Exclusive Interview | Douglas Kennedy, President, Kennedy Training Network
Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
I grew up working in my parent’s small business from age 9 to 20. Don’t feel sorry for me, I got paid well! When my parents sold the business, I needed a job. I was rather random that I saw an ad for a new Marriott Resort and, when I applied, they hired me as a banquet server, moving on soon after work three years as a bellman. After college I got into Marriott’s Management Training and headed off to the New York City region. Eventually I left Marriott and worked in luxury independent hotels in Miami.
By age 28 my entrepreneurial sprit re-ignited and I started my first hotel training company which became HSA International. By age 40, we had franchise offices in Singapore and Frankfurt and nearly every major hotel brand as a client in one way or another.
You have personally conducted on-site training workshops for over 3,000 hotels in 15 countries. What is the biggest lesson you have learned?
That we are more alike than different. I mean this on several levels. Across the imaginary borders which humans created and call countries; despite language barriers and cultural practices; and no matter what we call the building we walk into to workshop; I have learned that our core values are very much aligned. Family, community, a sense of purpose, and ultimately our quest to love and be loved.
Now when it comes to hotels as brands, I’ve learned that the Super 8, Ibis, and Treebo is somebody’s Ritz-Carlton, Raffles or Four Seasons. Although I do contextualize the content of our training courses, such as to emphasize the standards of brands or ratings services, most of the concepts covered are relevant regardless of how many stars are on the plaque behind the front desk.
What do you see as the difference between “hospitality” and “guest service excellence?”
To me, guest service is all about the communications essentials, which are like the “tools for the toolbox” we use to interact with our guests. Eye contact, facial expressions, listening skills, using eloquent language, and of course service recovery. Hospitality, on the other hand, is more like a philosophy for our daily work-life, and quite frankly, for daily living if you want to have a happy life.
The spirit of hospitality is foundational to every guest interaction in the hospitality business. Without it, the best we can do is “scripted politeness.” You can’t fake hospitality excellence. Further, as a guest, I would much rather encounter staff who interact in a way that is genuine, authentic and who are truly present, than someone who parrots-out scripted phrases and uses my surname precisely three times.
How do you define hospitality?
Over the years, my Five Principles of Hospitality Excellence have emerged and become the foundation on which basically all our sales and service courses are built.
Hospitality is more than a series of communications techniques. It is simply extending human kindness, especially to strangers. Hospitality requires caring about, as well as caring for, the people we call guests.
That bringing out the best in others, brings out the best in ourselves. That using our power of release over negative encounters protects us. That the road to hospitality excellence is a joy ride, powered by gratitude.
Do you think that hospitality can be trained, or do hotel leaders have to “hire” this skill? Certainly, there are humans who embody the spirit of hospitality. Today social scientists call this Emotional Intelligence. On the other hand, I definitely do think that you can “train” it, but a better word is to “nurture” the spirit of hospitality.
Just encourage your staff to better understand the diversity of human travel experiences being lived out every day on the other side of the front desk, guest room door, or across the bar or table. Very often those who work the frontline jobs in hotels have very little experience staying in them. They may view travel as being fun, glamourous and exciting. Their experiences may be limited to family vacations or traveling to attend weddings and events.
If you’ve not experienced the loneliness of being a business traveler who is missing a milestone birthday or simply longing for home, it’s hard to understand why guests act the way they sometimes do. If you’ve not been the parent who has taken a long drive with a car full of young kids who fight the whole way, then it’s hard to understand why mom or dad are so cranky upon arrival. If you’ve never stayed in a hotel near a hospital or funeral home while attending to a family member, you may just see a frustrated, upset guest, cranky guest. By talking about the stories such as these that play out every day in your lobbies and guest rooms, you can help even the most hardened hearts grow the seeds of empathy, caring and ultimately hospitality.
How do you think that AI will impact the future of hospitality industry?
The way I see it, Chat GPT is just the latest “thing.” Automation, such as self-checking and IVR (Interactive Voice Response) has been around for decades. While these systems can provide some of the “services” which guests need, only humans can deliver hospitality experiences. No human has ever gotten from any technology, that “warm, fuzzy feeling” we get in our hearts when we experience a shared experience with a stranger who truly cares about us. Technology can do the basis, but only when things go wrong only a human who expresses empathy and understanding can truly resolve guest complaints.
You have been presenting hospitality industry training for 33 years now but are only 61 years old. What’s next for you?
My personal motto is, “One way, UP!” I feel as energized as ever. What really gets me excited is when the very youngest of my workshop participants stays after class to share how much they have gotten out of the experience. Many reach out to me on social media and ask me to mentor them. While it’s wonderful meeting General Managers and company Presidents, what keeps me going is when that brand new front desk clerk or banquet server tells me that I’ve inspired them to reach higher.
While I’m continuing to write monthly training articles, we’re dipping into multimedia more than ever, such as my free monthly, live webcast series.
Doug Kennedy is President of the Kennedy Training Network, Inc. the lodging industry’s best source for training programs and related support services in the topic areas of hotel sales, hospitality, and guest experience excellence. For over three decades, Doug has been a fixture on the lodging and tourism conference speaking circuit, having presented at more than 100 conferences for hotel brands, management companies, and both national and state associations. It is estimated that over 40,000 people have participated in more than 3,000 small group training workshops he has presented for hotels in 49 US States and 15 countries. Thousands worldwide read his monthly hotel, tourism and hospitality industry training articles.