More than 40 years ago, John Q. Hammons set out to build the finest hotels in the country and manage them according to the highest standards of excellence.

Today, the company that bears his name has amassed a portfolio of 53 upscale hotels and resorts in 20 U.S. states, representing 12,203 rooms and more than 1.6 million square feet of meeting space. Eighteen of the company’s hotels are ranked number one in their markets, and all of them rank among the top three performers in market penetration.

JQH Hotels is publicly traded on the American Stock Exchange (symbol: JQH) and in 1999 recorded operating revenues in excess of $356 million.

The Challenge

Until 1997, JQH Hotels had no corporate-wide protocol for measuring daily room reservations against incoming calls at the reservation offices of its 30 or so hotels at the time, according to Lynn M. Geitz, director of revenue management. Moreover, the customer service programs that did exist differed from hotel to hotel, which made tracking job performance virtually impossible.

“We were aware at that point that we had no tracking mechanism to reveal how much potential revenue we were losing on a daily basis,” Geitz said, who estimated the hotel group’s conversion rate at about 20 percent.

“We did not have a handle on what was happening, and we knew from our own case studies that our hotels were not facilitating or even asking for business the way they should.”

The Solution

Once the challenge was identified, Geitz said JQH Hotels didn’t have to look far for a solution. 

“We were aware of the Signature program. Once we contacted them and saw what they could bring to the table, we saw no need to look at any other companies,” said Geitz.

Signature trainers set up a standardized training program at every JQH owned and/or managed hotel. This put every reservation staff on the same page and established consistent protocol throughout the organization. Following an initial training session, trainers revisited the sites on a four-month rotation to train new hires and provide ongoing assistance.

Geitz said Signature trainers conduct high-energy, motivated programs that get employees excited about doing their jobs.

“The training atmosphere is very dynamic, and each trainer is so unique in how they present the material,” said Geitz. “They keep the classes motivated and spirited. I do a lot of training myself, so I like to sit in on classes and learn new techniques.”

Each reservation office started out with an eight-point phone script that walked employees through an effective phone call. In 1999, the script was expanded to include 11 points — an aggressive schedule especially for newly opened hotels — but worth the effort, Geitz said.

Ongoing “mystery shops” record customer service techniques in a centralized database that can be instantly accessed by hotel managers to find out how well their staffs perform. Score sheets are distributed throughout the organization each month, rating each hotel’s performance by how well reservation makers follow the phone script.

Because JQH has opened 30 new hotels in the last five years, Signature’s dynamic two-day training course has become a staple at every orientation program.

“Before we even open our doors, Signature has been put into action for establishing protocol for our reservation-taking procedures,” Geitz said.

The Results

Geitz estimates the conversion rate for new reservations has doubled, from 20 percent four years ago, to more than 40 percent today. That, in turn, has helped JQH develop strategies for setting new rate options and capturing higher room fill rates. Just as important, the 11-point script helps hotels learn more about the needs of their customers, which is then used to improve service offerings.

Each of the 53 hotels is asked to meet or exceed 80 percent on the monthly call reports. Hotels that fall short of the goal are required to submit action plans for boosting performance, while those that meet the goal receive rewards for a job well done.

At year-end, awards are given out to the top five hotels. “The program has become very competitive throughout the organization,” Geitz said. “One general manager took his staff, which marked a perfect 100 percent score, out to eat and picked them up in a limousine.”

Geitz also said the ongoing training programs help retain employees in an industry that deals with constant turnover. “In the hospitality industry people leave for various reasons, but one reason is because they have no knowledge of what they’re doing. I firmly believe that turnover has been reduced in our company because of the Signature training.”

In short, Signature was able to establish a training program complete with an ongoing evaluation tool for JQH Hotels.

“Signature has definitely brought a training program in house that would have taken years for us to implement ourselves,” Geitz said. 

About Signature 

Signature tags itself as the Legendary Sales and Service Training company. Signature’s programs include the Sales Edge™, the Service Edge™, and the Transient Edge™, all geared toward workers in the hospitality industry — from desk clerks and reservation agents to salespeople and hotel managers. Their national office was established in 1986, and they currently have more than 250 employees worldwide, with offices throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. 

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