The Greek islands have many opportunities for travelers, and it has become one of the most sought-after vacation spots in the world. These islands are historic for their beauty, with many worldwide travelers coming here for centuries for what th”ey believe to be healing properties. Recent visitors may or may not believe in healing waters or sun powers, but they are interested in a chance to be spoiled, get away, and enjoy the island’s vast natural offerings, as well as the luxuries of the sister islands and the ocean. Mykonos, part of the Cyclades island chain, is one of the major islands in this group, which includes 56 other islands, both major and minor (Greece Government, Islands of Greece).
The Myconian Ambassador Relais & Chateaux Hotel is a luxury hotel on the island of Myconos, off the Greek coast. The resort offers a number of high-class amenities, including private accomodations for island hopping, special overnight packages, extra concierge services, and a range of “perks” that bring in repeat customers. The resort opened its doors in 1992, to continue a longstanding tradition of luxury vacationing on the island. The owners are all brothers, and they expect management of the Ambassador to treat every guest like family, because they understand that guests travel a great distance to witness the beauty of this island.
The hotel rests on the sands of Platis Gialos, and is constructed to borrow modern art while remaining true to the form of the landscape. The ocean air keeps the island at a year-round consistent temperature, so visitors occupy the rooms nearly every day of the year. They come for the beauty, and they stay for the high quality of care and pampering the receive at the Ambassador. Managing a hotel that offers some of the world’s most luxurious vacation opportunities, where the owners expect every guest to be as spoiled as family, requires a high level of devotion and attention to detail (Greek Government, Myconian Ambassador).
The various functions of the resort operations:
This resort is full of decoration, perfection, and fine-tuning. It takes a great deal to keep the style up to par, and the functions of the daily operations are vast. The resort offers a full range of services, so drivers, pilots, chaufers, personal trainers, maids, and a list of people providing these services on a daily basis is a monumental task. Spear-heading customer complaints, questions, requests and overall enjoyment is also a constant vigil, so managers must be diligent in keeping abreast of these requests. The full list of services offered by the hotel, with added amenities, is listed here:
Spa and Fitness: Spa includes experienced professional who will guide users to the right healing properties, such as different water temperatures and healing oils. Facilities offer sauna and steam rooms, as well as a menu of services supported by masseuse and beauty experts. Visitors are attracted by the rare beauty treatment, Elimis (Greek government, Myconian Ambassador). The fitness portion offers Pilates and yoga led by professionals on private beaches.
Beach and Pool – The main beach, Platis Gialos, is directly accessible from the resort. Professionals offer lessons in a number of water activities, and captains take tours onto the water from this beach. Fresh towels are offered daily. The pool deck, called, “Stay”, is an elaborate deck, complete with waiter service.
Guest Services – These unique experiences include concierge services, luxury fleets, flight options, and a boutique. The concierge list includes: business center, babysitting, doctor on call, car rental, hairdressing, floral arrangements, scuba diving, horse riding, and valet parking. The luxury fleet comes with a range of Mercedes products, all handled by a chauffeur. Taking flight means access to a pilot and a range of helicopters and private jets. The boutique offers a clothing expert for anyone who needs an outfit for a range of situations.
These services combine to create the best possible resort experience, but they must be coordinated with each other to provide a safe, fun experience. The managers of each section must work together to ensure guests do not accidentally harm themselves trying to “do it all” while on vacation. Communication is essential, as is putting together a plan to help guide guests through a stay. Working together, each manager, with the hotel manager, must determine suggested packages that will give each guest the best possible outcome. By nature, resorts can do this because they are focused on the experience; the Myconian Ambassador offers mapped activities, as well as trained staff to provide customized guest advice.
The Myconian is semi-isolated through its island location. This means that management must ensure there is ample storage space for supplies, proper waste removal from the island, and safety measures followed to make sure no one gets sick (Ofilada, 23). The Myconian Ambassador, along with many other resorts on the island, are built to accommodate a number of guests, and follow Greek law to ensure supplies are stored properly. There is plenty of space for food, medical supplies, cleaners, and anything else necessary to keep the standards high. Additionally, the waste is collected and removed to a landfill near Athens, where most of Greece collects trash (Lowen, 2013). Managers perform routine checks to ensure that staff are properly caring for both the supplies and the waste products to keep the facility healthy.
The managers must also make sure the guest experience is fun as well as safe. As Mykonos is a consistent temperature throughout the year, the activities do not change with the seasons. Diving lessons and scuba classes are offered by water experts, and glass-bottom boat tours are run by expert captains. The beauticians on site work the full body beauty, from the hair, to the skin, to helping clients look years younger with natural products. Spa experts discuss personal health goals to design the best possible health care menu for every guest, and pilots offer aerial tours of the numerous Greek islands. The structure and organization of these activities begins before a guest arrives, with a chance for a guest to review, then sign up, for services via the Internet (Greek government, Myconian Ambassador). After the guest has checked in, available times for requested activities is shared, and guests begin planning their experiences. Guests who are unsure of which experience is best for them are offered a customer service representative on site, who will talk to the guest to build the perfect stay. This is where customer service is most important; the guest must feel spoiled like family, as the owner has requested of all staff. Managers must handle complaints in a timely fashion, and it rarely happens at the Myconian Ambassador that a complaint goes unchecked for any period of time. Part of excellent customer service is responding to complaints, then making the guest as comfortable as possible as a result of the complaint. The Myconian Ambassador management and staff has a structured complaint system to ensure every guest has the perfect experience.
