Retell the story about the disastrous stay at a country hotel.

VIII. Think and answer:

Have you ever had a disastrous stay in a hotel?

What went wrong?

What could go wrong in these areas?

a) front desk / checking in

b) the guest's room

c) in the restaurant

d) checking out / the bill

How would you handle the following people complaining in your hotel:

a) A drunk customer in the hotel restaurant complaining loudly about the slow service.

b) A guest who can't speak Russian very well, complain­ing about the size of his / her room (you think).

c) An extremely rude and angry guest complaining about his / her bill when checking out.

d) A dinner guest who is complaining about the quality of the food.

e) An elderly gentleman complaining about how many stairs he has to walk up to get to his room.

f) A foreign visitor complaining about the weather in Russia.

IX. Look at some of the main "rules" for han­dling complaints and match them with the additional sentences bellow.

a) Listen carefully to the complaint.

b) Do not interrupt.

c) Wait until the person has completely finished.

d) Apologize.

e) Speak normally.

f) Summarize the complaint.

g) Explain what action will be taken, and how quickly.

h) If the guest is angry, aim to remove the scene to somewhere private.

1) If you repeat the main points of a complaint, you make sure that there is no misunderstanding about the reason for the complaint, and saying the main points calmly helps to cool down the situation.

2) Before saying anything at all, be certain that the guest has completely finished talking and is not just pausing
for breath.

3) A short clear apology should be the first thing you of­fer the guest. This must come before any explanations or reasons.

4) Do not let your voice rise to match the voice of the guest. This will only lead to more argument.

5) Make clear what you will do. Give the guest a defi­nite time so that he understands that his complaint will
be attended to.

6) An interruption will cause the guest to carry on louder and longer.

7) It is important to show that you are giving the guest full attention.

8) This could be an office, or an empty lounge. Try to find a place where there is no barrier (table or desk) between you and the guest.

Think and answer:

Which of these rules are most important? Decide on the three most important rules.

Which rule is most difficult to follow? Why?

Do you think the staff in Russian hotels are trained according to these rules? Give your examples.