Hello!

Good morning and welcome to hotel xy! Reception speaking, my name is John. Thank you for calling, how may I help you?

Honestly, do you like these answers when you call a hotel? And do you understand or even listen to any of that? Has it ever happened to you that you open your mouth to speak but realize that the person on the other side of the line wasn't done?

The one above is by far not one of the longest I've heared or were forced to recite. But all hotel manuals and all standard procedures ask of you to waste your breath and the callers time! I'm not completely against them. I'm surely against giving your name. What for? Who cares? "The caller will have the feeling to know you, feel more at ease..." Don't make me laugh!

And the longer the presentation the less enthusiasm a receptionist will show when answering the phone.

I tried to speak loud and clear, but my doubts return when I get these answers to my "standard answer":

- Good morning, is this the hotel xy? (come on, what did I just say?)

- Hi, I would like to open a new bankaccount. (Sure, send me the money, I'll take care of it!)

- Hello, I need an appointment with the gynecologist (Hmmm...no clever answer to that)

- My electricity bill is too high, can I speak with you? (No)

- Oh, hi Stephanie! (ok, the hotel had "Stephanie" in its name, but I surely don't have a girls voice!)

- any other call where they think they are speaking with a differnt hotel and start asking for roomnumbers that don't exist, clients who have never checked in etc

So my suggestion is to keep it short, smile while answering the phone (it will be easier with a short greeting) and sometimes just forget manuals and unflexible standards. You are in a hotel, not in the army!