I'll add an addendum, since the topic comes up about tipping mousekeeping from time to time...(and yes, I'm still in the rant mood, don't worry, I'm soon off to bed)
On the boat, I had a great "mousekeeper". He bonded with my kid, he took great care of us, PROACTIVE care (which is the BEST service...ok, I'm gonna ramble, can't help myself, but I will tie back to this...)
If anyone didn't know, I used to work for the a different mouse for a VERY long time. I was in their corporate training dept, I opened many of their stores, including their highest profile domestic store in Brooklyn...I have some credentials, I don't rant without backing...
Ok, so rewind...for a bit...
Birthday parties.
I used to train people how to do Birthday Parties. And, I remember when I started doing them at age 16 or so, and I did what any 16 year old with no guidance or direction would do. I did whatever Mom asked.
I was doing what they told me, right? That means I gave them excellent service, right?
Wrong.
That is average to poor service. Thinking that if you do only what you are asked to do is "giving good service" is primary fallacy of service management!
And this is where service managers screw up time and time again. "Well, sir, we did what you asked!" They fall upon that instead of thinking...hrm, why did he have to ask that in the first place?
I'll digress for a moment and say, there is no reason why I wasn't given a proactive call from the hotel from a Disney Rep to say "Hey, so glad you booked a vacation with us, here's what is gonna happen"...yeah, never happened, except for the magicband testing, where it happened and was still a clusterfugg because they couldn't unify their databases.
So, moving on with the rant...
The former (doing what is asked) is being a servant, the latter is providing service (providing what is expected). Think about it.
As a side rant, I can't believe there is a college major for "hospitality management"...that's just...stupid. But, if I've offended someone who has a degree in "hospitality", I'm sorry. So, let me explain service.
servING is REACTIVE, serVICE is PROACTIVE.
Ignore whatever crap you learned from an educational system that ripped you off, and learn how to manage and please people, and their often trying personalities, and you'll do fine.
If you are in a position of responsibility, I'd start with reading the One Minute Manager (an ok book) and then read the One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey (a fantastic book). And then think about the latter.
Even if you aren't, you can do this exercise, and think about the latter. It's hard to discuss if you'd never read either, so I won't go into it here, but I promise you, if you think about things proactively, no matter what level, you will find that your job becomes easier, your life becomes easier, and you will advance.
Take a common (and admittedly silly) example...start looking for common situations that you can come up with a system to fix. It's not complex, little tricks go a long way.
If people are constantly asking for ketchup, but you don't want them to have free access to it (for whatever reason), perhaps you start asking them "Do you want a lot of ketchup for your fries?" as you bag up their burger.
Some guests will say "No, I don't want ketchup" Some will say "Oh yeah, please!" In either case, it's better than "My boss said I can only give out 4 ketchups." And, net ketchup distribution, I bet you'll find (if you watch food cost and usage numbers) that in many cases guests may not even want the ketchup.
So, you being stingy enforcing the "new rule" (reminds me of the mug crap going on at WDW now, that is just lazy management carried to an investment extreme...I have a very sad idea of how that came to pass, and it makes me sick both as someone who understands restaurant management and someone who understands IT management)
But, I digress, compare that to the girl at the next register who is lazy and just gives everyone a handful of ketchup packets...the cost is leveled out, if not less.
So, how does this relate to management? Well, it's the managers job to enable you, someone who can follow the rules, even if you don't understand them at the deeper financial levels, to service the guest and make them feel special, while also inspiring and/or firing the lazy girl next to you whom is abusing it so you don't feel discouraged about what you are doing.
But, it shouldn't be "everyone gets in trouble if they give out more than 4 ketchup packets per fries!" That is just lazy management. "New RULE!" management is the WORST! If you can't explain to your employees why they should do something, or your justification over and over again is "because I said so" or "because x said so", just go ahead and find another job. YOU ARE A CRAPPY MANAGER!
Why? Well, they all know you make more than them. They don't mind, if you support them. But if you on them, watch them turn on you in a heartbeat! And, if you don't understand that basic human dynamic, no amount of DeVry "restaurant management" courses is gonna save you.
But, going back to the individual situation with a front of the line person... Lets say you, as a good employee, follows that rule with no leeway and no reasons. I'm a guest, and I want 6 ketchup packets.
"Oh, well, I can't do that."
Now I'm upset. Um...why? It's just friggin ketchup!...I may not say it, but that's running through my head.
So, what's the next lazy extension?
CHARGE FOR IT!
