The Top 7 Things Your Guests Expect – Do You Do This?

It’s a new world when it comes to customer happiness in our ultra-digital age.

In a time when your guests can have just about anything they want in less than two days, you can bet they have some pretty hefty expectations when it comes to your hotel property. Do you know what these are?

To help you, let’s look at the top seven things your guests expect – do you do this?

 #1: Cleanliness

While it seems this one could go without saying, it isn’t always the case.

Whether your hotel is one-star or five-star, all of your guests deserve a clean, healthy room. This is non-negotiable.

We’re talking clean rooms, bathrooms, and public spaces in your hotel.

As a nod to your overall customer service goals, it is an absolute must that you train your housekeeping staff well. A clean room can make or break your property. So, please take care of this relatively easy task and keep your property sparkling.

#2: Free Wi-Fi

This is another one of those items that’s non-negotiable.

You can bet your guests are traveling with at least their smartphone, but you’d be safe in guessing their tablet and laptop aren’t far away.

Whether business guests or vacationers, your guests want to connect when they get back to their rooms. They want Wi-Fi, and they don’t want to pay for it.

In fact, more than 40% of travelers consider Wi-Fi when booking a hotel room. An overwhelming majority of travelers expect high speed internet access without a fee when traveling.

So, again, with a nod to customer service, please provide high speed, free Wi-Fi to your hotel guests. Wi-Fi is an amenity just like free shampoo and conditioner in the bathroom.

#3: The Right Power Outlets

The third thing your hotel guests expect is the right power outlets and the right number of those outlets.

You not only need to provide regular outlets but USB ports so your guests can charge their phones, computers, tablets, cameras, music players and more.

If you have four people staying in one room, you can imagine that’s a lot of outlets. Most hotels don’t have nearly enough.

You can get a jump on your competition by over-providing outlets for your guests. These should be beside or above the beds and on the desks as well as the lamps.

Most of your guests use their devices as phones, alarms, and even sleep fans. And, they want to keep them charged. These should be standard in all hotel rooms very quickly.

#4: Blackout Curtains

Go the extra mile and provide your guests with blackout drapes. Not only will they sleep better, but they’ll have better feelings about your property because of that great sleep.

Hotels aren’t the quietest places, but if the room is very dark, people can sleep better. Do what you can to ensure your rooms all have blackout curtains, so your guests are well-rested and not cranky and tired.

#5: Clean, Comfortable Beds

In addition to blackout curtains, clean and comfortable beds can help your guests have a better experience.

A good night’s sleep means so much to your overall customer service rating.

Follow the lead of many hotels across the United States and the world and ditch the rough, scratchy sheets. Change them out for soft, breathable, ultra-comfortable sheets, comforters, and pillowcases.

In addition, offer a variety of pillows. Consider throwing on some soft pillows and some firm pillows.

Bathe your guests in a bed of luxury, and they’ll certainly be back for more. Some hotels offer such nice linens, they offer them for sale.

As a side note, wash everything for your guests. Don’t make them sleep with a comforter that someone else used. If you provide this amenity, do make sure your guests know about it. They’ll appreciate you even more.

Finally, upgrade your mattresses. Market their comfort to entice more customers to your hotel. Again, talk them up online and in your rooms so guests remember you went above and beyond to provide the best in comfort.

#6: Full-Sized Toiletries

Your hotel guests expect and have become accustomed to the small travel size toiletries left on the sink in the bathroom.

These are nice, but they aren’t good for the environment, and you can only get one or two washes out of a bottle.

In addition, there aren’t always nice quality products in hotels, leaving the user with dry skin and dull hair.

Enter the new age of hotel bathroom toiletries: full size bottles. Some hotels offer shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in full size bottles in the showers. These are usually attached to the wall. To refill them, housekeeping has a special key.

The full-size products are usually finer quality and offer ease of use as well as a more luxurious bathroom experience.

Jump on to this new trend and surprise your guests with quality products packaged in a more usable way that is infinitely better on the environment.

#7: Great Service

Let the trademark of your hotel be a great experience. Why? Because your guests expect it.

Your overall good customer service is good for your guests and for you. For example, if a guest has a bad experience, not only will they tell their friends and family about it, but they’ll hit Google, Facebook, TripAdvisor, Expedia, and other places to share a bad review.

This hits you where it counts – in your bottom line.

Even if you aren’t a luxury, five-star hotel, you can make great service your calling card.  Make each of your customers feel you care.

Great customer service begins with staff who are well-trained on an ongoing basis. This includes staff from housekeeping to management. Everyone should know how to be friendly and courteous, but they should also be taught how to handle conflict and negativity with grace.

You can elevate the customer experience with a highly trained staff. By training your staff, you give them more confidence to handle situations with ease.

Ultimately, by fostering a culture of service, everyone thrives: your employees, your hotel, and your guests.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know the top seven things your guests expect, you can return to your hotel and begin to implement some of them.

Track your guest response for a period of time after you make the changes to see if your guests are happier and your reviews improve.

Treat your guests the way you would guests at your own home. Provide them with a warm welcome, friendly faces, extra-attentive service, and easy conflict resolution.

You’ll find that going above and beyond with your guests expectations will come full circle back to your hotel with an improved bottom line. (tweet this) 

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Images: Lewis Parsons and Sylvie Tittel on Unsplash