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How do you rate the service you receive in Europe’s hotels? Are you treated like a king or queen by staff or left feeling a bit short-changed? If you’re not happy with your treatment, then you’ve got an ally in one hotel boss.

Niels Pedersen, the managing director of hotel representation company Supranational, believes that young hotel staff throughout most of Europe no longer know how to make their visitors feel sufficiently welcome, relaxed and special, or that their money has been well spent.

How can that be rectified? With a bit of old-fashioned, 19^th century style training, according to Pedersen. “There must be a 100 per cent focus on guest pleasure and joy, or else they might as well return home to stay, or sleep in basic accommodation,” he said.

So what does his old-fashioned training approach involve? Pedersen wants young people to have manners, something he believes is no longer taught by parents or teachers. He also wants staff to be more attentive, treat hospitality as a career and smarten up.

“Today’s haircuts, cosmetics and fashion accessories may not always suit the taste of guests,” said Pedersen. He also thinks today’s youths need to learn humility and have elocution lessons.

Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore

Sunday, July 31st, 2005