Hah, that's stupid. Why? Because a condiment you say is free is free, until I use "too much of it"? So, I want 6 ketchups, but the guy behind me wants none. You give him 4 and me 4. He doesn't use his, but I want 2 more. You now used 2 more ketchups than you would if you had just friggin asked a simple question and made both of us happy guests.
Ok, I've gone off long enough about this, and I doubt many will "get" what I'm talking about...I've never found a great way to put it...so, moving on.
All that being said, I know for a fact these degrees don't teach detailed P&Ls, so those with them barely learn even learn basic accounting...so, what did they learn after 4 years in an academic setting? Pretty much nothing. The degrees are worthless.
The only way you gain in the hospitality industry is boots on the ground. Experience. It's a dirty, but rewarding industry...but it's not an academic pursuit. Guess what, if you'd just worked the front desk out of high school, and worked hard and learned the business, you'd probably be more advanced than people with "hospitality degrees" and mounds of educational debt.
Those whom perform, will excel. Those who don't, will fail. It's cutthroat, and no lambskin is gonna protect you from that. If you want that, get into a field that requires certification for employment with barriers to entry, and save your loan dollars.
But, side rants aside (pun intended).
The best way to serve is to anticipate the end desires of the person you are serving, and then surprise them because you knew what they wanted before even they did! THAT is EXCEPTIONAL service. For example, on the cruise, my mousekeeper noted I brought a bottle of liqueur with me and had placed it on the cabinet...so, he made sure my ice bucket was filled every night (I didn't request this, he did this of his own accord).
THAT is EXCEPTIONAL service, and is completely trainable! How do I know? Well...after a few years as a teenager, I learned how to "milk" parties for tips. And I did that by doing this exact same sort of thing.
So, what were the common complaints and issues? "I had to do all the work!" Well, I figured out that Moms who pay money for parties tend to do so because they don't want to any work during the party as they feel they are missing out on enjoying the party itself, that's why they are paying us. (duh, it seems obvious, but it isn't to most people)
So, I needed a distraction for my Moms, because things would sabotage that for me. Like, the pizza would be delivered while I wasn't at the table, or I was filling drinks when it was delivered, and Mom would jump in and start helping!
Here's the issue, even though Mom had trouble turning off her "Mom switch" for that party and even seemed to be enjoying helping out during the party, when the bill came, you could see her face...she was thinking..."why did I pay for this again?"
And, that meant she was far less likely to tip me. So, I started to limit her choices, and even came up with a spiel presentation where I'd manipulate her into leaving me alone to take care of her party. My tactic was I'd give her all the tokens, and let her distribute them herself. That kept her busy, and off my back while I fed the kids, served the drinks, kept the area clean, etc.
She, on the other hand, was having the time of her life! This was exactly what she wanted. She's Queen, with all the tokens, and all the kids want to see her (because they want more tokens, mostly, but that's not how middle aged Momma sees it!)...She's wanted, needed, and APPRECIATED!
I used to average 400+ in tips when I was 17 using this tactic, and later when I became an operator/trainer/manager I utilized it as part of my stores.
It never caught on in the politically soft world of office politics once I moved into corporate training, but just imagine if it had.
I like to think I'm an easy guest for housekeeping, because I did a short run of it, and I have done a lot of restaurant work in my life, so I don't wanna be "that guy"...
I wrap up my dirty towels and place them in an easy to grab bundle on the first bed, I tidy up the room, I keep my bathrooms clean of my own accord (ok, that last one is just a personal preference, but, still), I centralize all my trash to one trash can so they don't have to replace all the liners every day for a single q-tip or something silly...I get the job, I've done the job, I respect the job.
I'm not the guest who asks you to clean up a maelstrom of destruction and filth and expects it to be perfect when I come back, is my point.
So, I said I'd tie that back in...as I know one of the responses will be "the mousekeepers on cruise ships don't make salary, it's all tips!"
Ok, well, when I got the tip sheet with proposed room charged tips for my restaurant staff (whom I thought were terrible, I painted a better light for them in my trip report, but honestly I didn't bond with any of them and found the whole process rather fake and their cloying insistence to "serve" rather than "service" (as I defined earlier in this post) annoying, as did my table mate (we DID discuss this, and she is a lawyer, so apparently I can make the case somewhere...or she's a good liar, she is a lawyer.
)
My Room Steward (mousekeeper) gave me excellent service. And I added quite a bit to his part, while not adjusting any of the minimum tips for the others. I still tipped, mind you (so don't rant at me for that), but I made sure (in cash) that my Room Steward had his due.
And this is why I made hundreds on weekends when my fellow teens did not.
There is a difference between service and serving.
And if you are in hospitality (which I, thankfully, am not anymore) you should learn the difference, and learn it quickly. Your career and your staff will thank you.
