Exercise - Guest Service Role-Playing

Guest service skills are best highlighted when practiced. Role-playing exercises
help illustrate the principles of guest service and allow for honest critique of
individual understanding. This role-playing exercise can be modified to suit
any number of guest service aspects. These exercises are best accomplished in
groups no larger than three or four participants.
Step 1—Setting: As a class or group, create the background for a fictitious
hotel. Begin with determining size, location, and product type. Next determine
the rooms division area to be examined. Try looking at different areas
such as PBX and bellstand as well as front desk.
Step 2—Create the Scenario: Now create situations that would require
implementation of the guest service skills discussed in the forum. Perhaps you
have had experiences you could share. Some ideas for scenarios might include:
Guest Interaction

Walk-in reservation

Guest inquiring on the surrounding area

Guest looking for another area within the hotel
Conflicts

Guest package/fax or message lost

Guest room equipment malfunction

Room preferences not met

Bill inaccurate
Step 3—Script. the Dialog: Once the setting and scenario are determined,
begin scripting the words to the role-playing exercise. Create the script. for
both the guest and employee. For each scenario write a script. that allows guest
service principles to be practiced as well as a script. that illustrates the “wrong”
way to do it.
Step 4—Action: In front of the class or group, each team should present its
guest service scenario. Taking turns in the different roles, the members of each
team should act out both the “right” and “wrong” scripts for each scenario.
Observers should write down their observations.
Step 5—Critique: When all the teams are finished, the group should discuss
each scenario and script. The group should first determine which was the
“right” and “wrong” script. Next, analysis of the visual and verbal communication
skills is conducted. How well was eye contact maintained? Were some
participants sending signals with body language? Was there always a smile?
Constructive comments are welcome on how each team resolved a conflict.
If possible, teams could exchange scenarios they created and write new
scripts for other scenarios. Again, finish with the acting and critique steps. For
smaller groups, a videotape of each script. is helpful for allowing participants
to critique themselves.