Dear WuBookers, we often say that one of the keys to a hotel’s success is making every guest feel not only comfortable, but unique and special. Well, for some time now, a role dedicated to this very thing has been created: the guest relations manager. A hospitality professional, they are responsible for guest satisfaction in both practical and strategic ways: here’s how.

What does a guest relations manager do and what is their role?

As the name suggests, the guest relations manager works to manage guest relations, from reservation to arrival at the property. Every customer has different needs and preferences, and the guest relations manager ensures that these are respected as much as possible to guarantee their well-being at all times. Travelers are increasingly motivated by the experience offered, rather than simply by the accommodation: in other words, they are looking for moments of value and not just a room to sleep in. It is therefore essential that each of them feels welcomed and pampered, and that is precisely what the guest relations manager is there for.

As you can imagine, today this role is most common in large hotel chains of a certain caliber, while it is less common in small family-run properties and the like. However, knowing the duties of the guest relations manager can be useful in understanding how more structured businesses are orienting themselves and, therefore, what guests expect in terms of service quality.

What are the duties of the guest relations manager?

The guest relations manager has both an operational and strategic role, dedicated to guest satisfaction. For this reason, in addition to performing their duties, they also interact and coordinate with other departments to ensure impeccable service that meets customer expectations.

In particular, they:

• welcome guests upon their arrival at the property to make them feel immediately welcome and provide them with all the information they need for their stay. This helps to create a positive impression that can influence the entire experience;
• provides assistance during check-in and check-out and throughout the stay. Internal and external services, activities, and advice: the guest relations manager is the point of reference for all (strictly personalized) information regarding the hotel and things to see and do in the surrounding area;
• handles any unexpected events and complaints: if something goes wrong, it is always the guest relations manager who intervenes in the relationship with the customer and in resolving the problem;
• oversees the guest experience, taking care of the personalization of services. They ensure that the room is always tidy when guests return, note any dietary preferences and report them to the dining room staff, and pay special attention to each person;
• checks that the quality always meets the standards set by the property and required by guests: from the cleanliness of the rooms to the appearance of the common areas;
• communicates with customers to make sure everything is going well and sends requests for feedback after their stay, using a satisfaction questionnaire or review forms.

In short, the guest relations manager is the face and voice of the hotel and it is essential that they have the right personal and professional skills.

What skills should a good guest relations manager have?

The guest relations manager has a cross-functional role that ranges from front desk to hotel resource management. For this reason, it is important that they have strong interpersonal and empathic skills, to be exercised with both guests and hotel staff. Self-control and stress management are also essential qualities, especially in times of great pressure, when faced with critical situations or customer dissatisfaction. In this regard, knowing how to resolve the most complex situations (problem solving) and restoring order and harmony within the property is an aspect of character and professional preparation that must not be overlooked. Organization and multitasking are equally essential, as is knowledge of multiple languages and, of course, the industry.

Technology useful to the guest relations manager

Let’s think about a typical workday in high season: guests arriving ahead of schedule, people waiting at the front desk, unexpected issues in room X, requests for late check-out… there are so many situations to manage, and the risk of missing a detail is high. But this could lead to the loss of business opportunities or even real damage to the hotel’s image or turnover. That’s why guest relations managers also need to rely on technology to do their job well. Let’s look at some concrete examples.

First contact with guests: the reservation

A positive experience is built from the very first contact, i.e., from the moment of reservation. Whether it takes place on the hotel’s website or on an external platform, the purchasing process must be as clear and smooth as possible. Any communication with the property—for information or a quote—must also be streamlined and immediate to avoid frustrating travelers and wasting important opportunities.

There are several solutions for these operations, but there is one that brings them all together, greatly facilitating the work of the guest relations manager. Zak, the PMS by WuBook for hoteliers and property managers, allows you to manage sales from the website and distribution portals, as well as emails and quote requests from potential guests.

Thanks to tools such as the Booking Engine and Channel Manager, it is possible to obtain direct reservation and indirect bookings, viewing everything on a single operational calendar. The Quote Generator module, on the other hand, allows you to customize the offer not only in terms of graphics but also in terms of content. The hotelier can thus apply different rates and promotions for each guest (for example, with preferential board for regulars), which the customer can accept without further delay with just a few clicks.

Not just a simple document, but a real dialogue window that allows you to collect data on travelers and start building a tailor-made offer for them.

Before and during the stay: the keyword is personalization

Impeccable service requires equally impeccable organization. That’s why a PMS like Zak is the perfect ally. All reservation and guest data is consolidated in a single panel, making it very easy to get an overview of everything and plan activities accordingly. For example, you can change room assignments, perhaps to reserve rooms more in line with certain guests’ tastes, or customize welcome kits based on reservation details: if we know there are children, we could surprise them with small personalized souvenirs, and so on.

In addition, thanks to the label system, the guest relations manager can identify and distinguish between different guests as they wish. A loyal customer could be marked as “Regular,” a famous person as “VIP.” This is not only a way to recognize them at a glance, but also to act accordingly, including in terms of communication between the property and travelers. Zak’s streamlined process is thanks to its templating system and messages that can be sent via SMS, WhatsApp, or email. The templating system allows you to create different communication templates to use depending on the situation. One criteria could be the label assigned to the guest: in this way, every time the system detects a certain label, it sends the corresponding communication.

After check-out

Communication is essential not only before and during the stay, but also after, when the guest has left the property. This is a good time to thank them, ask for a review or to fill out a satisfaction questionnaire, or to reserve a special discount for a future stay. In all these cases, Zak and its communication system can help lighten the workload of the guest relations manager and continue to build a lasting relationship of trust.

Not everyone can afford the costs of a guest relations manager, but investing in technology is certainly the first step towards ensuring quality service and customer satisfaction.