The quality checks that must be done to make sure each guest has the healthiest, happiest stay possible are vast. Managers must make sure quality is monitored every day, which means staff must fill out daily paperwork documenting cleanliness, proper storage, and activities completed to maintain quality. For example, the kitchen staff must document the disinfection of the dishwashing machines every night by initialing a piece of paper. If an issue is discovered, this piece of paper is used as a legal document to state that the job was completed by the employee.
If an employee, however, fills out paperwork without completing the quality maintenance work, the manager must take disciplinary action. If a maid states that she added chlorine to the private jacuzzi on a piece of paper, but she did not, she faces penalties up to termination. Every resort must have a system of quality checks and controls to make sure every operation is running smoothly.
An additional quality check for the Myconian Ambassador are the background checks for expert staff. The resort promises experts in certain areas; these credentials must be on file for the staff to be labeled “expert”. This quality control protects the resort legally. No one can accuse the resort of false advertising, as the official documents necessary to prove the staff’s expert status is ready to present at a moment’s notice.
A third quality check that must be performed by the resort involves the guests directly. If a guest reports a staff member or expert acting inappropriately, the management must look into the accusations immediately. An investigation must be completed to make sure guests are being exposed to responsible individuals, who consider privacy and personal space important for everyone. As they Myconian Ambassador offers a number of services that must bring staff and guest into close quarters, such as massage, it’s important to have specific guidelines in place to protect both staff and guests.
Any organization handling people must have similar quality control checks in place, such as the high-quality checks within my organization. We often meet with clients over the Internet or in an office, where customers are allowed to browse options. We begin with paperwork, planning the customers’ perfect vacation, and we follow up with a list of possibilities, with flights, hotels, resorts, prices, and options. The customer chooses in-office, or lets us know within a week which package works best.
As soon as the package is chosen, the first quality check is complete – the customer has secured the interaction, and the package is secure in our databases. We then confirm all travel plans and reservations to ensure the client has their desired days locked in. We send the client notification via email, and keep a copy for ourselves. These copies ensure our standard of quality; we do not lose record of our interactions, in case the client wishes to make changes or refute our contract.
We follow up with flight information and resort reservations, to ensure nothing changes. We inform the customer via phone call or text if we know a flight is delayed, and we work to help the customer change flights if necessary. This is part of our quality control because we are following through on our promise to the customer. We also communicate regularly with resort managers to make sure the resort is ready for the customer, and we watch weather reports to keep the quality of our customer service above average. We alert the customer to any changes, leaving little surprises.
Our customer service quality checks include keeping the customer up-to-date until he or she is at their resort, and our inter-office quality checks, such as documenting every interaction, keep our prices reasonable. We also record changing prices, to keep the quality of our information as accurate as possible. These quality checks fall into conjunction with quality checks performed at any resort to provide a seamless experience for every customer.
Resorts are generally safe and pleasurable, but there are unforeseen circumstances, which the above-mentioned quality checks are meant to avoid. However, incidents happen, and any resort is a target, no matter how thorough their quality checks. For example, a resort might have a food poisoning outbreak, even in the most sanitary situations. Water-borne illnesses might arise in pools, such as Legionella, which is natural bacteria found in water. The only method of removal is to keep hot water hot – resort jacuzzi’s must be kept at a pre-determined temperature to avoid a human outbreak (CDC, 2). Parasite outbreaks, such as bed bugs or head lice, might happen in a resort environment, if quality checks are not completed for the washing of linens between each guest. Washing the linens in hot water and checking facilities for evidence of pests on a regular schedule, usually between guests, is essential to preventing this costly infestation. Poor human judgement, such as drinking too much then ejecting bodily fluids in inappropriate places, also threaten the safety of other guests. The human body is a host of bacteria and dangerous communicable organisms that have the power to make everyone around them ill. A plan shared with all staff regarding the procedure to quickly move the guest to a designated area, then clean and disinfect the area, will help keep other guests safe and healthy. Some resorts, such as the Myconian Ambassador, have hired a doctor on site as part of the concierge service, to assure guests stay safe and healthy. Any guest who feels the need to see a doctor has the option; the guest who has gotten sick in the aforementioned example would be sent to the doctor’s facilities, where the doctor will monitor the guest and keep the illness in a contained area.
