Difference in the Level of Service in the Central Reservation Services of Best Western and La Quinta Hotels - Essay Example

HERE HERE YOUR HERE HERE The Central Hotel Reservation Services The central reservation services of two hotels werechosen, representing Best Western and La Quinta hotels. Both hotel representatives answered the telephone promptly, with very enthusiastic tones of voice and very high professionalism, especially that of La Quinta’s service personnel. The discussion began with information on available rooms, both indicating that there were both single occupancy and suites available one month in the future.

When dealing with Best Western, I asked about the different amenities provided in the room, including room service and television services. At this point in the discussion, the representative’s tone of voice began to change from friendly and professional to impatient and irritated. The representative stated, “We are virtually the same as all other national Best Western locations”, which indicated to me that the representative had grown tired of describing the room and its features. Playing on this perceived irritation, I proceeded to ask about the different pricing for all different types of suites.

I was swiftly informed that I would likely be better served by visiting the franchise website which maintained a virtual and interactive view of the room and then decide whether I wanted to make a booking online. Having not received the pricing information I had requested, the discussion ended abruptly when I agreed to visit the website. La Quinta, however, gave me a list of prices for all available room types and entertained conversation about all of the different amenities offered. This representative informed me, very politely, that there were only four rooms left and that it might be a good idea to make a final decision due to a convention occurring during my stay.

Never once in the discussion did the representative of La Quinta exhibit any perceived sign of impatience, anger or unprofessionalism. Clearly, La Quinta maintained a more customer-oriented reservation system. The representative at Best Western seemed to be under the assumption that most customers were well-familiar with the Best Western brand and could not understand the depth of my questioning. La Quinta’s amenities are more pronounced than that of Best Western, offering better business traveler discounts and full-serving breakfasts unlike the more budget-conscious Best Western I had chosen.

It seemed as though La Quinta understood the importance of building brand loyalty through service and had trained their representatives to be helpful, patient, and empathetic to traveler needs. The Best Western representative would have been labeled a competent and friendly service representative if the conversation had ended sooner, without the depth of questioning that ensued. Elongated discussion brought about improper and potentially brand- damaging service dimensions. La Quinta representatives seem to work hard to try to secure an immediate booking in a way that is non-invasive, understanding, and willing to stay focused on the customer as long as it takes to ensure purchase and selection.

By the time I was finished with the reservation process with both companies, had I been booking a real stay, I would have selected La Quinta even though the pricing was about 30 percent higher than Best Western simply due to the high level of service and competence.