When you first step into most hotel
rooms these days, you’re lucky to find a
mint on your pillow, much less any token
of welcome.
At the InterContinental Cleveland, they
take a decidedly different approach to
customer service. While guests don’t
receive the requisite breath freshener, the
hotel presents them with something better: A handwritten welcome note from
General Manager Campbell Black. Moments
later, they’re also greeted with a follow-up call
from guest services.
The check-in ritual is just one of the ways
that the four-star hotel distinguishes itself
from the competition. Another such practice
is the Priority Club, which is a points-based
program whereby frequent travelers can earn
free upgrades, airline miles and other perks,
such as discounted restaurant coupons or
free stays at other InterContinental hotels.
No matter how they reach out to make
guest experiences better, the InterContinental
staff members approach service as a team.
The hotel’s mantra, “One Team Committed to
Excellence,” is a constant reminder of this
philosophy, which is further perpetuated
through annual training sessions. Every year,
hotel employees go through “retraining” to
ensure that all systems and programs are
functioning properly. The sessions also serve
to foster teamwork and rejuvenate employees by revisiting the hotel’s mission.
To impart such teachings on new hires, management runs a comprehensive, two-day orientation that covers the company’s history,
philosophyandculture,andthedifferentproducts it has to offer. The process not only brings
new employees up to speed, but it gives them
the knowledge they need to become team
players their first day on the job.
This comprehensive approach to customer
service has pushed the InterContinental
Cleveland to second in guest satisfaction in
the company’s Americas division.
HOW TO REACH: InterContinental Cleveland, (216) 707-4100
or www.ichotelsgroup.com