November 21st, 2006 Over 250 Service Professionals receive intensive training
Right after the official launch of Total Service: Aruba is Quality on August 30th; the phones at the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association would not stop ringing. The Total Service training became a Total Success with an impressive turnaround of employees from hotels and attractions, such as: Aruba Resort Spa and Casino, Divi Resorts, Amazonia, Aqua Grill and many more. The public sector was also represented with the participation of the Aruba Tourism Authority, proving that professionalism and excellence in service is a commitment of both public and private sectors in collaboration, for the sustainable development of the local tourism industry.
“We are honored that CHA and American Express have chosen Aruba as one of the first destinations to launch “Total Service”. This excellent program is directed at Aruba’s primary tourism asset – its people. Investment in our people is the key to create magical experiences; and that is our primary goal” said Jorge Pesquera, President & CEO of the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association.
Total Service: Aruba is Quality rests on ten action principles that service professionals must constantly work on. They are: Total Satisfaction of Customer Needs; Team Work; Multidirectional Communication; Active Anticipation of Needs; Effective Handling of Conflicts; Professional Commitment; Empathetic Thinking; Positive Attitude; Model Leadership; and Total Service Culture. These principles interact with each other, creating the synergy necessary to reach the highest levels of quality.
The trainings sessions, sponsored by American Express, and locally by Caribbean Mercantile Bank, continued today with a Food & Beverage session in the morning and a Hotel industry session in the afternoon. The first one, aimed at restaurant professionals, deconstructs the restaurant service sequence (set-up, greeting, order taking, order service, and farewell) to demonstrate how each is equally important to build the establishment’s image. It also explains how to apply the ten points of Total Service to restaurant operations and every day situations. Meanwhile, in the afternoon, hotel industry personnel became savvy on several worst-case scenarios, such as no-shows and cancelled reservations, lack of repeat business, and frequent guest complaints, among others.
Certified trainer Arturo Arce Newland, who led both sessions, explained the three different levels of contact with guests: face to face service, where the relationship is direct; semi-direct service, where contact happens by telephone, fax or e-mail communication; and indirect service, where the hotel’s support group ensures that everything is in order for a pleasant guest experience (purchasing and accounting are some examples of the latter).
The Total Service methodology was developed based on knowledge, observation, analysis, and experience of the reality in tourism services in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe. “The real key of Total Service is the people,” says Dianelys Rodríguez, VP of American Express Establishment Services -Latin America & Caribbean, adding that the training, introduced in the region by American Express this year, has also been held in Puerto Rico and The Bahamas – and will now be offered in Aruba, Jamaica, and Bermuda later in the year.
To learn more about CHA training offerings, contact Lorraine Ortiz-Valcárcel or Melissa A. Rivera, T: 787-725-9139; F: 787-725-9108; E: lortiz@caribbeanhotels.org, mrivera@caribbeanhotels.org
