The ‘out of hours’ hotel experience

Since returning from a short maternity leave in October 2016 I have a different way of commuting to clients that require an overnight stay.

I now travel as late as possible, usually early evening after 7pm if I can help it (flights are bit different) I have to say it is a much harder way to travel.

Little did I know that many main roads close down for road works around 9pm, or if a motorway remains open it is at a 50 mph limit for a very long time which is quite frankly exhausting.

The main difference is the hotel experiences that I receive. I wake in the morning and feel like I am checking out of a completely different hotel.

When I arrive late at night I am met by tired staff who communicate with little energy. Last week I staffed in a high end hotel. The next morning at breakfast, Mike (who arrived an hour later than me) and I shared our check in experience, both stating how poor it was.

An out of hours experience in a business can be hugely damaging for a brand, if you are open late or at weekends I would make sure that you are not running on skeleton staff resulting in a lack of ambience and customer service systems and that you are running the extended hours with a team that work in the business during the normal hours of operation.

The last thing any dental practice wants to be doing is opening late / early or at weekends and providing a substandard service.

When I go for breakfast and check out of the hotels the experience is completely on brand, I met met by friendly, professional people who are doing a great job and this is why I feel like I am in a different hotel, all that has changed is the people!

The hotel looks the same but the people have made it feel different, good different.

Laura