Jill Nghiem of ‘The Leo Kent, Tucson, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel’ On 5 Ways To Create a Wow! Customer Experience
Make it personal — find out what the guest likes and tailor the experience to the guest. Everyone knows that if your child/pet is happy, the parent is happy.
As part of our series about the five things a business should do to create a Wow! customer experience, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jill Nghiem, general manager for The Leo Kent.
As general manager at The Leo Kent, Tucson, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Jill Nghiem is responsible for the successful execution of strategic goals and management of teams ensuring performance in alignment with those goals for hotels. Her passion for travel and hospitality matched with her robust academic and industry experience is what sets her apart. Nghiem first obtained a Bachelor of Science in tourism and hospitality management from Temple University, then acquired real-world experience as a manager-in-training for the Ritz Carlton. This role evolved into her traveling around the country to work at various Ritz Carlton properties in different hospitality roles. From Half Moon Bay to Marina Del Rey and Bachelor Gulch, she finally landed in Tucson as Assistant General Manager and Food and Beverage Director for the Tucson Marriott, University Park. Nghiem has been a loyal Marriott employee since, leading the University Park hotel through a 15 million dollar renovation, pandemic, rebuilding of a team, and much more. Utilizing her knowledge gained from the past decade, Nghiem is working to create the best guest experience possible at The Leo Kent in Tucson, and with Marriott, to create the best Tribute property in the portfolio.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
My interest in hotels and the hospitality realm started with an “Intro to Hotels” elective class I took in college. I promptly switched my major at Temple University and began my journey. I obtained a Bachelor of Science in tourism and hospitality management from Temple University and gained real-world experience with my first position as a manager in training with The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia. I quickly moved through various positions and locations within The Ritz-Carlton brand, getting to travel around the country. I finally landed in Tucson 10 years ago and have been living here ever since! Now as general manager at The Leo Kent, Tucson, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, I am responsible for the successful execution of strategic goals and management of teams ensuring performance in alignment with those goals for hotels.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
A core memory I have from my early customer service days comes from when I was a server at a restaurant in my hometown. I had a large table that ordered sodas, and when I approached the table, I lost the balance of my tray and dumped 6 sodas all over a customer. I told him that his ice cream was going to be on me today, and he responded with “at least it won’t be on me!!” I will never forget that moment. Since then, I try to always be authentic and open-hearted with customers.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
There was a leader at a Marina Del Rey property I worked at who always pushed me to be better, and allowed me the leeway to make mistakes and learn from them. I will never forget when he told me, “You are ready for your next move when you are 60% ready.” I always remember him pushing me to take the next steps or take a leap without fear.
Thank you for that. Let’s now pivot to the main focus of our interview. This might be intuitive, but I think it’s helpful to specifically articulate it. In your words, can you share a few reasons why great customer service and a great customer experience is essential for business success?
Great customer service will always lend itself to repeat guests. I’m sure everyone has one business that they love because of the customer service, and are likely willing to spend more to ensure they are spending with that business. As a business operator, there is nothing better than seeing repeat guests come back to the hotel because they know that they will get the service and goods they expect. Of course, happy customers also tell their friends and family, which is an easy way to gain new guests. These days, guests are paying more than ever, and expect to get the service that they are paying for.
We have all had times either in a store, or online, when we’ve had a very poor experience as a customer or user. If the importance of a good customer experience is so intuitive, and apparent, where is the disconnect? How is it that so many companies do not make this a priority?
Oftentimes, front-line associates are not empowered to make the decisions needed to provide great customer service all of the time. They are afraid to make a mistake or handle something wrong, so the response is often to do nothing at all. Training is critical to success and putting our team members into the shoes of the guest, and role-playing different scenarios is a great way to ensure this is practiced. Training and empowerment take time and resources and often it is the first thing to go when times get tough. While not always possible, it should be the first thing to remain.
Do you think that more competition helps force companies to improve the customer experience they offer? Are there other external pressures that can force a company to improve the customer experience?
Technology is an ever-growing external factor, and some might say it is replacing the human interaction we encounter in the practice of customer service. Everyone wants to start using technology within their business to create a seamless transition for their employees. However, a quick and flawless transaction can be the key to a great customer service experience. If you look at large coffee brands as an example, those that do it well are the ones with the busiest and fastest drive-through, even if the local mom-and-pop coffee shop has coffee that is ten times better!
Can you share with us a story from your experience about a customer who was “Wowed” by the experience you provided?
We had a group of guests that were celebrating one child, while their other child could not make the trip. Through chatting with the guest, I found out that we had a mutual friend from another hotel property and that she was loyal to the hotel brand and visited a lot of our properties. I was able to reach out to my mutual friend who got on her Facebook and sent me photos of the guest with both of her daughters. I printed the photos and put them in her guest room so she would have a nice photo of her family during her stay. We also sent some chocolate treats and champagne to commemorate the celebration that was being had locally. Because of this Wow moment, the guest will never stay anywhere else when visiting, and will likely begin staying with me at The Leo Kent.
Did that Wow! experience have any long-term ripple effects? Can you share the story?
The guest shared her experience with the parents within the sorority circle that her daughter was part of, and we became the hub for the special sorority weekends — it meant a lot more business for the hotel.
Ok, here is the main question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should know to create a Wow! Customer Experience. Please share a story or an example for each.
- Make it personal — find out what the guest likes and tailor the experience to the guest. Everyone knows that if your child/pet is happy, the parent is happy.
- Make it easy for the guest — don’t make it so the guest has to jump through hoops to have the experience. For example, We had treats waiting in the room — don’t make them come down to get them or wait until they are ready for bed to deliver.
- Try to include everyone — Ensure if there are any dietary needs or restrictions, you meet them. You always want to include as many people in the event as possible. For example, if you have underage children, sending non-alcoholic sparkling cider would be a nice addition so everyone can partake.
- Include a takeaway to remember the experience. Something they can tuck away in their suitcase that will help them to remember. This could be a handwritten card or a memento with the hotel’s name
- It does not have to be expensive. Something as simple as a handwritten card signed by the staff can go miles for a guest who might be experiencing a difficult life situation or is feeling lonely. There are many ways to show that you care without having to cost a lot of money. Sometimes something as simple as a quick 5-minute conversation can go a long way to building a customer for life.
Are there a few things that can be done so that when a customer or client has a Wow! experience, they inspire others to reach out to you as well?
Including your business’s social media links or information can be a great way for customers to contact you without being intrusive.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Where I live in Arizona there are so many patches of wildflowers around that go unknown to outside sources. As a beautiful part of the Southwest, I wish that we could disperse wildflower seeds all over the freeways so all travelers can see them when they are going from place to place. Roads can be boring and grey, but having colorful flowers would be an incredible sight!
How can our readers follow you on social media?
You can follow The Leo Kent on our new Instagram page — @theleokent
Or follow along through the website — https://www.leokenthotel.com/
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
