> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Tourists need love, too - URL: https://www.smdp.com/tourists-need-love-too/ - Published: 2007-02-01T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T23:58:51.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homeless *Lessons in promoting Santa Monica* SM PLACE Looking to enhance the level of customer service tourists and residents receive while visiting Santa Monica’s most popular destinations, members of the hospitality industry are considering creating a class at Santa Monica College that would better train the roughly 12,000 waiters, concierges and other service employees who are in constant contact with the public. Following the completion of the course, a graduate would receive a certificate and possibly a pin or some other symbol to show visitors that they are ambassadors capable of answering just about any question a guest may have about Santa Monica, its public transportation system, the homeless or local laws that may be unfamiliar, such as the new smoking ban. “When someone is a guest in Santa Monica, they should always feel as if they are a guest of Santa Monica,”said City Councilman Kevin McKeown, who joined more than 20 members of an education committee Wednesday to discuss the creation of a customer service course. “There needs to be a higher level of respect for the employees, too. “We need to make them feel that they are a partner in this.” The customer service program is part of a larger effort to promote Santa Monica as a premier destination for those both living in the region and abroad. To do so, the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) has joined with City Hall and local businesses to develop a brand that best describes the city and the experience one has when visiting. Those specializing in the tourism and hospitality industry felt a brand was necessary as destinations face stronger competition for the tourist’s dollar and the visitor’s time. A successful destination brand clearly defines the community’s distinctive qualities that set it apart from other locations in the region and the world. The CVB unveiled the city’s brand promise in March 2006 after nearly two years of development. The brand reads: “Santa Monica, the best way to discover L.A.; an unforgettable beach city experience filled with eye-catching people, cutting edge culture and bold innovations. It is the essence of California lifestyle.” In efforts to achieve the brand promise, city officials, business owners and members of the CVB discussed the need for a course at SMC that would be specifically designed for employees in the Santa Monica service industry. The class would run anywhere from three to 12 hours, with refresher courses available online. The class would most likely be offered through SMC’s Small Business Development Center, one of only 35 such centers in the state, which is funded by a grant from the Small Business Administration. While it is still in the early stages, the customer service class could be up and running in six months, CVB officials said. “We are lucky because we already have so much going for us,” said Misti Kerns, president and chief executive officer of the CVB. “But we cannot afford to have any employees not be familiar with the brand. We need people to believe in this brand across the board.” To do so, both employees and residents need to buy into it. That could prove to be difficult with the high level of turnover in the hospitality and service industries. Businesses may also be reluctant to pay employees to take the course when they already train them on how to interact with customers, those participating in the discussion said. “We are hoping to establish some kind of scholarship program so that employees can continue with their education,” Kerns said. For residents, it was suggested more community outreach could help change some negative feelings people have about tourists. “Some residents will say that they hate tourists,” said Kathleen Rawson, executive director of the Bayside District Corp., which helps City Hall promote and manage downtown. “I think an education campaign could help residents understand the value tourism brings. That’s a big piece.” Some other ideas floated at the meeting included creating a visitor’s code of ethics, printing bus schedules and routes on the back of receipts shoppers receive and hiring more youth from Santa Monica, since they have a stake in the community. To measure progress, the CVB could analyze tax revenues related to tourism, conduct surveys with visitors and residents, pass out comment cards and send in secret shoppers to retail stores to see if employees are practicing lessons learned. “A lot of the discussion was about career paths, career laddering, meaning these young people who are working for a hotel and a restaurant making minimum wage could have the opportunity to advance and take another career path, and we believe we can help the industry shape the training that is needed for these employees,”said Marvin Martinez,the vice president of planning and development at SMC. “It’s all about training good workers, giving them the best skills possible to help themselves and your business.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 1, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/020107.pdf?ref=smdp.com)