One of the most important truths I have seen in more than 30 years in this industry is this: complaints are not a bad thing. On the contrary, they are a golden opportunity to communicate directly with your customers. Yes, they are unpleasant situations, but when managed correctly, they not only rescue customer satisfaction—they also turn into trust in your brand.
Last week, while conducting a training session at a five-star hotel in Istanbul, the front-office manager said to me, “Utku, customers now write on social media about every issue. The whole world sees how a complaint is handled.” He was right. That is precisely why systematic approaches like the LAST model have become indispensable in modern hotel operations. In this article, I will explain, step by step, how you can put this model into practice.
What Is the LAST Model, and Why Does It Matter?
LAST is an acronym made up of four words: Listen, Apologize, Satisfy, and Thank. The beauty of this model is that, despite being very simple, it delivers effective results. It arranges the actions to take in response to a customer complaint into a logical sequence.
Think of everyone who works in hospitality: what happens when a guest complains that the room temperature is too cold? If there is no system in place beforehand, some staff members call technical service, some simply say “it’ll be fixed” and move on, and others get flustered. But if you know the LAST model, the entire team follows the same orderly procedure. This consistency radically changes both the customer experience and team performance.
Step 1: Listening — The Power of Active Listening
The first stage of the LAST model is the one most people underestimate, yet it is the most critical. When a customer experiences a problem, the first reflex of some employees is to rush to offer a solution. They think they have solved the problem by saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll fix it right away.” But what if you were aware that the problem has not only a physical dimension but an emotional one?
Active listening means trying to fully understand what the customer is saying without interrupting them. Make eye contact with them, follow what they are telling you by nodding, and ask questions. Open-ended questions like, “As I understand it, you had a problem with the printer in your room this morning, is that right? May I ask how that made you feel?” are very effective.
In practice, I see it like this: when a complaint is received over the phone, the receptionist needs to take notes. Keeping a written record accomplishes two things. On one hand, the customer feels they are being taken seriously. On the other, information isn’t accidentally lost or transmitted incompletely when the customer’s issue is relayed to the whole team.
Step 2: Apologizing — Speaking the Language of Emotions
The second step is one I know most managers approach reluctantly. Hotel managers in particular tend to think, “But I’m not the one at fault; the air conditioner broke down.” Yet what matters here is the value of taking personal responsibility. The customer does not care whether the air conditioner or the receptionist is at fault. If they feel they had a bad experience at the hotel and that no one who heard them seemed to care, they are emotionally devastated.
Apologizing does not mean admitting fault; it simply means acknowledging the discomfort the customer experienced and showing empathy. The phrase “I’m very sorry that you went through this” is very simple yet extremely powerful. It contains no excuse—only understanding.
There is a striking example I witnessed. At a hotel in Ankara, a guest spilled a plated dish while getting food in the breakfast hall and stained their shirt. The waiter immediately said, “I’m sorry, unfortunately I wasn’t careful enough,” and arranged for hotel service to clean the shirt. The customer left the hotel very satisfied rather than complaining. Why? Because the response to the problem was backed by personal accountability and a sense of responsibility.
Step 3: Satisfying — Exceeding Expectations, Not Just Solving the Problem
The third step is “satisfying.” Here the aim is not just to solve the problem, but to exceed the customer’s expectations. If the customer is complaining about the room temperature, repairing the air conditioner is not the solution. The solution is to fix the temperature and, in addition, offer the customer something extra.
This “extra” need not carry a monetary value. Sometimes a complimentary breakfast, sometimes a room-service discount coupon, and sometimes simply a phone call from a deputy manager to apologize is enough. Interestingly, research shows that customers most often expect not money, but appreciation.
In practical terms, hotel managers must empower their teams. If a receptionist has to call the general manager and ask, “Can I give this customer a $50 discount?”, it risks both wasting time and negatively affecting the customer’s reaction. If the staff member can produce a solution themselves within a defined limit, the problem is resolved on the spot and the customer is more satisfied.
Step 4: Thanking — Opening the Door to a Relationship
The fourth and final step is the one most hotels overlook: thanking. Once a customer has raised a complaint, the problem has been solved, and they have even been compensated, we tend to think it is over. But quite the opposite—this is where the real work begins.
Sending the customer a message like, “Thank you for telling us about this problem. Thanks to you, we were able to solve it and can prevent it for our other guests,” builds customer loyalty. A card sent by the hotel manager a few days later, or a phone call, can turn the negative experience the customer had into a positive memory.
In fact, one of the best practices I have seen was a hotel writing to a customer: “The air-conditioning problem you experienced during your last visit was important feedback for us. Our technical team has made improvements on this matter, and we are confident the issue will not recur on your next stay. Thank you again for helping us improve.”
Integrating the LAST Model into Operations
Theoretical knowledge is nice, but how does it work in practice? The most effective way to integrate the LAST model into hotel operations is to put the procedures in writing. The steps each department must take when it receives a customer complaint should be defined in a clear list.
For example, you could prepare a document titled “Customer Complaint Protocol.” This document should clearly specify what needs to be done in the first five minutes when a complaint is received (listening and taking notes), what needs to be done in the following hour (apologizing and offering a solution), and the follow-up stage (thanking).
Training is also very important. If a newly hired staff member does not know the LAST model, reading the written protocol is not enough. Role-play exercises, realistic scenarios, and feedback allow this model to be internalized. In my training sessions, I ask participants to describe real events from their own experience. This way, the model does not remain a theoretical tool but becomes a lived practice.
Resistance and Challenges: What Can Go Wrong?
When I talk with hotels trying to apply this model, I see some common challenges. The first is time pressure. Especially during busy periods, it can be hard for a receptionist to address every complaint in detail. But the secret here is to spend time up front and save it later. Handling a complaint correctly prevents it from spreading on social media and builds customer loyalty. As a result, a short-term investment of time yields significant savings in the long run.
The second challenge is team motivation. Some staff members may feel that receiving a customer complaint is an accusation directed at them. To correct this psychological state, managers must clearly train their team: “Complaints are not a failure of the team; they are an opportunity to improve.” When the team is recognized and praised not as the one who solves the problem but as the one who applies the procedure correctly, the entire dynamic changes.
Conclusion: Looking to the Future with the LAST Model
In the modern tourism sector, competition increasingly stems not from service quality alone but from the entire dimension of the customer experience. Whether a hotel is three-star or five-star is no longer just about the items in the room, but about the value the customer feels at every moment.
The LAST model, by offering a simple yet effective structure, makes it possible to manage this whole experience. Managing customer problems is also a way to develop your team’s abilities. Every complaint that is resolved strengthens an employee’s empathy, problem-solving, and customer-relations skills.
If you are currently a manager or an employee at a hotel, I recommend reviewing this model in a training session during the week, and then, once a week, analyzing the complaints that were resolved. That way, you don’t merely apply the model—you also improve it and adapt it to your hotel. Remember, a customer complaint is a learning opportunity for management. When managed correctly, it becomes your greatest brand asset.