The AAHOA Board of Directors shares changes to guest philosophies and advice as we enter 2021 amid COVID-19
by the AAHOA Board of Directors
As COVID-19 rocked every industry, hotels were hit particularly hard causing some properties to close their doors. As the pandemic has increased guests’ expectations of sanitization and safety, the AAHOA Board of Directors shares changes to guest philosophies and advice as we enter 2021 amid COVID-19 while recognizing that the key to recovery will begin by inspiring consumer confidence to travel.
Biran Patel
Chairman
This is a time when we must go above and beyond the norm when it comes to cleanliness and sanitization to make guests feel safe traveling again – even if we incur more cost to create that environment. This should lead to positive reviews which, at the end of the day, give you better results.
Jagruti Panwala
Past Chair
Treat your guests like your family. They should feel they are home away from home when they are staying
at our hotels.
Sanjay M. Patel
Alabama Director
Most certainly, we all had clean and comfortable rooms pre-pandemic, but now our guests need to understand our cleanliness via signage, verbally, and by sight.
Rahul Patel
Florida Regional Director
Listen and understand your guests, make them feel special during their stay, and make sure you are doing all the basics right. Positive reviews and word of mouth are the best forms of marketing. Repeat guests will provide you the most profitable form of revenue, especially in the times of crisis.
Vikesh (Vik) Zaver
Georgia Regional Director
My guest philosophy is to always make the customer feel like family because a happy guest will be a customer for life.
Vinay Patel
Vice Chair
Always try to anticipate your guests’ needs so you can serve them better.
Naresh (ND) Bhakta
Greater Los Angeles Area Regional Director
In our culture, the guest is equal to god. In other words, guests deserve the highest respect from us. Go above and beyond. In hospitality, that is the relationship
we have.
Danny (Chintu) Patel
Arkansas Regional Director
Maintain clean and safe working environments, focus on cleanliness/safety, and have confidence in yourself that you are the difference maker in your hotel and community. Work with your fellow hoteliers and see how you can maintain together and work with each other without dropping status.
Bharat Patel
Secretary
Do what it takes to make your guests happy while keeping your team members safe.
Kamalesh (KP) Patel
North Pacific Regional Director
Treat your guests as if you are the guest!
Dhiren Masters
North Texas Regional Director
The guest still comes first, but furthermore, we want our guests to feel safe in our hotels and confident to travel. We are currently implementing contactless technology, so our guests are less exposed to the virus.
Bhavesh N. Patel
North Central Regional Director
My philosophy is to provide guests with the best service possible. Meet the guests’ needs and expectations, then provide service far beyond those requirements and assumptions – especially during the critical time of COVID-19. Provide training on these expectations for your staff members, too.
Chetan (Chet) Patel
South Carolina Regional Director
One piece of advice I would give is to not sacrifice service to the guests. We currently live in a digital world and the guest will share their experience with others. If your guests share their great experiences during these times, you will benefit when we reach our new normal.
Mike Patel
South Central Texas Regional Director
I strongly believe that to earn guest loyalty it’s even more important to be ethical and socially responsible, particularly when resources are restricted and survival is under threat. It’s a very tough and challenging time for all of us!
Sunil Patel
Mid South Regional Director
A higher priority must be given to guest safety and cleaning standards as guests want to feel safe and secure now more than ever.
Sanjay (Sam)
Mid Atlantic Regional Director
If there’s any place where customers are likely to be paying attention to the type of service they receive, it’s within the hospitality industry. Our job as hospitality service providers is to maintain customer happiness and satisfaction. Keep your customers at the forefront of your operational plans to hold your hospitality business afloat.
Sawan H. Patel
Southeast Texas Regional Director
My team’s guest philosophy is to transcend service to create unequivocal experiences for everyone who stays at Unity properties.
Jayesh R. Patel
Northeast Regional Director
Owning a hotel is big liability and has high fixed expenses. We must consider the slowdown of the economy or recessions and each hotel must build a reserve fund. Then, that should be part of the budget.
Lina Patel
Female Director Eastern Division
Our guest philosophy is to provide a customized service with a warm welcome to each and every person that walks into our hotel lobby. Greeting our guests with their names is the sweetest and most important sound that all human beings like to hear.
Akshat Patel
North Carolina Regional Director
Yes, guest expectations have changed, mainly for cleanliness and service. We work in guest service and hospitality. After this pandemic, guests expect to have spotless and clean rooms. So, we are taking additional steps and safety precautions to take care of each of our guests for their safety as well as our staffs’ safety.
Imesh Vaidya
Southwest Regional Director
It is vital that we make decisions about our service and operations based on the guest perspective. Though our industry is facing tremendous financial burdens, the guest is still spending their hard-earned money with us. Do not give them any additional reasons to stay with our competition or other online accommodations such as Airbnb.
Nimesh (Nick) Zaver
Gulf Regional Director
Treat guests the way you would want to be treated. Walk in as a guest and leave as family.
Jayesh (Jay) Patel
Director at Large
You never know what type of day the guest is having. Always listen to their concerns first before jumping to conclusions. Most guests are not looking for any type of compensation; they are looking to be heard by the staff to find a solution to their problem.
Kalpesh Joshi
Upper Midwest Regional Director
Guests are not dependent on us. We’re dependent on them. They are doing us a favor by coming to our door and giving us the opportunity to serve! In my opinion, the customer/guest is a god.
Miraj S. Patel
Young Professional Director Western Division
My philosophy has changed as a result of the pandemic as I understand guests’ expectations and demands will increase. The pandemic has reset our industry, and how we operate our hotels will also have to change moving forward. We will have to regain our guests’ trust and confidence by consistently demonstrating a culture of efforts to deliver best-in-class guest satisfaction through cleanliness, service, and staying up to par.
Bhavik Patel
Young Professional Director Eastern Division
We have always prioritized guest safety in terms of security. However, we have altered our action plans to correlate with the latest up-to-date cleaning standards in order to ensure guest services exceed expectations.
Prashant Patel
Director at Large
As a hotel industry, we exist due to the need for hospitality, a need to be home even when our guests are away from home.
Sandip Patel
Washington D.C. Area Regional Director
My hotels are comprised of people who are dedicated to providing the best possible hotel rooms, service, and safety to our guests. The self-respect, pride, and commitment that all employees possess is what makes our hotels the successes that they are. Being better than you were the day before and continuing to learn every day is the foundation that our hotels are built upon. Personal service and attention to detail are what we’re all about. Consistency in personal service is name recognition and reading your guest to learn what hospitality experience the guest is anticipating during each visit to our hotel. Attention to detail is going the extra mile to make sure all guests’ needs are met. My philosophy toward the guest is “Do whatever it takes to please the guest with best experiences at our hotel.”
