Articulate Storyline - eLearning Project
The Emerald Standard:
Elite Check-In & Check-Out Protocols
An e-Learning experience that empowers Hotel front desk associates to confidently and consistently handle reservations, check-ins, and check-outs while delivering exceptional guest service.
Summary
While living in the Caribbean, I had the exciting opportunity to partner with a high-end resort to design an interactive training module for their front desk associates. The goal was to improve the consistency, confidence, and service quality of staff handling guest reservations, check-ins, and check-outs, including the challenges that arise on a daily basis.
The design process began with a needs analysis that included on-site observation, informal staff interviews, and a review of existing SOPs and guest satisfaction feedback. These insights revealed interesting gaps in service consistency, especially during high-pressure situations like late-night arrivals and peak-hour departures.
The resulting training module uses scenario-based simulations, layered feedback, and a real-time guest satisfaction meter to immerse learners in realistic challenges. I also built a custom badge system and score tracker to reward first-time accuracy and professionalism, reinforcing high performance. The course concludes with a full-day simulation where learners must apply protocols and soft skills to handle VIPs, booking discrepancies, and busy checkout lines.
Read more about how this project came together below, or have a look at the Demo.
Target Audience
Front desk associates and guest services staff at a luxury Caribbean resort. Many were early-career professionals or new hires with varying levels of hospitality experience.
Skills
Instructional Design
eLearning Development
Graphic Design
UX Design
Audio Integration
Tools Used
Articulate Storyline 360
Miro
Figma
Canva
Freepik
ChatGPT
Leonardo.ai
The Problem
Emerald Bay Resort, a luxury Caribbean destination, experienced a rise in guest dissatisfaction linked to front desk interactions (especially during VIP check-ins, booking discrepancies, and busy check-out periods). Managers reported that new staff often lacked confidence and consistency in applying the SOPs, and shadowing-based training failed to prepare them for the real-world challenges. A review of service logs, informal interviews, and live observations confirmed a need for performance-focused training that aligned with the resort’s high service standards.
The Solution
Using insights from interviews, service audits, and job shadowing, the training module was designed to mirror real front desk challenges. Built on adult learning principles, it focuses on realistic scenarios like VIP check-ins, booking mismatches, and peak-hour checkouts. Interactive simulations, feedback loops, and gamified elements like a guest satisfaction meter ensure learners build confidence while mastering SOPs. The goal: consistent, high-quality service that enhances every guest’s experience.
My Process
I created this interactive eLearning module for front desk staff at a high-end resort in the Caribbean, inspired by real stories and day-to-day challenges gathered through interviews, service reviews, and shadowing the team in action.
To keep things practical and engaging, I built a self-paced training module that feels like the job itself, complete with realistic guest scenarios, branching choices, and instant feedback. It’s designed around what adults actually need to learn: relevance, hands-on practice, and the chance to get things right without the pressure. A guest satisfaction meter and fun “first try” badge keep learners motivated while reinforcing the right behaviors from the start.
Learning Objectives (all action-oriented and performance-driven):
1- Accurately follow reservation confirmation and check-in/check-out protocols.
2- Handle common reservation scenarios with confidence and professionalism.
3- Personalize guest interactions while adhering to brand standards.
4- Respond effectively to unexpected issues during the check-in/out process.
Action Map
After digging into the real challenges through surveys and one-on-one chats with the front desk team and their leaders, I mapped out the most important actions that would actually move the needle. The goal? Help the team consistently deliver amazing guest experiences by confidently applying SOPs during check-in, reservation changes, and check-out.
Using Cathy Moore’s action mapping model, we focused only on what truly matters on the job. That led to five key actions, from confirming reservations accurately to handling tricky situations like unexpected complaints. Each action is backed by realistic practice scenarios and just enough essential info to support success.
Storyboard
Once the key actions were finalized, I moved on to building out realistic, story-driven scenarios that felt just like a day at the front desk. The goal was to make learners think, “Yep, this has totally happened to me.” I wrote each scene like a conversation you’d actually have on the job: natural, sometimes tricky, and always full of opportunities to learn by doing.
The scenarios give learners space to make mistakes, see the ripple effects, and get back on track, all in a safe and relatable way. I wanted every click to feel like progress, triggering excitement to take the next step.
Visual Mockups
I wanted to create a warm, luxurious, and calm environment to learn in. this led me to an inviting, Caribbean-feel color palette with golden sand, soft turquoise, shell white, and rich navy shades.
The main mentor character is a friendly female who accompanies the learner throughout the module.
The moodboard included warm, welcoming lobby areas created with AI, palm trees, ocean views, and sunlight.
Interactive Prototype and Full Development
I started off by building an interactive prototype in Storyline 360 to test the flow, tone, and feel of the experience. Right from the start, I wanted this training to feel real, not like another box-ticking course. So I wove in scenario-based choices, light animations, and a mentor character to guide the learner through key decisions. These design choices were grounded in adult learning principles like relevance, learner autonomy, and immediate feedback, making sure the content connected with real-world situations and encouraged self-direction.
Once the structure felt solid, I moved into full development. I used Storyline’s states, layers, variables, and conditional triggers to build out every branching scenario, with learners seeing the impact of their actions in the moment.
Something I was especially excited about (once I broke through the challenge!) was the guest satisfaction meter. Instead of a standard quiz score, I created a visual tracker that reflects how well the learner is performing, based on first, second, or third tries. This feedback tool was inspired by the principle of consequence-based learning: letting learners see the effect of their performance just like they would on the job. It added a little gamified pressure (in a good way!) and really helped connect their choices to the bigger picture of guest experience.
This build sharpened both my technical and design skills, and made for a training module I was genuinely proud to deliver.
Evaluation / Results & Takeaways
Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to assess the real-world impact or ROI of this module after implementation, but as an analytics-nerd, measuring results is something I take seriously and would have loved to do. If given the opportunity, here’s how I would approach it:
First, I’d gather learner feedback immediately after the training to gauge how engaging and relevant it felt. This helps me spot any quick wins or issues to improve.
Second, I’d also use built-in scoring and xAPI tracking to see how learners perform on first, second, or third attempts and identify patterns in their decision-making.
Third, to understand behavior change, I’d follow up with team leads to see whether front desk staff consistently apply SOPs and personalize guest interactions after the training.
And finally, I’d want to connect those behaviors to business outcomes like guest satisfaction scores, complaint logs, and check-in accuracy.
These steps help show whether the learning sticks and actually improves performance, something I always strive to prove whenever possible.
Ready to Make learning fun and useful again?
Let’s create powerful learning experiences that make a difference for your company. I’m looking forward to connecting with you and your team.
