It’s Time to Raise the Bar for How We Incentivize Hotel Workers

Pristine rooms, personalized recommendations, seamless travel arrangements…it’s the dedication of hardworking hotel employees that create meaningful guest experiences. But how much are we showing these workers what they mean to us? The work these individuals do is to be commended and deeply appreciated, now more than ever given the pressures and stresses of COVID-19. For General Managers, this means reevaluating techniques for driving morale and motivation and setting a new tone for a positive new beginning. 

I’ve been chatting with a lot of General Managers lately and I’m hearing that hiring is posing a challenge these days. Turnover is high among hotel service workers; it’s affecting productivity, morale and, of course, guest experiences. I’m not surprised by this news. Hotel employees are in a tough position to put it lightly. Millions have been laid off from their jobs, leaving skeleton crews doing more work just to keep hotels aligned with COVID protocols as they welcome guests back. Some of these employees can’t afford to find new work if they’re unsatisfied, yet they may be struggling to make ends meet with low service wages and little to no tips.

Employee of the week, shout-outs, and other ways of giving staff a nod no longer cut it. Now more than ever, staff need to know that management is behind them, not just in spirit but monetarily. A quick and easy way to start directly making improvements is by lessening the barrier to customer tipping. The simplest way to do this, especially now in today’s cashless era, is a digital tip jar that enables guests to easily give to hotel workers. eTip makes this even easier as an app-less solution. Guests simply hover the camera of their smartphone over a QR code and are automatically transferred to where they need to go to leave a tip.

You can print out an eTip QR code and leave it on display at the front desk, on room service menus, in digital or physical form by valet stands, and in digital or physical form in guest rooms. Properties using eTip have reported as much as a 78% increase in their workers’ tips, which has greatly impacted the guest experience.  

When it comes to hotel growth, you’re only as strong as your staff. eTip can help you incentivize your employees to do their best work and be rewarded for it. Learn more here.