Sample Surveys and Interviews

Two different surveys/interviews will be conducted in order to determine the training needs for the front desk staff. The first will be a Likert survey of hotel guests checking out during a two-week period. While not a statistically random sample, guests will be given a short questionnaire regarding their experience with the front desk staff. The Likert scale from 1 to 5 with five being most satisfied will be used to determine how satisfied guests were with their front desk experience. This will include checking in, checking out and their overall experience. Guests will also be able to add comments in a free-form section at the end of the survey; this will provide additional information that will help develop the training program. Likert surveys can be helpful at identifying areas in which the hotel is deficient (Ellis, 2004). Survey questions are included at the end of Part 1.

Interviews will be conducted with front desk employees and supervisors to determine what they believe the property's strengths and weaknesses are from a front desk perspective. This will include whether employees are comfortable with the training they have received on the property management system, the telephone system, and whether they feel competent answering concierge-type requests. Supervisors will be asked the same questions during the interview process about themselves as well as their staff. By comparing