This month we sat down with Cher Harris, the general manager of The Houstonian Club, to discuss hospitality.
Do you feel the fitness industry and hospitality go hand in hand?
CH: Hospitality is defined by a relationship between a guest and their host. I believe health clubs create and foster this relationship through fitness and wellness to our guests or customers each and every day.
What are some examples of ways The Houstonian Club strives to provide great hospitality?
CH: At the Houstonian Club, we are very fortunate to have the hospitality expertise our hotel and spa provide. Having a Forbes four-star hotel and spa on campus prompted us to create our own Forbes hospitality standards, which we train and evaluate our employees on.
What systems and processes should be in place to ensure consistent hospitality?
CH: We believe in constant training and evaluation. Employees have a two-day orientation and service training after they are hired, then another four-hour club orientation and service training in their chosen department. After a month on the job, they go to an eight-hour Top 20 Forbes training to fine tune their skills. We then evaluate our employees on their skills and track each individual department’s staff friendliness score through MXM/Medallia.
How do you measure hospitality or know if your club is doing a great job?
CH: We measure hospitality through our Net Promoter Score (NPS), and we use MXM/Medallia to evaluate our NPS.
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Taylor Gabhart is the editor of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at taylor@peakemedia.com.
