Without Nathaniel Jones, Kipsu at the Hampton Inn Santa Clarita would not run the same. An operations manager and true Kipsuvian, Nate has utilized Kipsu to make genuine connections with his guests for years. From making people smile to great reviews, Nate knows how to make the guests feel like they are at home away from home. But who is Nathaniel Jones, and why does he excel at hotel hospitality?

Nate started as a night auditor and worked up the ladder to become an operational manager within his first two and a half years at the Hampton Inn Santa Clarita. With a couple of years in hospitality under his belt, Nate says Kipsu is all he knows because it was put in place the first day he joined the hotel. Being the driving force behind what the messaging system could do, Nate surpassed all expectations. He learned how to utilize Kipsu to better his guests' experience at the Santa Clarita by tapping back into his night auditor days.

Previously being a night auditor, Nate expresses that he "never really had to talk to people on the phone and really didn't like talking to people over the phone." However, this is not because he didn't like his guests - actually quite the opposite! He preferred talking to people face to face or any other method that made all their requests clear,

"over the phone, everything gets misconstrued… and a lot of [guests] don't know how to use a hotel phone. [With Kipsu], it's given us a better way to talk to people… It's a lot easier when you can like, text it. Then you have a clear understanding of where the conversation is going… Plus, most of the people we just hired are like 20-somethings, so they're used to texting, so it makes everything a lot easier." 

However, Kipsu is only a vessel at the Santa Clarita. What actually drives Nate's vibrant personality, guest satisfaction, and Kipsu’s messaging system forward is the hotel's philosophy, "It's called 'ACHUE,' and it [means] 'anticipate needs, compliment, humor, unexpected delight, and empathy.'"  "Kipsu just makes it that much easier to communicate with people."And, with such a great motto already set in place, Nate expresses,

Nevertheless, what Nate also takes pride in are hotel reviews and SALT scores. So, Nate takes it upon himself to ensure that he gets the best feedback from his guests by checking in on them before leaving. "Yeah, the SALT scores especially... [Kipsu] just makes it where we're able to anticipate the problems better. Because a lot of people won't talk to us face to face, and a lot of people won't bring up their problems or issues that they actually have… But because of Kipsu, it's giving them more of an opportunity [and allowing] us to fix those issues because they're actually more willing to send a text than they are to actually call or talk to the front desk… And that mid-stay check-in is like, '[the guest rates you] a four,' and you're like 'why is this a four, talk to me, let's fix this.' Whereas before, we didn't have any of those checks. We had no idea." Understanding and fixing a minor problem that a guest encounters means the world to Nate. Not only does he get to improve the hotel's scores, but he also gets to make the guests' experience that much better. And less angry calls to the front desk! 

But, most importantly, Nate just loves the fact that Kipsu is a device that everyone can enjoy, "Oh, most everybody completely enjoys it [the guests and staff]… Everybody who has tried it, really does enjoy it."

After hearing all the ways Nate made Kipsu his own tool to better connect with his guests and improve their stay, it was obvious why the hotel was doing so well; Nathaniel Jones. He was a joy to interview and can make anyone he is talking to feel like family. 

Congratulations to Nate and the rest of the Santa Clarita team for creating such an enjoyable environment!