Ashish Modak: service standards are what will sort the survivors from the weaklings this summer. Ashish Modak: service standards are what will sort the survivors from the weaklings this summer.

Impassioned hotelier Ashish Modak explains why a dedication to service standards will sort the strong from the weak in the competitive Middle East market

Service in the world of hospitality is an often-used and, dare I say, most abused term.

Every single offering in the industry today boasts of its ‘service’. From flamboyant terms like ‘most genuine’ and ‘most unobtrusive’ to the more commonly-used ‘professional’ and ‘friendly’, every restaurant worth its salt offers a definition of its service style.

In an over-crowded marketplace, where visions, mission statements and hospitality values are bandied about all over the place, the word ‘service’ is repeated to the Nth degree.

This poses a tough question to a diligent follower of the trade like me: how exactly does one define the word ‘service’?

A multitude of definitions have been offered in the past and a lot of consultancies and management firms have delved into exploring the ‘world’ of service definitions.

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Wherever you are in the world, the way guests are treated — and the outlet or property’s mantra for doing so — determines the whole experience of hospitality.

In an over crowded market place where every hotelier and restaurateur wants to carve a niche for himself and his operations, here is a simple way to go about it.

I personally believe today’s hospitality student needs to understand ‘The Three A’s of Service’.

The three A’s combine together to provide a seamless experience to guests in a restaurant or in an overall hotel or a resort scenario.

These three A’s which determine service are:

• Anticipation
• Acknowledgement
• Action

Service is nothing but a journey through these three A’s in a guest-employee scenario.