Special Praise for the Front Desk

Hotel reviews on TripAdvisor, Google and other travel websites tell general managers a lot about guests’ experiences: what they liked and what they thought fell short and could use improvement. Guests often will praise team members as a whole, thanking associates for their service and thoughtfulness.

In some instances, however, guests will go to the trouble of singling out staff members by name. In its way, this is a special form of recognition because it means the guest had to not only remember the associate’s name but then include it in the review.

Chris Edwards, Elsie Crawford and Jack Denham are among the M&R associates who have been singled out recently.

Not surprisingly, it’s front desk agents who most often receive this special recognition. After all, they have direct face-to-face contact with guests at a critical moment: guests have just arrived at the front door, following an often tiring, arduous journey. What’s more, the front desk interaction becomes part of guests’ first impression of the hotel, which can color their whole experience of their stay. 

One guest recently cited Chris, a front desk agent at M&R’s Hampton Inn Anderson in Indiana, for being “very helpful with their service and confirming the reservation.” A separate guest weeks later praised Chris for her thoughtfulness.

A guest reported that Elsie at M&R’s Best Western Charleston in West Virginia was “wonderful and went above and beyond to make sure I was taken care of.” 

Jack from M&R’s Hampton Inn Mount Vernon in Illinois received “divine” praise from a recent guest, who said: “If you get Jack to check you in, consider yourself blessed. He’s everything you would want in superior customer service. Helpful, friendly, competent. We will definitely be staying here again and he’s the main reason. Thank you, Jack.”