The resort is not the only place where tragedy could strike. Natural disasters are a possibility, in fact, a rare natural occurrence, called a medicane, hit the Mediterranean on October 31, 2016 (Erdman, 1). This is a hurricane that starts, and ends, in the Mediterranean Sea. It is not typically strong, but a hurricane on any level has the potential to wreak havoc on the coast line, especially at an island resort such as Myconian Ambassador. The Ambassador was not harmed during the storm, but it is a situation of which we must be aware. It’s important to watch the weather of the desired vacation location to make sure the customer is not flying into a hurricane, or any other form of disaster situation. Resorts offer money-back guarantees, or will change vacation dates, to customers inconvenienced by weather issues. Our company will call the resort and travel companies to secure as much refund as possible for the client who has had to stay home due to weather concerns.
Travel is also a concern when attempting to reach a vacation destination. Planes encounter issues, taxis break down, drivers miss appointments, or any other combination of travel-related issues might happen. While it’s rare for travel arrangements to go awry, it’s important for a company such as mine to understand the risks, and offer solutions to customers, in case something does go wrong.
If a plane has an issue and needs to make an emergency landing, it’s important to first make sure the customer is safe. After the safety is confirmed, a new flight must be found as soon as possible. As a travel agency, our job is to make sure the customer finds the best flight, in as little time as possible. The best situation finds the customer being able to stay on time with travel times, however, our company offers liaison services between airline and customer if something goes amiss with the flight. We attempt to keep the customer moving, and if we cannot, we help the customer find a local place to stay, transportation, and help the customer request a refund or discount from the airline. We keep the customer as comfortable and calm as possible, while we make the phone calls and shoulder the stress of getting the customer moving again.
If a customer is traveling in a vehicle run by the city of destination, either a taxi, city bus, or other form of transportation, we offer services in case of an accident. If the car breaks down, the customer is offered an alternative mode of transportation. If a customer is in an accident, medical services are offered, and alternative forms of transportation are provided. Traveling to and from the vacation destination is as unpredictable as anything in life, so we provide safeguards to keep the customer as comfortable as possible.
The customer might also feel unsafe at any point during the trip if he or she is confronted by an individual who seems to be threatening. It’s important for the customer to understand the culture of the country, identify law enforcement if necessary, and know how to complain to a resort manager, if necessary. If safety is threatened, a customer must calmly find a source of authority as quickly as possible, after finding a safe shelter, such as a well-lit or busy building. We help customers understand how to complain, when to complain, when to seek help, and how to ask a foreign law official for assistance.
The procedures in place to ask for help in any situation comply with federal trade laws, and laws the world over, because they are basic rules that we share with all customers:
Stay calm
Identify authority
Tell the authority you need help
Work with authority – answer questions
Follow instruction of emergency personnel
Make sure you are safe before calling our agency, then call for help from us immediately
These basic rules do not break any laws through their simplicity. However, we understand the importance of understanding the laws of the destination country, especially if the customer is under duress. We include a basic pamphlet for handling an emergency in the specific country of destination, and, if requested, copies of similar pamphlets for any countries that might be passed in-flight, in case there is an emergency landing.
There is no guarantee that a vacation will be perfect, no matter how much planning we complete with a customer. It’s important to consider everyone’s safety, understand how the resort will treat a guest, and communicate with everyone involved on a consistent basis to stay safe. Quality control must be completed at every stage of the process, and checks must be completed by resort management. Resorts are the mecca of the vacation world; customers expect only the best here. They expect none of the aforementioned issues to happen to them, so checking, re-checking, maintaining monitoring of the area, understanding how to handle a messy situation, and maintaining great reputations with a number of vacation destinations is essential for the survival of my company. My years of experience have taught me that there’s never too much monitoring, too much contact, or too much double-checking to keep every customer safe, every time.
The Myconian Ambassador upholds these beliefs, with a professional level of customer care, unique services offered in some packages, and a plethora of opportunities for customers to have a relaxing time. As is fitting for a resort, the rooms are spacious, intended for an extended stay, if necessary. The concierge services are among the best in the world, and the quality checks keep guests safe on a continuous basis. Only experts take guests into the water, on the boats, or into the spas, therefore, if a guest has a mishap, the expert understands what to do. There are few staff who give lessons that do not know how to handle an emergency, such as a jellyfish sting or other natural occurrence. The experience at this resort is escalated because the staff make the experience great, spoiling guests, treating them like family, and placing the safety of the guests first.
We are happy to work with people such as the Myconian Ambassador team because we put our heart into keeping customers safe and happy while on vacation. Similar to the Myconian, we assure our reputation by being stringent on our quality control and excellent customer care.
References:
Center for Disease Control,. Waterborne Illnesses. Washington DC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017. Print.
Erdman, John. "Halloween Surprise: Rare Tropical Storm Forms In Mediterranean Sea". The Weather Channel. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
Lowen, Mark. "Greece Waste: Mounds Of Filth On An Island Paradise". BBC News - Athens 2013: 1. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
"Luxurious Guest Services | Myconian Ambassador Hotel". Luxury hotel in Mykonos. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
Ofilada, Tito Antonia. "Resort Management". 2017. Presentation.
"Visit Greece | Greek Islands". Visit Greece | The Official website of the Greek Tourism Organisation. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
