Coaching Model: The Hotel

A Coaching Model Created by Anuj Sharma
(Business Coach, INDIA)

Traveler, pray lodge in this unworthy house. The bath is ready. A peaceful room awaits you. Come in! Come in!~ Translation of a sign at the doorway of an inn, Takamatsu, Japan
When you get into a hotel room, you lock the door, and you know there is a secrecy, there is a luxury, there is a fantasy. There is comfort. There is reassurance. ~Diane von Furstenberg

Introduction:

The hospitality industry has been a part of life ever since I remember. My family owns a Resort Hotel in a small town in India and I have literally grown up in this industry as we live in the resort premises itself.

I have been actively involved with the resort business since past 10 years but my mind has always been receptive about what happens in a hotel and how this industry work. That is why it is most natural to me to approach my coaching with an analogy about how a hotel works.

Also, I chose to develop this model and adapt it as my coaching style because Hotel is something that everyone relates to across all countries & cultures and it will help me to connect with clients coming even from diverse backgrounds as we all know what a hotel is and how it feels like to stay in a hotel. Moreover, I wish to develop my coaching niche in coaching the management & staff of the hotels; this model will help them to easily identify with the coaching process as they would be familiar with the hotel terminology.

The clients will basically check into the hotel of their own thoughts and feelings and explore it to make their stay comfortable and they will eventually check out feeling refreshed and rejuvenated and hopefully with a fresh perspective which will help them to reach their full potential in whatever they choose to accomplish.

Under this model, the coaching process will involve the following steps:

1) Make a Reservation
2) Check-In
3) Let’s explore the property
4) Unpack your bags
5) Have some food for thought
6) Let’s do some Housekeeping
7) Sleep over it
8) Pack it up & Check-Out
9) Review your stay with us!

The Hotel Coaching Model

Let us now go through each of these steps one by one and how they would be used during the coaching process;

1) Make a Reservation

This will be the beginning of the “Coach” and “Coachee” relationship whereby the client shall identify their need for coaching and approach the coach for it.

This is also the stage where the Business Development aspect of my coaching would come in place and I would use the tools to promote and advertise my coaching business to find clients who would like to work with me just like a hotel advertises itself to get new reservations.

2) Check-In

This will be a discovery stage of the session where the client will get to know me as the coach and I, in turn, will get to know my client and their personal details.

Just like a guest fills a Registration Card in a hotel at the time of checking in, the client will help me to get acquainted with their life and personal details. This shall be achieved by filling-in of a pre-session form or a “Get-to-Know-You” document which shall form a part of my coaching kit.

A very important aspect at this stage of our coaching relationship is to establish an atmosphere of trust and goodwill between me and the client. A rapport has to be built between us and I also would be assuring them about the secrecy and confidentiality of our coaching conversations.

The secrecy and privacy of a guest is paramount in any hotel and a guest would always prefer to protect whatever goes behind the locked door of his room once he has checked into the hotel. Similarly, I would be creating a comfortable and confidential space for my client wherein they can talk about anything and everything without worrying about it leaving the private space of our conversation.

3) Let’s Explore the Property

Whenever a guest checks into a hotel, the first thing they do while walking up to their room, is to explore the hotel and get themselves familiar with it. Usually, the bellhop who is escorting the guest up to their room talks to the guest and tells them about various facts regarding the hotel.

At this point, once I know a little about my client, I would assume the role of that bellhop and I would be walking them through their mind, exploring their feelings and this is also the stage where we shall be forming our “Coaching Contract” and figure out what is it that they wish to achieve from the coaching process.

4) Unpack your bags

Once a guest has checked-into their room and made themselves comfortable, they begin to unpack their luggage and arrange it for the duration of their stay. So, during this step of the coaching process, the client will describe their current situation and I, as their coach, shall be listening to them intently and with complete mindfulness to help them unpack all their mental baggage and lay it all out neatly in a properly organized manner.

5) Have some food for thought

At this stage, we shall be dialing-in the room service and order some food for thought for the client! This is where I shall be asking right and powerful questions which will help the client to introspect deeper into their situation and help them to gain some awareness about themselves. I shall also invite the client to challenge their preconceived notions and to free their mind from judgment, if any.

6) Let’s do some Housekeeping

Once the client gains an insight into their current situation, we shall proceed to look at various options available to them. The client and I will work together to look at the situation from different perspectives and taking into account the strength and values of the client. This is also where we shall be exploring various options available to them and I shall help them to identify and evaluate these options taking care that there is absolutely no judgment involved in the process.

7) Sleep Over it

After a long day, all that a guest expects from a hotel, is a comfortable and refreshing sleep which helps them to wake-up feeling fresh & rejuvenated to carry on forward full of energy! During my coaching process, I would be doing something similar.

Near the end of our session, I will try and briefly sum-up what the client has discussed with me and what are their takeaways from the session. The client will be encouraged to have some positive introspection about the session. Over here, I shall also encourage the client by acknowledging and affirming their strengths and attributes and how they can help the client in achieving their goals.

8) Pack it up & Check-Out

After a comfortable stay, a guest packs their bags and checks-out of the hotel feeling refreshed and rested to take on the road ahead and to face the rest of their day.

In this penultimate stage of the coaching process, I shall strive to help my clients in creating action for them. This is also where we shall bring in the accountability of the client and make them commit to their plans and to visualize how they will achieve them. We will lay out small action plans or steps which will help the client to gradually reach their desired goal.

9) Review your stay!

In my opinion, a guest’s feedback is the most important currency for any hotel anywhere in the world. Yes, even more valuable than the money itself! Because, a feedback or a review allows the hotel to improve upon its strengths and weaknesses to serve their guests in an even better manner.

Hence, this is the most important stage in coaching process as over here the client will be encouraged to review and reflect upon the coaching session. They will be encouraged to delve into their awareness about what choices they have made and what outcomes they have achieved and how their progress has been so far. The clients will also be encouraged to share what they would like to work upon in the future and if there are any changes required in the coaching process which will make them even more comfortable and which will help them achieve even better results.

I would also invite the clients to share their testimonials as it will help me to further develop my coaching practice. There is no better marketing tool for a hotel than the guest reviews or recommendation by people who have actually stayed in the property and experienced it themselves. Hence, my clients can be my biggest brand ambassadors by sharing their personal experience with prospective clients and help them to decide whether they would benefit from engaging me as their coach.