MYSTERY SHOP

It all began when I started visiting lodges, boutique hotels and guesthouses as sales person and then a product manager since 2004. It’s one the hardest jobs in the world to run a hospitality business. You need to be on 24/7 and every client is completely different to the last.

Naturally, things can go wrong. Mistakes are made, attention to detail starts to wane and slowly your people start to lose the enthusiasm they once had for the job. All these little things add up and guests start to notice. Everyone makes mistakes but often these can be excused if guests come away with a feeling of being looked after and of course that they are the most fascinating people in the world. These soft skills out weigh everything else.

I’ve seen guests raving about their stay at a lodge even though their transfer was late, the camp hadn’t noted a dietary requirement and they had to be moved to a new room because the basin fell off the wall. They could have slated the lodge on tripadvisor and demanded a full refund but instead they gave it a glowing review. Why? Because the management and staff were honest, inventive and highly adaptable. If your people on the ground are happy then pretty much anything can be overcome.

That’s not to say the small stuff (food, housekeeping and general maintenance) aren’t important but it’s often the ‘soft skills’ that go the longest way, especially when things go wrong.

Companies I have worked for include:  www.toescapeto.com | www.westernoriental.com | www.go2africa.com | www.mandawilderness.org | www.naturalselection.travel

My favourite places locally include; Lamu in Kenya,  the Lower Zambezi in Zambia, Damaraland in Nambia and the Plains of Camdeboo in the Karoo