What Forbes standards say about staff language skills
Every year, the Forbes Star Award winners are announced.
The Forbes Star Awards are the independent, global rating system for luxury hospitality businesses carried out by the media company, Forbes – and looking through the annual list (link here: https://www.forbestravelguide.com/award-winners), we’re always pleased to see how many businesses we have supported with English language development in the last year.
There are various criteria which Forbes look at when assessing star ratings which cover all areas of the operation. The standards range from the efficiency at which customer service enquiries are handled, how long it should for a drink to arrive in bar (no more than ten minutes), cleanliness and tidiness of the rooms, quality and maintenance of fitness equipment etc.
There is a nice online 40-page flip book with all of the most up to standards which can be found here: https://online.anyflip.com/tirpj/poqk/mobile/index.html
Looking through this, you will see the specific standards listed by business area – with some standards which are repeated across most of the different business areas. These relate to quality of guest interactions: making eye contact, smiling, having friendly tone of voice, personalising interactions…
And of course, staff having strong luxury language skills.
In this post, we have pulled out the core language-related standards which Forbes repeatedly mention and which we address in our programmes – which conveniently make a list of 10:
Tone of voice when talking with guests
1. Staff is highly articulate and avoids excessive use of phrase fragments*
2. Staff is polite and retains a gracious tone and appropriate pace throughout the interaction
3. Staff closes interactions with polite, appropriate remarks
*Being “highly articulate” refers to speaking in complete sentences with polite phrasing (“may I…?”, “please”, “certainly” etc). “Phrase fragments” are short, incomplete phrases that could be considered impolite or disinterested – for example, “sure”, “no problem”, “yeah”, “all good”. Speaking in complete, articulate sentences leads to more polished, confident, and welcoming communication.
In addition to the obvious benefits of increased clarity and reduction of confusion, having highly articulate staff is especially important as guests will make assumptions about the overall level of quality of service from just a few seconds of interaction with the staff. What’s more, high-end guests expect a luxury experience which casual speech can break the illusion of. Clear articulation conveys competence and professionalism.
For more information on this, see our post on five-star language word swaps here: https://www.theenglishway.co.uk/luxury-service-language
Describing facilities and services and making recommendations
4. Staff can readily describe the various physical elements in the guest room
5. Staff can describe hotel facilities and procedures with clarity
6. Staff can helpfully discuss details of beverage and bar offerings and provide ....recommendations if asked
7. Staff does not decline any request without offering appropriate alternatives
Put simply: staff being able to speak eloquently and knowledgeably about facilities and services leads a higher perceived value of the business’ offering. On a side note, staff with stronger knowledge of what is on sale and ability to make recommendations will also allow for luxury hospitality businesses to maximise upselling opportunities.
Talking to guests on the phone
8. Telephone conversation is calm and clear
9. The guest is always asked permission before being placed on hold
Luxury hospitality guests expect staff to handle requests and complaints efficiently. With many guest interactions beginning over the phone, strong telephone English skills are essential for luxury hospitality staff to make a strong first impression on the guest.
Not maintaining professional telephone protocols may lead to guests becoming dissatisfied and crucially, not spending money they might otherwise have spent. What might seem like simple gestures such as asking guests for permission before placing them on hold shows attention to courtesy and respect, which boosts the overall guest experience.
Communication between team members
10. Channels of communication among staff are consistent and complete
When guests visit luxury hospitality businesses, they will notice not just how the staff they encounter communicate with them, but how they communicate with each other.
Team members who communicate more effectively with each other reassure the guests by giving the impression of a more organised workplace where tasks are performed correctly.
In the guests’ eyes, level of staff communication can be a good indicator of how their requests will be acted upon. Guests who see a competent, well-functioning team who communicate clearly with one another will feel like they are in safe hands. Guests who see misalignment and unclear communication between team members might take this as red flag which puts them less at ease for the rest of their stay.
How we can help
At The English Way, we help luxury hospitality businesses excel in Forbes-level service audits with English language training that reinforces the language, tone, and professionalism expected in Forbes-rated guest experiences.
Our trainings are aligned with Forbes standards with scenarios and role-plays which reflect Forbes key listed priorities: anticipatory service, emotional intelligence and flawless guest interaction.
We offer dedicated sessions which address the above-mentioned areas:
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Luxury language and tone of voice
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Describing facilities and services, making recommendations and upselling
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Protocols for telephone calls
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Giving and understanding instructions between team members
For more information about how we support luxury hospitality businesses with Forbes-aligned hospitality language, please free to get in touch.
You can reach Matthew on the email below:
matthew@theenglishway.co.uk
