LQA - Leading Quality Assurance

Step 1 – Accessing the Client Area:

Go to the Leading Quality Assurance homepage at www.leadingquality.com

Where it says Account Number, type in your unique LW number. This will be the letters LW and four digits (i.e. LW1234). For security reasons you will only be granted access to the client section if you type in a valid LW number.

Under Password, type in: England. The password will change every six months to ensure maximum security and you will be advised of the new password via the biannual e-newsletter.

Once the account number and the password have been entered press submit.

Step 2 – Making Your Selection:

Once you have entered the client area of the site the page will indicate that you are logged in.

Now you can select from the drop down menu to define the data sample that you are interested in. The options you have to define include:

• The size of hotel
• The year that the inspections took place
• The region
• The country
• The city

Once you have made your selection press view report.

Step 3 – Analyzing the Data:

The scores will be listed by department and they will give you the average score for the data selected as well as the sample size (i.e. number of hotels) included within the selection.

To ensure client confidentiality, the benchmarking data will not be displayed if fewer than three hotels are included within the data selection.

The Program

The Leading Spas marketing program is an initiative aimed at increasing accommodation and spa revenues. However, unlike other marketing initiatives The Leading Spas program requires that the spas meet stringent product and service standards to ensure that the consumer's expectations are met.

The Standards

The standards were set at The Leading Hotels of the World standards committee, which is made up of hoteliers representing the different regions of the world. In addition, for the Leading Spas program, spa specialists from the United States, Europe and Asia were invited to help develop the standards. The resulting report measures five key measurement areas: Minimum Standards, Spa Operations, Spa Product, Spa Treatment and Fitness Facilities. Each section is given a score against pre-defined criteria, which combined give an overall score for the spa. Over 80 inspections in 29 countries were carried out between April and August 2004.

The Results

Interestingly, the results show that the hardware aspects of the spa (i.e. Spa Product and Fitness Facilities) were the areas that brought the overall score up whereas; the soft issues (i.e. Spa Treatment and Spa Operations) were the areas that brought the scores down. In other words, the service element of the spa delivery is the area that required the most amount of attention.

One of the areas that consistently bring down the inspection scores for the restaurants is the lack of selling that takes place. I believe that a sales orientated employee not only brings additional revenue to the restaurant, but also enhances the customer’s experience. The argument against selling is that ‘our guests don’t like pushy sales people’ and I would agree that there is nothing worse than a hard sell. However, a good sales person can sell in a friendly and customer focused approach, which is anything but pushy.

Prior to the Meal:

Guests going to a fine dining restaurant are usually going because they enjoy food, wine and great service. On this basis, prior to the meal, an offer of an aperitif would be a customer expectation. I particularly like hotels that use a Champagne Trolley, which serves as a visual prompt, whilst at the same time creating an indication of what is to come.

Food:

A key element of a well run restaurant is employees with good product knowledge. A good sales employee will be able to promote daily specials and recommend the restaurant’s signature dishes, in a way that will make a guest’s mouth water with anticipation. As these dishes are often priced at a premium, the restaurant will see increased revenues. For those restaurants that charge for side dishes, again the waiter needs to inform guests that this is the case and recommend side dishes that would complement the meal. If a starter is not ordered, a subtle suggestion of a small side salad or soup to start with may be all that is required to gain the sell. Following the main course, employees should automatically present the dessert menu and again state any specials or recommended dishes. The better the description the more likely that an order will be placed. If dessert is declined, employees should suggest something lighter like a selection of sorbets or fresh fruit. Alternatively, a suggestion of a selection of cheese may be appropriate for those guests that do not have a sweet tooth

Beverages:

An informed sommelier can make all the difference between a good and excellent meal. A good sommelier will pay attention to what food has been ordered and be able to recommend a range of suitable wines to accompany the meal. The sommelier needs to read his guests and choose an appropriate price point, which will work for them. The offer of mineral water is a standard in most countries and instead of offering a choice of iced water or mineral water, start by asking which type of mineral water the guests prefer with their meal. If they then ask for iced water, this should obviously be supplied, but if instead they request a specific mineral water, an additional sale has been made. The guests will appreciate good wine and water service with their glasses being topped up as required and at the same time this allows the sommelier to suggest an additional bottle of water/wine on completion of the first. Following the meal, again I like the use of a liqueur trolley where guests are tempted to order a Cognac or Port to finish off a memorable evening.

Train and implement the above sales standards and see your revenues grow, your inspection scores improve and your customers return time and time again.