Excellent Service Included

It’s No Bedroom Farce at The Royal Garden Hotel!

It’s funny how you always remember the negatives; how despite the great pillows and the clever spa thingy and the funky ice machine, what sticks in the old memory is the blocked sink. And it just goes to show that hotels must feel like they’re fighting a losing battle when they’re doing everything right but receive letters of complaint for matters that are uncontrollable.

Clearly, hotels can't legislate for every eventuality. But they can train their staff to deal with every eventuality. And that may sound patently obvious to most of us, yet how many times have you been served by a dour-faced barman? Or complained about the blocked sink to a less-than-bothered receptionist? Exactly!

The Royal Garden Hotel in London already prides itself on excellent customer care, but recognises that in an increasingly competitive market, customer care doesn't just mean dealing with problems, but going the extra mile and making excellence 'the norm'. So we were asked to bring a touch of theatre to the hotel's staff development programme. The requirement; to design and deliver workshops for the front of house staff, for it to be relevant, effective and delivered in a way that was memorable and fun. Furthermore, it was to be delivered to delegates of mixed ability and experience and for whom English wasn’t necessarily a first language.

The result is 'Excellent Service Included', a programme designed by CentreStage director, Julian Hirst, combining theory input, lots of forum theatre, the opportunity to roleplay, games, discussion and lots of fun. The first workshop, which ran on 30th March, had excellent feedback from delegates. Paula King, Human Resources Manager at the Royal Garden Hotel, said, "it was far more engaging then any other type of customer service training that we have carried out before and we change the programme annually to bring in new initiatives to deliver in principle the same messages! It was extremely interactive, which they liked, and have found the aims and objectives of the programme stick because they were made so experiential."

So why is drama such an eye-opener? First of all, it's very visual, so it's memorable. Plus, it breaks down language barriers which might be a hindrance to more traditional training techniques. Then there's the fact that it's interactive. When delegates are of mixed ability, encouraging the sharing of ideas is a brilliant way of including everyone. It makes the more experienced feel they are valued and the less-experienced that they are gaining knowledge.

Forum theatre is a great way of sparking discussion and promoting the sharing of knowledge and experiences. Two characters, played by actors, struggle to reach a compromise in a scenario familiar to course members (very often the delegates will think up scenarios themselves), and ask the audience for help. Based solely on the suggestions given by the group, the encounter could go in any direction and be replayed in an infinite number of ways. But whichever path is followed, there are talking points and learning opportunities at every turn.

Combining forum theatre with an array of other interactive activities helps create a totally fresh learning experience. The workshops continue throughout the year.

The Royal Garden Hotel is located next to Kensington Gardens, with easy access to Kensington, Knightsbridge and Notting Hill. The West End's theatres are a short cab-ride away (15 minutes), and major cultural attractions, such as The Victoria & Albert Museum, just a 10-minute walk. Visit The Royal Garden Hotel online at www.royalgardenhotel.co.uk.

CentreStage Roleplay

What we have to learn, we learn by doing - Aristotle

Excellent Service Included