In the case of the hotels´ restaurants,
the situation was pathetic: waiters do
not speak nor understand English at
all, lack of complete knowledge of the
menu list, delay in attention, they can
bring a plate to one diner but not to his
or her companion, cold food, among
many others. One of the worst cases
was when, at the time of paying the
bill the waiter suggested, or rather
demanded, to be tipped in cash and
not through a credit card because the
hotel management would pay it late, if
at all.
One of the several conclusions we
reached at the end of the study is
that the guest service staff´s attitude,
especially at the level of bellboys,
waiters and concierges staff, depended
only and quickly on their previous
subjective perception of the guest:
that is, if they perceived in advance
whether the guest was going to leave
a good tip or not. Based on this, their
attitude towards the guest could be
outstanding, or terrible.
The last 25 years represent the entire
hospitality history in Peru. Let’s look a
little at the past.
By 1992, Peru received just under
500,000 tourists. Peru was emerging
from one of the most difficult and
painful times experienced during the
decade of the ‘80s. Since then, year
after year, the flow of tourists has
increased. In 1992 the guest service
area in the hotels did not exist as there
was no training at all and there were
no professional hospitality schools.
Nobody invested in training their staff.
By 2004 several international chains
had settled in Peru, and Peru was
receiving no less than 700,000
tourists yearly. Concepts such as
Boutique Hotel, “guest service,”
experience concierge appeared and
46 ILHA
hotel investments were increasing.
Customer service was still left
aside. Except for the international
hotel chains where the service was
homogeneous in all their subsidiaries,
local hotels did and still do not invest
enough in training their staff. Staff
turnover in hotels and restaurants,
including management levels, was
frequent, so the hoteliers needed to
trained new staff regularly. So they
preferred and still prefer not to invest
much.
In 2010, Peru received just under
one million tourists, and more
corporate hotels appeared. Since
then, many international hotel chains
have positioned themselves in Peru,
directing the style and trends of
guest service. New applications and
technological services appeared:
tablets at the side tables, cell phones
for guests, Wi-Fi, business centres
or concierge service. In addition
to that, universities already have
international exchange programs in
hotel administration and management,
and many local institutes included
programs related to hospitality.
Today, with almost three million
tourists a year, the quality of service
has improved significantly and
professionally in certain first-class
hotels in Lima, including emblematic
hotels in Cusco and Arequipa, but
has still not reached excellence in the
majority. Except for rare exceptions,
we are still below countries like Brazil,
Chile, and Colombia. There is still a
worrying lack of training, mid-level
of English, frequent turnover of
hotel staff, low salaries at all levels
in the organization, and the lack of
professionalism of managers.
I went to Barbados to celebrate my
50th birthday. As soon as the plane
door opened, I saw a representative
of the hotel at the end of the stairs
carrying a sign with my name on it.
As I set foot on the ramp, I received
a warm welcome, and they escorted
my wife and me to a free immigration
booth. Not half a question and they
sealed our passports. I did not even
go through the baggage belt, my
luggage had already been picked up,
and when I least expected it, we were
sitting in a luxury black car making our
way to the hotel. A thousand more
details during check-in and during our
stay which I will not delve into. On
my birthday the manager sent me
a bottle of Champagne, an English
woolen scarf, and a chocolate cake.
At the end of our stay we were again
transferred comfortably to the airport,
and given the best farewell possible at
immigration. After this experience,
and others very similar that I have
had the luck to experience, I truly do
understand the excellence of guest
service. Do you know why? Because
as the years go by, I do not remember
the colour of the walls of the hotel´s
rooms, nor the décor on my plate. I
only remember the guest service
staff, and how they contributed to
the excellence and pleasant moments
during my stay. That’s why I always
tend to return to those destinations.
About the author
As a well-travelled individual Patrick has
been involved in tourism for over twenty
years. Expert in quality of service in first-
class hotels he actively participates as a
lecturer and writer on issues of customer
service and tourism in Peru.