In today’s landscape, where everyone is talking about how building a great guest experience will help your accommodation business grow, one of the questions that remains is what exactly is a great guest experience.
To make it short, you can say you are providing a good experience when you are able to deliver value to your guests. We’ve said it before, today’s guests anticipate not just a place to stay or dine in hotels but an experience that lingers in their memories.
As an accommodation provider, the question you must ask yourself is, are you delivering real value to your guests?
This question goes far beyond the mere provision of services, it delves into the realm of creating unforgettable moments, fostering genuine connections and leaving a lasting impression.
In an era where reviews and recommendations can make or break a business, the quest to deliver real value has never been more critical.
In this article, we will unravel the secrets to delivering real value to the guests that can transform your establishment into a place that guests not only visit but return to, and passionately recommend to others.
How to create an experience that delivers value
Have you ever wondered what makes a hotel truly remarkable? What creates those memorable stays that leave guests not only satisfied but eager to return and share their experience with others?
The answer lies in the concept of real value. But what exactly is ‘real value’ in the context of hospitality? And how can hotels deliver it to ensure guests feel appreciated, valued, and eager to come back for more?
Real value to guests in hotels aims to create an experience that leaves a lasting positive impression, makes guests feel appreciated and valued, and encourages them to return or recommend the hotel to other customers.
It involves a combination of superior service, comfort, convenience, and thoughtful touches that enhance the overall guest experience.
6 Best ways to deliver real value to guests
Personalisation
What you say to your guests matters and it is one of the best ways to create value. Your communications should be targeted, aiming at specific guests and delivering a message that resonates with them.
According to User Guest, 76% of travelers expressed a desire for more personalised experiences during their hotel stays. This highlights the growing demand for personalised services in the hospitality industry.
If you send out a campaign about a couple’s massage deal to your entire database, you are also reaching business guests, solo travelers, and more. While you might be delivering value to couples, you are just spam for the others.
That is just one example of why segmenting your guests and personalising your messages works. And a great tool to help you with this is a hotel CRM.
If you want to apply personalisation across your entire guest journey, download our guide to get the best tips on how to do it
Exceptional Customer Service
Real value includes outstanding customer service. Hoteliers should be welcoming, attentive, and responsive to guest needs. Going above and beyond to make guests feel valued and comfortable is a key component of real value.
Exceptional customer service is not just the responsibility of staff, it’s everyone’s responsibility. By training all employees in customer service, you create a culture of exceptional service where every employee understands their role in creating a positive guest experience.
However, nowadays your digital customer service and channels are as important as the face-to-face interactions. Make sure your guests are receiving answers without having to wait for too long and that they are always talking to the right person to avoid delays or feeling like being ping-ponged.
Accommodation businesses always have many channels, but gathering all of them into one general overview is a great way to ensure your customer service stays top-notch.
Technology Integration
Implementing technology to enhance convenience, such as mobile check-in, keyless room entry, and in-room automation systems, can be part of the real value proposition.
The use of technology in guest management allows patrons to check in for their reservation right from their phones, get access to menus, and see wait times before their table is ready.
In this way, you are giving them control over their stay and that makes them feel in charge. They will be able to access information and even request services without having to call the staff, which also helps them to save time and effort.
Information and Assistance
Providing information and assistance is a fundamental way to deliver real value to hotel guests. Guests often visit a location for its attractions, activities, and local culture. Providing information about these aspects helps guests plan their stay and make the most of what the destination has to offer. This added value enhances their overall experience.
Guests may need assistance with various aspects of their stay, such as booking transportation, arranging tours, or finding suitable dining options. Providing assistance streamlines their experience, making their stay more convenient and enjoyable. Guests may encounter issues during their stay, from room-related concerns to travel hiccups. Being readily available to assist in resolving these problems ensures a smoother, more pleasant experience and demonstrates the hotel’s commitment to guest satisfaction.
Guest Loyalty Programs
Guest loyalty programs are also an extension of your brand and represent a tool for aiding in guests’ connection with that brand – one that is ultimately seared and sealed through thoughtful interactions that create stories worth telling and feelings worth coming back to.
Guest Loyalty programs are among the top ways hotels build loyalty. It’s a way of rewarding customers for spending money at your property. Members earn points based on the number of nights stayed, services purchased, or overall money spent. The prizes and rewards come in all shapes and forms: a future stay, an upgrade or service discounts.
To learn more about how to create a great guest loyalty program, read this article.
Guest Feedback
Guest feedback can be used in a number of different ways to understand and improve the guest experience. On a very basic level, guests can contact you via messaging or respond to short in-stay surveys checking in with them while still on site.
This type of feedback allows hoteliers to fix issues and provide service recovery before the guest has checked out, which vastly improves guest satisfaction.
Touching Points
To conclude, delivering real value to guests is more than just providing services, it’s about creating unforgettable moments. The quest of excellence in hospitality means going above and beyond to make guests feel appreciated, valued, and comfortable during their stay.
This article has highlighted key strategies, such as personalization, exceptional customer service, technology integration, information and assistance, guest loyalty programs, and the importance of guest feedback.
By embracing these strategies, establishments can transform into places that guests not only visit but return to and passionately recommend to others.
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