Hampton by Hilton revolutionized the hospitality industry when it introduced Hampton® Guarantee, the first 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, and after extensive research, they’re revolutionizing it once again by changing the idea of what guests can expect from a hotel experience.
The brand recently announced a new Happy@Hampton Satisfaction Guarantee. The transition from satisfaction to happiness speaks to the elevated expectations of guests and Hampton’s continued commitment to them. The use of ‘happy’ raises the bar in terms of what hotels are promising to deliver and how guests can expect to feel when they are at a Hampton. All this reinforces the emotional connection that allows the brand to make guests Happy@Hampton.
Background
The Hampton® Guarantee has always served as more than just a money-back guarantee, but rather a part of the brand’s DNA. The unconditional Hampton® Guarantee has helped it by turning customer conversations away from just the basics of what a hotel offers and toward the service it provides. The Hampton® Guarantee backs up the brand’s commitment to its service culture, Hamptonality, and its team members’ attention to delivering friendly, authentic, caring and thoughtful service.
In fact, the brand has been such a leader in the space that a number of brands, including Premier Inn Hotels, Virgin America, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Jack in the Box, have modeled their own Guarantees after that of Hampton by Hilton.
Research
Upon the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Hampton® Guarantee in 2014, the brand began researching ways to refine and refresh it. After evaluating data from hotel owners, operators and guests globally, it moved to update its Hampton® Guarantee to better meet guests’ expectations, stay ahead of competition and offer its teams more flexibility with service recovery.
Through its extensive research, Hampton found that a satisfaction guarantee may not always be the answer because:
- if a guest has a bad stay, they don’t feel they should have to pay, whether the brand has a Guarantee or not;
- guests may feel uncomfortable reporting issues;
- refunding the stay does not automatically equal a good score on intention to return.
Simply put, satisfaction may not always be about getting a refund; guests want to be understood and heard.
