In a constantly shifting industry like hospitality, it can be easy to lose track of guests’ changing needs and fall into the rhythm of providing the amenities and services that you think guests want. That’s why we’ve analysed over 15,000 anonymised survey responses and online reviews and put together an insightful infographic (below) to help you understand what today’s guests find to be important, and where properties can improve their offerings.
“Without information, you’re hamstrung in terms of making intelligent decisions around your business.” — David Campbell, Coaching Inn Group
Do you really know why guests are choosing your property over others, and what they expect when they arrive?
What have we learned about today’s guest reviews?
TripAdvisor has told us before that the majority of reviews that are posted to the online platform are positive, and we wanted to see for ourselves whether that was true for both direct feedback and online reviews in general. The results did not disappoint!
Of over 15,000 reviews, under 5% were from guests who had given properties a rating of 6 or less out of 10, while over 50% gave ratings of 9 or higher.
What do today’s guests want?
The highest rated quality for properties is location, location, location. While it’s not something that you can easily change about your property (relocation to another city or district, anyone?) it is something that you can highlight in your marketing materials. You can also help your guests to make the most of your area by noting great restaurants, activities and more, helping them to explore your location and have the best possible experience while they’re with you.
Other highly ranked qualities include reservation and reception services and staff, highlighting the importance of seamless guest experiences. Staff training is essential in providing these friction-free stays, as is making it easy for guests to book their visits in the way and on the channel that is most convenient for them, whether it’s directly through your website or on their OTA of choice.
Where can properties improve?
Whether it’s cleanliness, maintenance, toiletries or towels, guests found that bathrooms were a downfall of most properties. This not only highlights the importance of housekeeping, but also ties into value for money, which was also amongst the lowest ranked qualities.
Setting expectations for your guests can make all the difference. For example, if your property is focussing on sustainability by taking a stance against plastic, or reducing the frequency of towel laundering, explaining this to your guests on your website, via your social media or at your reception can leave a lasting positive impression. On the other hand, simply not finding toiletries in their bathroom, or discovering that their towel hasn’t been touched may have the opposite effect.
