Simple, Effective, And Easy: The 3 Parameters Of An Ideal Hotel Guest Experience

What’s in it for me?

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Despite the incessant technological advancements, the three vital parameters of a perfect hotel guest experience have stood the test of time, leading hoteliers to resort to all the possible means to render an impeccable service across all touchpoints. In this article, we have spoken at length about how to pay attention to sustaining each of these dimensions while you open your doors again to the guests for a safe and remarkable stay during their travels!

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The value delivered by the experience of staying at a hotel or any accommodation facility is primarily decided by the guests. Hence as a hotelier, you need to provide an ideal hotel guest experience by making it simple, effective, and easy. These are the most significant factors that influence your customers about the perfection of your hotel’s guest experience. A hotel, motel, inn, or lodge is only as good as its service. An ideal experience is what customers expect while staying at a hotel, and it is up to the establishment to make it come true for them.

The hospitality sector has undergone a digital transformation like never before, and the upgrades of this new era have expanded the limits of hospitality. Managing the property, satisfying customer needs, and maintaining brand reputation by coming up with modern ideas to enhance hotel guest experience is now possible by fine-tuning present-day technology. So, while offering an ideal guest experience has become a more complex process, the parameters have never been more clear.

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Personalizing The Guest Experience

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What is guest experience in hospitality? Every guest journey has five stages once analyzed and carried out. Not to mention the pre-booking and research stages where it all comes together! Every customer desires a personalized experience when staying at a hotel, let the purpose be business or pleasure. This standard of hospitality requires the essence of being simple, effective, and easy to truly satisfy your guests and justify the importance of guest experience in hotel. In fact, your guests deserve this ideal hotel guest experience from the moment they confirm a booking to beyond their stay. Each stage of a hotel booking varies for customers, as do their expectations of the hotel’s hospitality.

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Let us consider this:

• During pre-arrival and on-arrival/check-in: A warm welcome and perfect preparation of facilities by the staff leave the best impression in the guests’ minds.
• During mid-stay and check-out: The ease of accommodation, the quality of services, and courtesy extended by the staff are more importantly considered by customers.
• During post-check-out: The hotels are responsible for not disturbing their peace when asking for feedback and communicating about future visits.

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Easy, effective, and simple – the three parameters of a perfect hotel guest experience can be topped with the right approach to ultimate customer service. In today’s age of contactless hospitality, this can only be achieved by ensuring excellent guest management at the hotel and consistent reputation management bordering on novel guest experience ideas. An in-depth look into this hospitality standard will paint a clearer picture of its working.

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Parameter 1: Simple– Ideal Hotel Guest Experience

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A grounded guest experience may sound like an average idea on paper but works like a charm for most customers who enjoy the simplicity of a hotel vacation. Keeping it simple is the masterstroke in order to create a seamless guest experience, and there are a lot of pointers that tell you why and how:

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A. Make The Booking Process Simple

The process of booking your hotel for accommodation is the first interaction the customer shares with the facility. This is a mark for creating an initial image in their minds that staying at your hotel will be an uncomplicated process. In short, you can get the job done with an efficient website-

• designed in a user-friendly manner
• displaying all necessary information without confusing the visitors
• answering their queries through well-structured FAQs
• equipped with a proactive chatbot facility

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B. Communicate With Your Guests Prior To Their Arrival

According to survey stats, 56% of American adults prefer to stay in a hotel when on vacation. So, a hotel experience is a premium holiday time. This is why it is important to talk to your guests and convey what they wish to know. You can add a personalized touch to their guest experience by:

• sharing all essential information in a consolidated manner
• asking for your guests’ preferences about certain aspects of their stay through a pre-arrival questionnaire and pre-arrival messages
• accommodating any requirements requested by them
• informing them about the closure of any advertised facilities or services
• addressing any concerns put forth by them

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C. Interact With Your Guests Politely And Treat Them Fairly

This guideline is as basic and simple as it gets. Although the notion of “Customer is the king” has not really started fading from the business-consumer relationship even at the behest of technological advancements, every hospitality guest experience is deserving of your best  services:

• Do not differentiate in the manner in which your guests are valued and treated at your establishment.
• Train your staff to do the same and enhance their responsiveness to guests’ needs and improve the hotel guest experience.
• Asking for feedback during their stay is the simplest way to get honest comments about your quality of service and provide an ideal hotel guest experience.
• Always be professional, pleasant, and friendly in your interactions.

