White Lotus Teaches Managers How Not to Deal With Problem Customers

HBO’s cringe-camp masterpiece The White Lotus portrays the difficult, entitled and arguably narcissistic guests of a luxury resort chain, along with the hotel workers who struggle to appease them. It’s outrageous but not unrealistic: A 2022 study found that hospitality professionals report an abnormally high number of mental health challenges.

This is clearly demonstrated by Season One’s Murray Bartlett’s mustachioed hotel manager, Armond, who is driven to the very edge of sanity. The stress ultimately leads him to defile one impossible-to-please guest’s suitcase. How can managers and team leaders in Armond’s position avoid falling into that nightmare?

Armond tells his staff to “disappear behind [their] masks” and to treat each guest like the “special chosen baby child of the hotel.” But perhaps that’s not the healthiest tact. While a reputation for good customer service is very important, not every customer is always right. In fact, some predatory customers can seriously harm your business.

Cherish your best customers, but deal with your worst by using a healthy combo of empathetic tactics and self-care:

• Lean on your listening skills. Angry customers need to vent, and even though you’re not personally the problem, you can lend an ear. Let them know you understand, repeat their story back to them, and say you’re sorry that the customer is having a bad experience. A “listen > apologize > solve > thank” throughline is effective, but you don’t have to debase yourself or suffer abuse.
• Take the time to decompress after difficult customer encounters, even if just for a few minutes. Taking that stress with you won’t help anyone.
• If you’re in hospitality like Armond, look into nonprofit community mental health resources such as Southern Smoke Foundation, Ben’s Friends, CHOW and Giving Kitchen.

Remember that efficient customer service is better than simply friendly customer service. Whatever you do, keep your frustrations out of their luggage!

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