Today, we are going to focus on why you, the consumer, should join rewards loyalty programs and why you, perhaps employed within the hospitality industry, should be capitalizing on the benefits that can be gained from them. Lots of trends happen in the hotel business and one of the latest is an emphasis on Loyalty / Rewards Programs. Rewards programs are easy to sign up for and are free, so why not? Just for signing up you get on their email mailing list so you can see all the deals that each hotel offers. Even if you do not exercise the “deal” it’s great to see what is out there and being offered. 

Customers come in all shapes and sizes.  And some just like to complain.  Constantly.  And that is very frustrating, stressful, and frankly annoying.  One customer can disrupt your company's entire day by making an unrealistic demand, and your team can be sent into a tailspin trying to figure out how to satisfy this ridiculous request and to make this customer happy.  Or, how about the customer that calls and asks for a solution, but has no suggestions for how and what should be implemented?  All of these details are then left up to you and your team, which can lead to uncertainty and a bit of insecurity since all of you might think you understand what is best, but you have nothing to guide you on how close to the mark you will be.  None of these scenarios are fun, so for the betterment of our business and employees, we have to learn how to navigate through each type of customer relationship and the unique characteristics included with them.  That way, we can care for each customer in a better manner, which will improve their overall satisfaction and increase the morale of your team.

What are non-negotiables ("NN's")? When my daughters were growing up, I talked a lot about this topic. They knew from an early age that I would be asking them if they have determined any non-negotiables for themselves. I used to tell them that the beauty of this exercise is that it takes all the pressure off you once you have determined what is, or what is not, non-negotiable in your life. These are constants, we don't dabble in or waver or move them in and out of our lives. Once you have decided, you never need to make this decision again ~ wall-la! Life is full of decisions to make and it can be exhausting trying to determine "yes or no, should I or shouldn't I, will I or won't I, are they or aren't they..."