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D. Enlighten Your Guests With Local Tips

Customers are hugely influenced by destinations. Your hotel may just be the point of accommodation for your planned guests but you can deliver beyond their expectations and serve an admirable experience by doing so. You can enhance their time at your place by providing local tips about the area and pointing them in the right direction:

• Notify your guests about local events happening during their stay, whether cultural or festive.
• Inform them about nearby tourist attractions and any spots that are worth visiting.
• Recommend good restaurants, bars, and shopping outlets in the vicinity, in case they inquire about it. It would be helpful to maintain a professional understanding with local vendors and businesses so that your guests get an extra touch of guest service experience when visiting them.
• Ensure that your customers are always aware of major happenings in the locality. For example, letting them know about traffic congestions in the area or the predicted weather conditions for the day can help them plan their schedule in a better way.

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E. Make Sure Your Facilities Are In Check And Keep Them Updated

The premium feel of an ideal hotel guest experience is heightened when all in-room amenities and public resources are ready and in excellent condition. The disappointment of not getting access to good facilities is a big blow to their visit. So, this is an integral step in solidifying your reputation and guaranteeing providing an ideal customer experience in hotels:

• Keep your rooms clean and well-maintained from end to end. Foul smells, stains on the carpet or sheets, dusty or damaged furniture, and dirty bathroom conditions are always frowned upon by guests as these are vital services in hotels for customers.
• Your bedding, sheets, and towels must be immaculate while fresh toiletries and supplies must be placed before allotting the room for smooth guest experience management.
• Always see to it that your hotel’s Wi-Fi is undisturbed and fast. Nowadays, most customers ask for the Wi-Fi password on arrival as it is their way of staying connected online.
• Update your guests as soon as they check-in about the best and the most straightforward way to contact customer service for any services or other requirements like gym, pool, or spa through a digital concierge or amenity page.

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F. Listen To Your Guests And Staff

The best feedback is not always the most detailed review submitted on your website or the best rating posted online. Complaints, comments, suggestions, and even inquiries made by the guests during their stay are a form of simple and valuable feedback that can be utilized to develop your level of hospitality and improve/enhance hotel guest experience measurement. In fact, it is not just the guests but also your team members who contribute their observations. Their feedback on the running of facilities and services at the hotel helps identify and eliminate any problems as well as improve upon them.

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G. Provide The Highest Standards Of Safety And Hospitality

The pandemic which started in 2020 has turned the tables for good. Contactless hospitality is the new industry standard, and guests have come to expect this grade of quality that gives priority to their health without compromising the hotel experience. It is a necessity to ensure maximum hygiene and contactless service through first-rate cleaning services, immaculate housekeeping, and impeccable staff training. You should ensure that this conversion to the new normal is done the right way.

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H. A Few Other Ways To Keep Your Customer Service Simple Yet Magical Are:

• Offer snacks and beverages to your guests when they arrive. They might often be reaching the hotel after a long journey. A little complimentary snack and drink combo would definitely impress them.
• Guests often crave a premium hotel experience, and adding a touch of luxury to their guest journey wins their hearts. From the polite inquiry of any needs to be fulfilled to attaining the peak of individual customer service, you can make your guest experience an ideal one without losing its simplicity.

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Carry out renovations and upgrades to your property where it is the need of the hour to ensure customer satisfaction. Do not compromise on the quality of your accommodation, as well as other amenities and services on the hotel premises. Recent updates will leave a lasting image of the modernization you undertake for improving the guest experience in the minds of your guests.

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Parameter 2: Effective– Ideal Hotel Guest Experience

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A guest experience is effective when it follows the most basic guidelines about ensuring customer satisfaction. Each move you make affects their visit, so you should have the conviction of how to prepare your hotel experience to influence the guest’s journey positively.

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A. Make Effective Use Of Guest Messaging Facilities

Nowadays, the hotel guest experience is digitally managed to ensure the guests’ comfort across all stages of the hotel journey, including pre-booking. The utilization of the guest messaging tool to interact with your guests before their arrival as well as during their stay enhance and affect their experience at your hotel. Let it be welcome messages, information sharing, alerts, reminders, customer support, or even queries; guest messaging saves the day:

• Live chat options are highly preferred by customers. You can prepare an automated messaging facility to meet your customers’ needs at any hour. High-quality responsiveness delivers your standard of hospitality on a digital platter to your customers.
• In the pre-booking stage, guests may be looking to clear a few doubts before confirming their stay. For example, if a guest is impressed by your outdoor pool and looking to ensure that this facility is currently available at your hotel, the query can be viewed and responded to by the messaging tool in use, like:

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“Hey, Mark. We can confirm that our swimming pool facility is currently open and available to our guests. We would love for you to join us at The Overlook Hotel and have a great time. I hope we answered your query properly.”

