Programme code · DV-GEL-03
Guest Experience Management & Leadership
Leading service at both levels: the shift that opens and the experience across the property.
The outcome
We measure this
- Shift-to-shift consistency — the spread between your highest- and lowest-scoring observed shift. This is the signature measurement of the programme
- Standards adherence scored by department, before and at ninety days
- Whether departmental sentiment in your review data converges or stays uneven
You'll see it in your own numbers
- First-Contact Resolution by department
- Ninety-day retention among new starters
What it won't fix: A leader without the authority to hold the standard. This supplies the method; the mandate has to come with it.
Introduction
Consistent service depends on two levels of leadership saying the same thing: the supervisor who opens the shift and the manager who answers for the experience across the property. Guest Experience Management & Leadership trains them together. It covers the daily work — briefings, coaching, feedback, performance and escalations — and the part that usually goes uncovered: mapping the guest journey, measuring it, and settling what each department answers for. Participants learn to lead service while the hotel is working, and to design it before the guest arrives.
Targeted Groups
This programme is designed for:
- General managers and hotel directors
- Heads of guest experience and operations
- Department heads responsible for service delivery
- Newly appointed supervisors and team leaders
- Shift leaders and duty managers
- Front office, F&B, and guest-services supervisors
- Senior staff being prepared for supervisory roles
- Owners involved in service strategy
Course Objectives
By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:
- Set and communicate clear service standards
- Run effective shift briefings
- Coach and give feedback to team members
- Manage performance and accountability
- Handle escalations and difficult guest situations
- Lead by example and uphold professional standards
- Map the full guest journey across touchpoints
- Identify and prioritise key moments and pain points
- Select and use experience metrics and indicators
- Connect guest experience to revenue and loyalty
- Hold each department accountable for its part of the guest experience
- Lead and align teams behind one standard
Targeted Competencies
Participants will develop the following competencies:
- Service team supervision
- Coaching and feedback
- Shift briefing and communication
- Performance management
- Escalation handling
- Leading by example
- Guest-journey mapping and analysis
- Experience measurement and reporting
- Cross-department standard-setting
- Data-informed decision-making
Studying Scenarios
Participants build skills through scenarios such as:
- Briefing a team at the start of a shift
- Coaching an underperforming team member
- Handling an escalated guest complaint
- Keeping standards consistent during a busy period
- Mapping the guest journey to find experience gaps
- Aligning departments behind a single service standard
- Reviewing experience metrics to set priorities
Course Content
Unit 1: The Service Team Leader's Role
- Moving from team member to team leader
- Responsibilities of a service supervisor
- Leading by example in service operations
- Building trust and authority with the team
- Balancing operational and people responsibilities
- Communicating with management and other departments
Unit 2: Setting and Maintaining Standards
- Translating brand standards into daily practice
- Running effective shift briefings
- Monitoring service quality on the floor
- Identifying and closing service gaps
- Maintaining standards during peak periods
- Documentation and handover between shifts
Unit 3: Coaching and Developing the Team
- Coaching techniques for service staff
- Giving clear and constructive feedback
- Recognising and reinforcing good performance
- Onboarding and training new team members
- Supporting individual development
- Managing different personalities and motivations
Unit 4: Handling Pressure and Escalations
- Staying composed under operational pressure
- Handling escalated guest complaints
- Supporting the team during difficult situations
- Decision-making in real time
- Knowing when to involve management
- Reviewing incidents and learning from them
Unit 5: Guest Journey and Service Design
- Guest-journey mapping concepts
- Identifying touchpoints across channels
- Finding pain points and service gaps
- Designing signature moments
- Personalisation and consistency
- Managing omnichannel experiences
Unit 6: Measuring and Improving Experience
- Experience metrics and indicators
- Collecting and interpreting guest feedback
- Benchmarking against standards
- Prioritising improvements
- Service-quality assurance
- Continuous improvement methods
Unit 7: Ownership at department level
- What each head of department is accountable for, in writing
- Where the guest crosses between departments, and who owns the handover
- Resolving at the point of failure instead of escalating
- Reviewing an incident without looking for someone to blame
- What should reach the general manager, and what should not
- Reporting that shows where the experience is breaking
Final Insights & Key Takeaways
Consistent service happens when both levels of leadership work to the same written standard and the same measurement: the person who opens the shift and the person who answers for the experience across the property. When ownership sits where the problem starts, the problem closes there, and what reaches management is the exception rather than the norm.
Format & Logistics
Every DolceVita programme is individual and tailored: one participant at a time, online or at your property, in live service. Content, pace and case material are calibrated to the competencies and the role of whoever is being trained.
Up to 2 leaders a day at 4 hours each: €1,995 for one leader, €3,990 for two. Or the full day given to a single leader: €599 per day, €2,995 for the programme.