The Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, located on the beautiful campus of Michigan State University, not only provides a top-notch service to guests, but also serves as a training laboratory for Hotel Management students (many of whom are students at MSU school of Hospitality Business). The Kellogg Hotel’s rooms are filled with a wide array of guests from MSU parents to visiting lecturers, and business travels from Fortune 500 companies, while the Conferences Center hosts over 400,000 visitors each year for various events including weddings, seminars, meetings and conferences. Although this large variety of guests and a mostly student-driven staff poses its challenges, through actively listening to each request and question through text and digital messaging, the Kellogg Hotel and & Conference Center delivers an outstanding experience for their guests.

Bradley Benton, Rooms Division Manager and Kipsu star, finds that through the philosophy of D.O.S.E. (which- in true MSU style- stands for Delivering Outstanding Spartan Experiences) each guest can have a “memorable and exceptional” experience.

“The key to providing great customer service starts with paying attention to our guest’s needs and requests. Whether it is a suggestion about a change to the property or a service shortfall, we feel great service starts with good listening skills.”Bradley Benton, Rooms Division Manager

This focus of personalized guest experience is elevated through Kipsu’s use of both initiating conversations and creating a deeper relationship with the guest through one-on-one, human interactions. The staff noticed not only a “significant increase in guest interaction,” but also “found that our conversations are more robust.” Within the first month of implementing Kipsu, The Kellogg Hotel initiated 1,135 conversations with guests–furthering what they already were doing so well, “paying attention to our guest’s needs” and having “good listening skills.”

One unexpected benefit that sprung from Kellogg’s use of Kipsu was the opportunity to create a more comfortable experience for a guest with a hearing disability. Benton explained that “the guest was easily able to place room service” through a “comfortable means of communication.” With Kipsu facilitating the conversation, the Kellogg team and their signature “Spartan” service made this guest’s stay remarkable and truly unforgettable.

Because each day at the Kellogg Hotel is full of exceptional stories like this one, staff members are asked to share a personal moment of customer service brilliance at the end of each shift. “By celebrating and displaying our successes,we hope to inspire all team members to go above-and- beyond our guest expectations,” says Benton. “Since connecting communication between our staff and hotel guests through Kipsu, we have found that our conversations are more robust. The service is an effective way for our staff to engage more effectively with our guests because they are sometimes reluctant to share their experience.”

Kellogg Hotel’s Benton and his team are dedicated to providing exceptional service that guests “will not find anywhere else in East Lansing.” With Kipsu now in place, these Spartans are sure to live up to this goal and keep the standards high for hospitality in their university town for years to come.

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