• This feature also greatly benefits guests as part of their mid-stay needs. If a guest is by the pool and wants a lemonade, all it takes is one single text via the messaging tool to inform your staff, confirm the order and deliver it without much delay.

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B. Schedule And Send Pre-Arrival Messages To Your Guests

It is integral to the guest journey that your customer always feels connected to the hotel experience. This begins at the pre-arrival stage when they expect the booking confirmation and other details pertaining to their visit. A personalized message that captures their interest and makes them feel comfortable works best to deliver this info. Let us take a look at this example,

“Hey Karen, I hope you’re doing great! We’re waiting to welcome you at Brewster Inn & Suites tomorrow at 1:00 PM. We are excited to host you well. Wishing you a safe and happy journey in your travels!”

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C. Collect Guest Feedback Regularly

A guest’s interpretation of the ideal hotel guest experience and their feedback are aligned with each other. This is visible along all the stages of the guest journey as well. The ease of booking the room is reflected in any feedback collected at the pre-arrival time. The comfort of the check-in process kicks in while the guest is giving mid-stay feedback. The quality of services and amenities provided throughout the visit is assessed during the check-out time. In short, collecting feedback on a regular basis is the key to reinforcing how close your services have satisfied their expectations.

• You can use guest messaging tool or encourage your staff to ask for feedback from your guests during their stay or while checking out. This communication paves the way for shaping your hospitality better and personalizing each guest experience.
• Surveys are exemplary for getting feedback on multiple aspects of your stay. You can also give a personal edge to it by creating questions based on your customers’ personal experiences.
• Similar to the pre-arrival message conveying all necessary details for smooth check-in, you can issue a message of gratitude to every guest at check-out. Adding a review link to the message prompts customers to leave a review about your hospitality. You can also make it more interesting for your tech-savvy guests by using QR codes that direct you to the page for adding reviews.

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D. Train Your Staff As Per Your Latest Digital Transformation

From the technology aspect to the new standards of contactless hospitality, the hotel experience has shifted big time. So, your team must also be equipped to deliver services on par with these standards and your guests’ expectations. Increased responsiveness instantly boosts your reputation as customers hugely appreciate it when their needs are met adequately and immediately. Moreover, expert training in handling customers makes them comfortable and gives them the feeling of being exclusively served.

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E. Bring Your Facilities And Services Into The Spotlight For An Ideal Hotel Guest Experience:

Make it a habit to point out and highlight the best of what you offer to all your guests. From the many advantages of the location and the specialty of your resources to the wide range of choices in your breakfast service, it is essential that your guests are notified about these aspects without fail. This is an effective solution for customers to plan their visit as well as trust in your potential to surprise them with a delightful guest experience.

You can do this by sharing your digital concierge, facility list, food menu, etc. during their check-in, along with a polite assurance from the front desk staff about the quality of these services.

““Hey Janet, welcome to Hotel Blue Sky. Feel free to make yourself rested. Here’s a quick link to our digital concierge and hotel marketplace that will give you all the information you need for a fruitful stay (*the URL*). We would love to assist you in any way, so please contact us to know more or book a special service. Hope you have a great stay!”

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F. Earn Revisits And Recommendations From Your Guests

Guests who love to revisit your hotel and recommend it, without doubt, are your most significant assets. It is a sign of success for your establishment that your hospitality rewards so much satisfaction that your guests are left craving for more. You can stay in touch with your customers by offering a subscription to your newsletter if you have one. You can offer special discounts for revisits or eventful dates, and follow up through reminders. Posting your guests’ images of their stay with their permission on social media is also a great way of celebrating their visit and refreshing their memories.

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G. Turn Your Guests’ Vacation Into One-Of-A-Kind

A guest experience is made of expectations, and exceeding them makes this episode more than desirable. You can improve their stay with pleasant surprises like complimentary gifts or toffees on the room pillows. While routine customer feedback helps identify appreciated aspects and areas of improvement, you can see the spike of positivity when you provide facilities and services that stand out from their expectations.

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Parameter 3: Easy– Ideal Hotel Guest Experience

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Being a guest should not be difficult. A hotel’s obligation is to make guests feel relaxed and comfortable. So, it is integral that the guest experience is designed to be easy and without burdensome thoughts or tasks.

