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July 18, 2024
Elizabeth Pun
Confidently handle difficult guests and de-escalate situations with these steps and tactics.
Campgrounds are havens for rest and relaxation, but they’re not always immune from unruly guest behavior. Whether you encounter visitors who ignore quiet hours, disregard camping etiquette, or cause a disruptive scene, it can be challenging to address these situations without the proper techniques. Follow these tips to de-escalate these conflicts and manage unruly or difficult guests effectively.
Matching a guest’s displeased, aggressive, or frustrated energy with your own will only make things worse. In fact, the way you first approach can even make a difference. Bringing the whole cavalry to calm down only one or two guests might instantly hike up their defenses. When security isn’t necessary, an individual or two-member approach will likely be more effective.
De-escalate the situation by keeping your cool, maintaining a low and even tone, and speaking calmly and clearly. Monitoring your own volume will make your guest more likely to match yours.
And remember, telling someone to “calm down” rarely, if ever, has the desired effect. Such phrases are triggering as they invalidate the person’s experience. Lead with a composed and empathetic approach to better bring down one’s defenses and start on a path to de-escalation and resolution.
If possible, move the guest and conversation to a private area to remove onlookers and distractions, and help them feel this would allow for a more productive conversation in their best interest.
Staff could suggest anything from “Why don’t we head to my office to gameplan how to best help you?” to “Let’s discuss this over some water and beverages in our lodge, and we can figure out how to best solve this for you” in order to physically relocate the guest and allow for privacy.
One of the golden rules of customer service is to listen patiently. Engage in active listening and seek to understand the guest and where they’re coming from. Though it might not be easy, fight the urge to interrupt.
Active listening involves catching nonverbal cues, too. After all, facial expressions, body language, and gestures communicate just as much as words do. Pay attention to the guest’s body language to tailor your approach accordingly.
Here are a few recommended de-escalation dos and don’ts for your team to maintain their own positive body language.
When feelings are running high, responding to emotion with emotion, rather than rationale, is better received.
Acknowledge the guest’s frustration, and let them know their feelings are seen and heard. Demonstrating compassion and empathy can go a long way toward settling your guest down and de-escalating the situation.
When your guest finishes speaking, calmly summarize and repeat to them what they shared. This step will show them you’ve been paying attention and help them feel heard and validated. Ask if you missed anything or if there’s anything they’d like to clarify.
Clearly identifying the issue will equip you to begin resolving it with the guest, as well as avoid future blowback with them from assuming incorrectly.
A tip to maintain control in how you’re speaking (especially to a rude or difficult guest) is to imagine other guests are watching you too. This shift in mindset will help you do your best to avoid reacting, think clearly, and respond calmly.
De-escalation training often instructs to provide options rather than demands, as this gives the person a sense of control.
Offer simple, concise, and respectful choices to empower guests and help assuage feelings of helplessness and frustration. This can also demonstrate that you’re willing to collaborate to find a resolution that works for all parties. Another technique is to ask what they think would be fair and reasonable solutions to the problem.
As you go through this process, thoughtfully consider which rules you’d be willing to negotiate versus not. It’s always a good idea to express firm boundaries upfront to set expectations and prevent future issues with guests. In the moment of a dispute, however, it’s also possible you can better diffuse the situation if circumstances warrant some measured flexibility.
While these are important de-escalation techniques to handle unruly or difficult guests at your campground, it’s smart to communicate your rules before arrival to set expectations from the outset, as mentioned.
Send campers your terms and conditions beforehand. You can include your quiet hours, campground etiquette, and general expectations for conduct. Have a system in place for your staff when incidents arise, including where and how to note details of the issue, and what steps to take if violations continue to occur.
At Campspot, this is baked into the booking flow. Guests booking their reservation online are required to acknowledge and accept terms before confirming their reservation. Campspot also makes it easy to send a reminder email from the reservation summary if the terms and conditions were missed.
Handling difficult guests and de-escalating situations effectively takes continuous practice and refinement. Create a culture of learning for your campground staff, where you provide an opportunity for them to share their thoughts and feedback after conflict-resolution situations.
Encourage them to discuss what worked, what didn’t, and how you can refine your approach to similar scenarios in the future. It’s likely best to do this privately, though you might consider a group discussion on a case-by-case basis (perhaps even with just your management team) if it would be productive and involved team members are comfortable.
Fostering this type of culture can help your team members feel equipped to handle future challenges and collectively unified in keeping the calm at your campground.
It’s not always quick or easy to handle disruptive or unruly guests at your campground, but these tips and strategies can help you de-escalate challenges as they arise. Of course, assess the situation and contact the police or scale up your response if necessary. Otherwise, take these steps to diffuse high emotions, find resolutions, and maintain a positive relationship with your campers.
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Elizabeth Pun writes for ecommerce and SaaS businesses. A former content marketing manager, she has over a decade of experience helping brands grow through compelling content. She loves scouring for vintage finds, exploring the outdoors, and getting her glamp on.
Image credit: Maestro, Adobe Stock
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