest check, through use of a code, the fact that the guest is a cash-only customer. this can be cia (cash-in-advance), cod (collect on delivery) or some other simple code. this allows the attendant to be aware of a cash-only situation and avoid any embarrassing encounters. the attendant with a cash-only guest shall politely ask the guest for payment instead of handing the check to the guest for a signature. 3. the agent shall organize all pre-orders to make sure they are processed on a timely basis. a commitment to the guests to deliver the pre-orders at specified times is made when the agent accepts a pre-order. the agents shall control this timing to ensure continuity of good service.order processing order shall be written on the guest check or entered directly into the pos system immediately. the guests name, as well as room number shall be written prominently on the guest check and used by the attendant when delivering the order. agents shall print if their handwriting is not perfectly clear. an abbreviation list shall be developed to guarantee speed without sacrificing understanding. orders are to be written (and rung up) in the following sequence: a. cocktails (if applicable) b. appetizers, soups, salads (can be served either prior to or after the entrees) c. entrees (note accompaniment) d. wine (if applicable) e. beverages f. desserts writing the order in proper sequence is important for fast assembly by the attendant. the sequence shall be adhered to regardless of how the guest gives the order over the telephone.at this point, the agent shall: verify guest credit standing by doing a credit inquiry on the pos or checking cash only list. enter the order in the pos system. record the check number on the order taking sheet for future cross reference in case a check is lost. time stamp the check and place in the out box and call a server to pick up. time stamping acts as a valuable reference in case of delays.questions to ask when taking the orderknowing the menu and what is available is the basis for asking appropriate questions and suggesting items or accompaniments. in addition to being prepared to answer guests questions, agents shall be knowledgeable in asking guests certain questions about their order. a basic list of questions pertaining to most room service menus may be accessed by clicking on the word button. this list should be modified with other specific questions regarding the menu selections available locally.see guest order questions to ask in the appendix at the end of this document.guest check processthe following procedures detail the processing of guest checks in service express for all meal periods. the service express attendants shall:1. pick up the guest check from the agent or pick up the order slip from pos remote printer as soon as it is available after being pre-checked. 2. look at all items to check for completeness and correctness of prices and quantities. if there is a misunderstanding or anything is not clear, check on it immediately. 3. write the attendant number on the check when needed. 4. make sure the guests name is on the check and is readable. no check shall leave the service express department without the guests name. 5. keep guest check clean and neat as the order is assembled. keep all guest checks unfolded and clean until presented to the guest. 6. present the check to the guest after the order has been delivered and all in-room service has been performed. the guest check shall always be presented in a check presenter. the attendant shall be sure that the guests check is the only one in the folder. 7. politely request payment if the guest is on the cash-only list. if the guest becomes upset with payment request, ask the guest to sign the check. refer the matter to a supervisor. 8. offer the guest a standard ball-point pen to sign the check. 9. double-check to make sure guests name and signature correspond. 10. if the name is different from what the agent noted, find out why and determine the proper name. 11. if the guest requests a specific pickup time, note that time on the check and clearly point that out to the agent. 12. if the guest pays cash, the associate shall count the money in front of the guest and inform them of the amount received. when change is required, the associate shall inform the guest that they will return shortly with the change. the associate shall note the total amount received from guest at the top of the check. this will prevent mix-ups if several cash payments are received by the attendant in one trip. deliver the change back to the guest room as soon as possible. present the change on a check presenter. the attendant shall include the bottom receipt stub from the guest check with any returned change. 13. return the check to the agent. the attendant shall not keep any checks. all checks shall be