It’s 2022, and hotel guests are savvier than ever, which also makes them harder than ever to please.
Comfort. Affordability. Good service. Today’s guests want it all—and they’re not afraid to take to Twitter or Facebook to fire off a nasty review if and when a hotel misses the mark.
As a hotelier, it’s your job to provide your guests with a great experience, and wherever possible, live up to their expectations.
How do you do that? Read on to find out more!
The 6 pillars of a great hotel experience
When it comes to hotel guest experience, there are so many things that you need to get right—where do you even begin?
To start, you should conduct an audit of your current hotel performance in these 6 pillars:
- Convenience
- Comfort
- Service
- Quality
- Cleanliness
- Value
Talk to your hotel staff, read online reviews, and figure out what your strengths are, versus where you need to improve.
Once you’ve done that, you can brainstorm specific strategies to tackle whichever pillar (or pillars!) you’ve chosen to focus on.
Pillar #1: Convenience
Convenience is a big bucket, and it encompasses several things.
Firstly, is the hotel convenient in terms of its location? Is it centrally located, and near public transport?
If the answer is no, one way to mitigate this is to have a free shuttle service to the nearest mall or train/bus station. For example, it’s common for hotels in Bangkok, Thailand, to offer free tuktuk services to the main road if the hotel is nestled deep within the area, and it isn’t easy for guests to walk out to the main road.
Location aside, in-room amenities and hotel amenities also fall under the bucket of convenience. Do the guests have everything they need, including coffee machines and WiFi? Do business guests have access to a business lounge or center, or will they have to find a local coffee shop to work in?
Pillar #2: Comfort
Comfort is a huge factor in influencing the overall guest experience.
Everyone wants a comfortable bed in which they can get a good night’s sleep—that’s a no-brainer.
On a basic level, make sure your mattresses and bedding are comfortable. If you’ve got an extra bed made up for another guest in the room, that should come with adequate bedding, as well.
To take it up a notch, consider offering different pillow options—some people might prefer softer pillows that they can sink into, and others might prefer more ergonomic ones. Think about installing black out blinds so that your guests can get a good night’s sleep, and provide extras such as fluffy bathrobes or a massage chair in the room.
Pillar #3: Service
Bad service is hard to overlook, and can ruin your guests’ experience.
Make sure hotel staff are helpful, warm, and welcoming. Train your staff to anticipate and be responsive to guest needs, such as taking the initiative to offer guests useful information about restaurants in the area.
If guests have a request that can’t be met, the hotel staff should also try to find alternative solutions, instead of simply rejecting the guest’s requests.
You’ll also want to streamline your operations and processes to become more efficient, and try and minimize waiting time for guests.
For example, allow your guests to submit their details in advance of their trip, so that they won’t have to stand at the reception desk and fill in a long form when it’s time for them to check-in.
Pillar #4: Quality
What goes into a hotel’s quality? Pretty much everything that guests encounter—including the room, hotel facilities, food, technology, and more.
Ideally, the hotel’s facilities and furnishings should be well-maintained, and not look old or worn out.
Obviously, it might not be feasible to replace expensive items (such as furniture) every few years. But be sure to at least update your bedding and linens—these are less expensive to replace, and having new, well-maintained bedding and linens does make a big difference.
When decorating a hotel room, also go for a clean, classic look rather than something that’s statement-making or trendy. Why is this considered a best practice? Trends move quickly, and if you’ve decorated your rooms around specific trends, the rooms will look dated once those particular trends are no longer fashionable.
Pillar #5: Cleanliness
You’d think cleanliness is easy to get right, but somehow, many hotels still fall short.
It’s important to provide guests with a clean, good-smelling hotel room—if you’re able to achieve that, that’s half the battle won.
If your hotel frequently has complaints about cleanliness, think about how to improve in this respect. For instance, you could provide cleaning staff with more thorough training, or implement checklists to help them clean more effectively.
It also makes sense to look into your check-in/check-out timings and occupancy rates—you need enough turnaround time for your staff to be able to clean properly; they won’t be able to do a good job if they’re always rushed for time.
Pillar #6: Value
Finally, guests always want to feel like they’re getting good value for their money.
If your guests think that the property offers good value, they’ll tend to be more accommodating, even if things don’t entirely meet their expectations. On the flip side, if your hotel feels overpriced, your guests are likely to feel unsatisfied.
Regardless of what type of hotel you’re running, look at your competitors in the same price range, and evaluate whether your hotel is offering more, less, or the same value as compared to them. If the answer is less, come up with a few ideas to give your guests more value.
You’d be surprised—many freebies or experiences don’t cost much to the hotel, but improve guest satisfaction by leaps and bounds.
For example, if you give your guests a complimentary $50 dining voucher to use, this doesn’t cost your hotel much. However, this generates a larger-than-proportionate amount of value for your guest, and leads them to feel like they’re getting a great experience.
The same goes for any complimentary items that you leave for your guests. For instance, if you gift all guests a complimentary bottle of wine, this doesn’t cost much (especially if you buy the wine in bulk). However, this generates a lot of value for your guest, and chances are that they’ll leave as a more satisfied customer.
A final word on hotel guest experience fundamentals
Guests these days can easily compare and contrast hotel options, and pick and choose to their heart’s content.
With this in mind, it’s all the more important for hotels to nail their 6 pillars, to ensure that they keep guests happy and coming back for more.
To recap, the 6 pillars are convenience, comfort, service, quality, cleanliness, and value. Take care of these 6 pillars, and you’ll be all set! Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we’re here to help. With the Sogolytics Feedback Form, you can organize feedback directly from your customers, community, or employees to inspire meaningful change.
