Keep Your Cool on the Frontlines of Hospitality | Eleanor Erickson

Mar 15

“People need to unlearn the phrase, ‘the customer is always right’. And that's not easy. I think it's important that we unlearn that so that we can relearn how to support customers and guests.”

Eleanor has always been passionate about empowering others and creating unique and creative solutions. Which is why after 20 years of working in hotel operations, she decided to use her experience and vision to do some disruption and create something bigger. She spent years traveling to work with frontline employees in hotels. It was clear that the pandemic was having a significant impact on the traveler experience and needs of frontline employees. As training dwindled, Eleanor began to recognize a divide between the people making decisions and frontline workers, and felt compelled to become a feedback loop between the two.

That led to her creating her 'Keep Your Cool' framework, which allows frontline teams to be proactive when faced with unhappy guests. It encourages them to feel empowered and not shattered by the situation. Eleanor is now traveling and training others to innovate in the hospitality industry and create a workforce that is supported, empowered, and engaged.

This episode will ignite a spark by:

Exploring the impact of the pandemic on hospitality and customer service
Discovering a framework to manage unhappy customers
Learning how to support frontline teams in a constantly changing industry

"I have always felt drawn to give something of myself in unique and creative ways, and now I am ready to use my experience, vision and slightly disruptive thoughts for the power of good on a greater platform."

Episode Highlights

[00:10:59]

Most hotels in the US stay in franchise operations. The divide between the people making the decisions and the people on the front line is getting bigger and bigger. This is where the opportunity to create a feedback loop between all of those came.

[00:14:32]

There is this focus on recovery. We understand there's recovery, but we actually have to also be future focused.

[00:15:59]

We can't use a reactionary framework for understanding and helping everyone. Cool stands for curious, observant, optimistic, offering options and keeping it light.

[00:24:41]

This is an always-on industry, making it hard for people to step away for training. That is why it is valuable to bring somebody in that can explore alongside the team, that can be the outside observer.

[00:25:13]

There are a few ways I’ve made the unknowns of entrepreneurship more manageable. I have a little happiness journal that helps me wake up the next day in a mindset of happiness and positivity. And I lean on people, friends, family, even strangers sometimes.

[00:33:54]

I've learned to say yes to every opportunity. Some of them turn out to be great opportunities, some of them are just learning opportunities.

[00:37:43]

I want people to unlearn the phrase, the customer is always right. And that's not easy. I think it's important that we unlearn that so that we can relearn how to support customers and guests.