Value Creation Through Hospitality: A Case Study on the Effect of Hospitality Trainings

Abstract

This chapter builds on the finding that the guest experience depends on hospitable behaviours and attitudes of front-line employees rather than on vocational skillfulness. Can schools contribute to this type of behaviour and therefore add value to the guest experience? This chapter shows how an organization successfully applies principles of hospitality to achieve customer delight through the training and development of staff. It especially showcases a training programme for front liners and team leaders of different partners/service providers at Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA), entitled ‘My Certified Smile’, developed and executed in close collaboration with Hotelschool The Hague, starting with a vision and ambition, investing in customer insights, integrating hospitality in strategy and launching programmes in close cooperation with partners – putting special emphasis on motivating, empowering and supporting hospitableness of all kinds of service providers by means of a well-registered programme and anchoring ‘hospitality’ sustainably in the organization’s culture, structure and systems.