How Hampton Inn Guarantees "100% Satisfaction"

How Hampton Inn Guarantees "100% Satisfaction"

Hampton Inn, a national hotel chain with over 7,000 employees, recently introduced a "100% Satisfaction Guarantee" policy to help it gain a distinctive advantage in a highly competitive industry where customers have little allegiance to any particular hotel. When guests walk away from a hotel dissatisfied, chances are that they will relate their unhappy experience to friends and business associates, who might spread the story around even further. Thus are hotel reputations lost. Hampton Inn decided to take advantage of this informal communication chain with its new policy. The company believes that guests who go away impressed with the way that Hampton Inn handled a problem will spread the word and generate additional business for the chain. The guarantee is simple: Guests who are not completely satisfied with every aspect of their stay are not expected to pay. This guarantee allows every Hampton Inn employee to do whatever it takes to satisfy guests- including giving them their money back. Rhonda Thompson, one of Hampton Inn's employees, describes the 100% Satisfaction Guarantee policy in terms of its supporting HR strategies: While working as a guest services representative at a Hampton Inn hotel, I overheard a guest at our complimentary continental breakfast complaining quite loudly that his favorite cereal was not available. Rather than dismiss the person as just another disgruntled guest, I looked at the situation and saw an opportunity to make this guest happy. I gave him his money back- not for the continental breakfast, but for the cost of one night's stay at our hotel. And I did it on the spot, without checking with my supervisor or the general manager of the hotel, and without making the guest fill out a log complaint form. Some people might be surprised to hear this story, or they might not believe it could happen. After all, how could a front desk employee give a guest his money back without getting...