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A. Booking A Room At Your Hotel Should Not Be Difficult

For customers, the pre-booking stage is a confusing and tricky phase since there’s a lot of effort to find the right hotel. However, this should not be the case when the customer decides to make a booking at your hotel. The entire process which starts with the customer reading through each detail of the room and ends with a confirmed reservation should be easy, fast, and hassle-free. If all the information that a potential guest needs to know before booking the room is displayed in a structured and organized manner without any confusing overtones, then making that decision becomes easier for the travelers.

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B. Regulate The Role Of Technology In Your Growth Wisely

Every day new advancements in technology are changing the dynamics of a hotel guest experience. Online travel agencies can help your guests book a room, hoteliers can provide a digital service for checking-in through messaging and relevant apps, and online reputation management services can efficiently manage your reviews. While this growth is indeed a sign of progress in the right direction, those who still have not gotten the hang of it should not be neglected:

• With information on hotels worldwide available at our fingertips, you should not back down from updating your structure and upgrading your services. Hotel rooms without a socket for charging phones are unthinkable now. But there was a period when this development happened. Improve and maintain your online facilities for your customers to get it done with maximum comfort.
• At the same time, it goes without saying that the ever-changing field of technology is not everyone’s cup of tea. As you make the upgrades and transform your working style, the conventional methods must not be forgotten entirely. Booking via call, reaching out to the front desk directly, and paying in cash are all a part of the business even now. So, make sure you do what’s necessary for your non-tech-savvy customers.
• In consideration of both approaches to keep it balanced for all, a visit to your hotel should be a breezy experience for your guests. While it is crucial that your customer service does not fail them, it is equally essential that your customers are well-informed on obtaining support for any requests or queries. Walk your guests through the communication channels used in the hotel and their technical know-how.

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C. Ensure That Your Guests Aren’t Bothered About Giving Feedback

Ratings, reviews, comments, opinions, assessments, and suggestions must be shared by your customers of their own volition. While the hotel and the staff members are responsible for requesting feedback from their guests, they should not be forced out:

• Comment cards, feedback forms, review links, and QR codes placed in the right places come into play as subtle collectors of guest opinions. Providing feedback on the stay is a choice, and burdening this duty on guests removes the ease of their guest experience narrowing down the scope for providing an ideal hotel guest experience.
• Writing a review should be undemanding and linear without any formalities. Moreover, a review born out of a refreshing and memorable hotel visit speaks for itself. These reviews possess the value of an unparalleled guest experience, thereby boosting your average rating and popularity.

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D. Talk To Your Guests About The Amenities You Can Upsell

Customers often regret missing out on certain facilities and amenities when they are not adequately notified of the same. Be direct and verbally communicate with your guests about the hotel amenities that are definitely worth a try. This helps them enjoy the entire hotel experience, appreciate your facilities for their peak performance, and recognize the quality of your services.

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E. Inform Your Guests About Your Covid-19 Protocols Sensitively

The decision to be cautious is the right one. Similarly, it is important to be transparent about the actions you take and the protocols you initiate with your guests to keep the consequences of the pandemic at bay. If you have terminated or temporarily suspended any services, your guests deserve to know the same. If you have altered the timings of any public facilities or set a strict policy on hotel hygiene as part of taking precautions, these changes must be communicated correctly. Once again, this knowledge makes it easy for your guests to fire up their minds and arrive at the right decision about choosing the ideal hotel.

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Conclusion

There are no better parameters other than simple, effective, and easy to describe an ideal hotel guest experience. The journey that starts with making a hotel booking and ends with reviewing the services or filling out a survey must be uncomplicated, impressive, and effortless through every stage. Enthusiastic hoteliers worldwide have taken the initiative to deliver a premium guest experience unconditionally. Hotels have consequently adapted to the ever-changing needs of their customers and found success by winning their guests’ hearts.

Contactless hospitality is a standard that demands more effort from both sides. This heightens your guests’ expectations and broadens your horizon of services. While matching your guests’ demands may not be possible each time, it is imperative for hoteliers to aspire and reach for the stars. Make your mark, prove your worth and let your facilities and services speak for themselves by being simple, effective, and easy for your beloved guests.

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With GuestTouch, An Ideal Hotel Guest Experience Is The Way To Go

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With next-generation reviews and text messaging solutions for modern hoteliers, influence your customer’s booking decisions, provide an impeccable service at various touchpoints of a guest journey, collect reviews and feedback on the go, and make customers for life!

The Obvious Choice For Hospitality Businesses!