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Two people sit at a wooden counter with pastries, one drinking from a mug and the other smiling. Wall art and a candle jar adorn the cozy indoor setting.
Coos Bay by Justin Myers

Oregon Guest Service Training

Providing good customer service is essential to your business’ reputation.

As consumers and travelers we all know the difference a good customer service experience can make on your impression of a business or community, but did you know that only 9% of customers will leave because they are lured away by the competition?

Fourteen percent will leave because of dissatisfaction with your product and a whopping 67% will leave because of the attitude of one person in your organization.

American Society for Quality

Providing good customer service is essential to your business’s reputation, a guest’s return intent and TripAdvisor reviews. A study from the Center for Hospitality Research found higher review scores allow hotels to charge up to 11.2% more while maintaining occupancy rates.

About Guest Service Gold®

Travel Oregon and the Oregon Hospitality Foundation have partnered with the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) to bring the Oregon travel and tourism industry an accredited and internationally recognized customer service training program, Guest Service Gold®.

Two versions of Guest Service Gold® are currently offered to Oregon’s travel and tourism industry, both using the same core principles and both available at an Oregon exclusive price of $40 per person:

  1. Guest Service Gold®: Tourism, Oregon Edition is applicable to a broad cross-section of hospitality-related organizations.
  2. Golden Opportunities uses hotel scenarios from national locations to illustrate its principles and is most applicable for accommodations-based organizations.

Organization’s can pre-register and pay for a group of employees or individuals can pay via credit card. Upon successful completion of the program, individuals will be recognized as a Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP®).

The curriculum includes:

  • Downloadable workbook with practice tests and practical ideas for implementation
  • Introduction video with seven true Oregon employee stories that illustrate core concepts
  • Diploma and lapel pin for those who successfully pass the test
  • Bonus course: TripAdvisor® Reputation Management online course

Guest Service Gold®: Tourism, Oregon Edition 

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The Guest Service Gold® training program offered through AHLEI offers a solution to the industry’s need for qualified, skilled workers who are trained to provide quality guest service. The program has been widely received by multiple Convention & Visitors Bureaus and Destination Marketing Organizations across the country. Although the program’s initial intent was specific to the hotel industry, other facets in the hospitality industry have embraced, adopted, and certified their team members with the Guest Service Gold® training. These include participants from restaurants, attractions, transportation companies, museums, and other travel, tourism and hospitality service providers.

Oregon’s tourism-focused course features stories of real Oregon hospitality employees and uses their actual service challenge stories to illustrate seven core principles essential to service.

Seven principles and story locations:

  1. Recovery: Turn it around – (Theory Restaurant at OMSI)
  2. Personalization: Provide an individualized experience – (Timberline Lodge & Ski Area)
  3. Knowledge: Be in the know – (Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel)
  4. Passion: Inspire others – (St. Josef’s Winery)
  5. Commitment: Be all in – (Portland International Airport)
  6. Inclusion: Include everyone – (Oregon Convention Center)
  7. Personality: Be yourself – (Travel Oregon Welcome Center)

Forms of Training

Both versions of the Guest Service Gold® customer service training program are available online and the Oregon Hospitality Foundation is offering some in-person classroom trainings as well. Learn more by visiting OregonGuestService.com.