“The word ‘hospitality’ in the new testament comes from two Greek words. The first word means ‘love’ and the second word means ‘strangers’. It is a word that means love of strangers.” –Nancy Leigh Demoss
It has been said that to a member of the hotel staff, hospitality is about making your guests feel at home—even if you wish they really were.
Even though your hotel staff operates in the industry of hospitality and is the business of making your stay as comfortable and pleasant as possible, this should not be taken to mean that they are wholeheartedly in agreement with everything you do. That being said, there are quite a few things a hotel guest would do that ruffles the feathers of hotel staff but needless to say, as you are the guest, they can hardly do anything about it—unless you would prove to be a nuisance not only to yourself and to them, but to the other guests as well. Unfortunately, some hotel guests expect to have even their littlest whims and caprices to be addressed by the staff given that they are paying a premium for their stay. However, hotel star, rating and caliber aside, hotel guests are not entitled to do a free-for-all in the hotel insomuch that there are still certain limitations to what you can do in your hotel room, its amenities and facilities—regardless of what you pay. You are still, after all, subject to the house rules and regulations of the said hotel that any kind of infraction you might do would be met with repercussions and consequences.
However, while there are fairly obvious things that you should do and not do (as listed in the hotel guidelines), there are some things that are not necessarily disallowed by the hotel but would nonetheless displease and annoy the hotel employees serving you—albeit, inadvertently on your part. These are the things you do at home that are nothing out of the ordinary but in a hotel would seem personal and should be refrained from being done—that is if you wish to form an amiable relationship with the staff. Remember, your stay would be so much more enjoyable and memorable when the staff likes you. It matters not whether you are staying in high-caliber hotels such as Seda Hotel Nuvali or elsewhere, the best way to elevate your stay is to ensure you form a good relationship with the staff that serves you.
In any case, here are some of the things you should do and do not do when inside hotels:
DO NOT: Order room service when you are not fully dressed.
…or worse, in the nude. It sends the wrong message to your hotel staff. More importantly, it would make them feel incredibly awkward around you. Delivering room service to people who are not half-way decently dressed is one of the surefire ways to grate the nerves of your hotel staff. Trust us when say this: You may think you have God-given abs, but your hotel staff would thank God if they never have to see it ever again. At the very least, put something on—even your bathrobe. Just make yourself decently covered before opening your door to admit room service.
DO: Make small talk with them whenever they are in your room
Most hotel guests are unaware of this, but hotel employees follow a particular protocol when they come up to your room. Five-star hotel chains take it up a notch by having the staff follow a particular script when greeting you. However, while it might sound generic that does not mean they do not wish to engage in small talk. Even something as nonsensical as the weather would be a good topic to discuss and is an excellent way to engage with them. You can even ask them for recommendations or tell them about your stay. In that way, they would be able to gauge just how happy you are with your experience.
DO NOT: Use anything from the mini bar if you do not have to
Apart from the obvious that you would need to pay for whatever you take in the minibar, it is quite difficult to find some of the snacks contained within it. The mini bars in each hotel room can sometimes contain an array of various snacks of which your hotel staff is in charge of restocking. In this regard, they would then have to review a master list in every single room of the thousand rooms in their hotel every single thing to figure out if there is even anything missing. And it does not stop there; the process is overly long and takes way too much time from the hotel staff. So, unless you absolutely have to, try not to take anything from the mini bar—or at least keep it to a minimum.
DO: Tell them where they can improve
Criticisms are always welcome but know where to draw the line between constructive criticism and overly critical ones. If you are unhappy or unsatisfied about something, do not be afraid to speak up and let the staff know why you are discontent or in what area they are lacking. Just tell them nicely and they would be more than happy to do something about it. Tell them whenever they are in your room or you can address it to the front desk. Make yourself heard, it makes your stay more pleasant and improves the quality of service rendered to you.