Madam, – Launching the 2009 Bridgestone Guide, John McKenna claimed it was “impossible” for foreign staff to recreate the “céad míle fáilte” central to the success of the Irish hospitality industry (The Irish Times, January 30th). Is he suggesting that we once had a high standard of service which has now been diminished because the Irish aren’t fronting hospitality businesses?
While the Irish may lay claim to being a friendly nation, few would claim that we ever achieved a professional standard of customer service. Being warm and friendly and providing excellent service are not the same thing. The essence of success must lie in creating a customer experience that is memorable for all the right reasons.
Many operators’ knee-jerk reaction to the current crisis is to slash prices. But look at the businesses that are still doing well, such as Kelly’s Hotel, Rosslare and Roly’s Restaurant, Dublin.
Instead of obsessing about room rates, isn’t it time we looked at building a world-class customer service ethos?
Customer service is built on passion, not nationality. – Yours, etc,