How Your Guest Should Define Your Hotel-Booking Efforts.

Tuesday October 29 2013 was just like any other day in Lagos. Traffic was as frustrating as usual, and the competing noise of Lasgidi’s heterogeneous elements was as loud as ever. From the vantage point of my room, I could hear the usual blast of the overcrowded trains that pass behind the New Oko-Oba GRA in Agege.

For me, that day was going to be very different though. As the organizer of the Lagos leg of an international program, I was to head to the airport later in the evening and pick up our very important international guest.

Earlier, I had made the effort to physically scrutinize a few hotels near Yaba, where the event was going to be held, after using Nigeria’s best hotel booking platform www.hotels.ng to identify them. Most of the hotels were 3-star and in good conditions. The hotel staff promised their added services like wifi, catering etc were good. I booked one of the hotels for our guest and was happy things were going fine.

But that evening, after picking up our guest from the airport and arriving at the booked hotel, I learnt some important lessons that you too should learn from.

Some big hotels are generally trustworthy and unquestionable in quality of service. But circumstances might dictate you make other choices. These circumstances might include location, budget etc.

1. Investigate reputations: There are guests and there are guests. Some guests are so important to the business we do that getting everything right is not negotiable. You either get it right or you lose. In such a case, if you have to book a hotel to accommodate the guest, you must investigate the reputation of such a hotel. You must go beyond the number of stars attached to a hotel’s name or the pictures or beauty of it. You must go beyond the friendliness of the staff on your first visit and the exquisiteness of the rooms you are shown. Verily verily, ask people who are using or have used the hotel, for reviews. Ask them to help you review the services the hotel claims to provide. Ask questions about nightlife in the hotel and restrictions on smoking. A serene and friendly hotel in the day can become a total turn-off at night.

2. It’s healthy to climb steps, but good hotels use lifts: There is nothing wrong with using staircases, but you don’t want a VIP guest having to access the fourth floor by climbing the stairs. No matter how beautiful a hotel is, quality ones have lifts for easy and comfortable access. But do note that lifts vary. Top quality hotels have comfortable and automated lifts while others have gated or related ones. A VIP host requires you choose hotels with comfortable and top quality lifts or elevators.

3. Test the Wifi: Serious hotels claim internet connection as a free added service, but not all provide one. When hosting busy executives or important guests, especially foreign ones, fast access to the internet is a must. Available and fast WiFi goes beyond claims on hotel walls or lines on service offerings. Ensure you test the connection to make sure it works fine, not just in the hotel lobby but in the rooms too. Your guest will be frustrated if things are otherwise.

4. Security goes beyond uniformed gate men: Keep your ears and eyes open. Be observant before paying for that room. Given the security reports circulating about Nigeria, foreign VIPs want assurance that their hotel is highly secured. Note the presence of security camera, and examine the type of locks on the doors. Be observant about the environment and watch the type of people moving around in the hotel. Ask every question possible and ensure the answers satisfy you.

I had to check out our guest the next morning and look for another hotel. I was lucky to have performed better in other aspects of my host duty or I would have soiled an important relationship. You might not be as lucky as I was.

Why is your guest important? Because we all remember hotels and bad hotel memories are not good for business. If you cannot be trusted to recommend or book a good hotel, your guest will wonder if you can be trusted as a business partner.
How should you ensure things work fine? Read the above!