The Guest Relations team strives to create a seamless and enjoyable experience for guests throughout their stay. This involves proactive communication, addressing guest needs and concerns promptly, and ensuring that all interactions contribute to a positive and memorable stay. 

The ultimate goal is to build strong relationships with guests, enhance their overall satisfaction, and encourage repeat visits. 

Importantly, the team also aims to maintain the company's reputation while safeguarding its revenue. This entails striking a balance between ensuring guest satisfaction and considering the financial aspects of the business. The objective is to address situations in a manner that preserves guest loyalty and goodwill, without incurring unnecessary financial costs, thus preserving the company's reputation and sustaining revenue.

Lastly,  the team plays a crucial role in managing and resolving any issues that may arise, turning challenges into opportunities to exceed guest expectations.

Morning Shift (10:00 am - 6:30 pm):

Communication Check:

• Start by reviewing all WhatsApp conversations for guest communications and updates. The primary five sources for updates through WhatsApp include Review Nola, Reviews, OB-GS-PK, Reviews MB, Reviews Tennessee, and Reviews Seattle.

• Respond to surveys and address any guest complaints promptly.

See survey SOP

Link to the Survey  tab

Issue Resolution:

• Create work orders for reported issues and notify appropriate area staff.

Link to the Maintenance tab

• Categorize guests based on issue severity marking the case as challenging, urgent challenging or attention needed for night shift follow-up.

Email Management:

• Check guestrelations.com email for concerns and notify relevant staff.
• Resolve reported issues through proactive communication.

Review Responses:

• Respond to reviews on Zendesk, Vrbo, Expedia, Hosteeva.com, Airbnb, and Booking.com.
• Monitor Trustpilot, Google, Yelp, and Tripadvisor weekly.

Link to the Zendesk Reviews tab (only for Expedia and VRBO)

Expedia

VRBO

Link to the Reviews tab for Booking and Airbnb on Hosteeva

Review responses generated by AI for Airbnb and Booking.com only.

Rating Guests and Requesting reviews 

• Rate guests and request reviews from non-challenging guests on Vrbo

Link to the Zendesk Reviews tab 

Negative Review Management:

• Identify reviews affecting listing scores and take necessary actions.
• Attempt to have negative reviews removed through communication 

Task Management:

• Check the Trello board for scheduled daily tasks and process refunds.

Link to the Guest Relations Trello Board

Monthly and Biweekly Tasks:

• Prepare thorough monthly reports for specific areas (Nola, Myrtle Beach. Tennessee, Seattle, Gulf Coast)  and overall office performance.

• Conduct Zoom calls with area managers to review reports and discuss performance.
• Update Airbnb account scores and review reports for maintained goal scores.

• Biweekly check and update Airbnb account scores for Hosted properties.

Night Shift (3:30 pm - 12:00 am):

Review Management:

• Respond to remaining reviews.
• Observe urgent and challenging cases, discuss resolutions, and contact area managers if needed.

Resolution Discussions:

• Conduct discussions on challenging cases, review reservation dialogues, and listen to phone calls.
• Contact challenging guests to offer reasonable resolutions, such as compensation, future stay discount, or travel voucher.

Review Negotiation:

• Contact guests to negotiate the removal of negative reviews for compensation.
• Schedule all refunds on Trello and send confirmation emails for future stay discounts or travel vouchers.

Guest Communication:

• Call guests to request reviews for stays without issues.

• Negotiate with guests for the removal of reviews in exchange for compensation.

Daily Job-Related Tasks:

• Carry out other daily tasks related to guest relations.
• All Guest Relation tasks are documented in our daily report document. This helps maintain consistency and transparency in our operations.

This SOP outlines the daily and periodic tasks of the Guest Relations Team, focusing on proactive communication, issue resolution, review management, and maintaining high guest satisfaction levels.

Note: Each outlined procedure will have its dedicated SOP, and these SOPs will be released on a monthly basis. Two SOPs will be provided each month to ensure comprehensive and up-to-date guidance.