Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Customer is King


Hello, this is Philip Gavin,

I have been the Group Managing Director of the Talbot Hotel Group for 4 years. The Talbot Hotel Group has three sister hotels, The Talbot Hotel Wexford, The Stillorgan Park Hotel & The Talbot Hotel Carlow. Throughout the years that I have spent involved in this industry I have seen many changes & developments. Who would have thought 10 years ago that the internet was going to become such a vital element to the daily communication & operation of the hospitality industry? I am now a convert myself and in today’s fast paced nation I would be lost without my mobile phone & email.

Blogging has rapidly become a growing method of direct communication and correspondence with customers. Talking to customers comes easily to me & I believe that feedback is vital. Blogging gives us a whole new way of engaging in conversation with our customers and this is how we learn and develop as a company.

“You can build, create and design the most wonderful buildings in the world, but without people those dreams may never be a reality” quote by Walt Disney. I have always felt that this sums up our industry & how important good staff with excellent customer service skills are to our business. Without good staff & loyal customers we wouldn’t be in business. I am a firm believer that in this current challenging economic climate, it is the hotel that operates with the mentality that the “customer is king” will be the very one that “survives the storm”. This motto has been instilled into the staff of the Talbot Hotel Group as each & every person is a vital link to the chain that is the hotel group.

With this mind I hope you enjoy reading the Talbot Hotel Group blog and hope this will be instrumental in helping us to continue providing “The Talbot Touch”.

A member of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), Philip Gavin was delighted to be elected as Vice President in 2009.