ORLANDO, Fla.—The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) has presented the historic Glorietta Bay Inn in Coronado, Calif., with the designation of Certified Guest Service Property. This designation is awarded to properties that train their employees using AHLEI’s Guest Service Gold program and certify all guest-facing staff as Certified Guest Service Professionals (CGSP).
According to Kelsey Roberts, CGSP, sales and marketing manager for Glorietta Bay Inn, the property has won previous awards for best guest relations and decided to offer Guest Service Gold training to employees to maintain and improve upon their already high standards.
“We have a low turnover rate among our staff. Some have been here 10 or 20 years. Offering training and certification like Guest Service Gold encourages all of us to keep on learning. It helps us to be refreshed and encouraged as we do our jobs,” she explained.
The paper-based training was offered in three sessions. Roberts led the first session for employees connected with front office jobs, and included two housekeeping supervisors in that class. Those two supervisors then presented the training to employees in the housekeeping department. A final session was offered for anyone who missed the first sessions, as well as all managers, including the general manager and assistant general manager. In total, 35 employees earned the Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP) designation.
“Everyone took away so many positive ideas from the training; everyone’s confidence level is up,” said Roberts. “Employees also like the ‘bling’ of the certification pin. It makes them feel good, and it’s a frequent topic of conversation between guests and staff about what the pin means.”
