What You Can Do to Help Guests Have the Perfect Stay
You may have heard the saying, “You’re only as good as your guests think you are.”
As a hotel owner and operator, you probably also know that guest satisfaction should be the top priority of any hotel or bed and breakfast. Excellent customer service is a must, and staff should be trained to go above and beyond at all times.
In this article, we look at what you can do to help guests have the perfect stay.
Why is this so important? You want your guests to leave your hotel completely satisfied for several reasons: you’d like them to return, you want them to leave your property a good online review, and you’d like them to tell their friends and family how great you are.
To help you accomplish this, let’s look at some ways to have more satisfied hotel guests.
Make Sure Everything Works
Have you ever gotten to your hotel room and found out that something doesn’t work? Perhaps it’s the television, the air conditioning or the toilet.
It’s quite surprising how often this happens to hotel guests. It makes your customers quite unhappy, especially when they’ve already unpacked only to find something unsatisfactory.
Your guests should always have clean bedding that’s comfortable, a dusted room, great internet speeds, good water pressure, a flushing toilet, fresh light bulbs, extra toilet paper, and an alarm clock that is not set.
Ensuring the perfect stay for your guests, especially your frequent travelers means providing them a room where everyone works well without them having to ask you. (tweet this)
Offer Something for Free
Most people are overjoyed when they get something without having to pay for it.
Consider surprising your guests by leaving them a small gift in their room upon check-in. This might be several bottles of cold water, a bottle of wine, a box of sweets, warm cookies, free Wi-Fi, a coupon for a local restaurant, or a small basket of snacks.
When you provide your guests something free upon check-in, you make a great first impression. This builds immediate good will by showing you’re a property that goes the extra mile, thus encouraging the perfect stay.
This doesn’t have to cost a lot. The gesture is what’s important here.
Connect with Your Guests
If you truly want to provide a personalized experience for your guests, get to know them on a personal level. This can even begin well in advance of their stay.
For example, you might learn about your guests through social media. For example, Bob Smith is coming to stay with you, and you check out his Facebook page. You learn that he has an affinity for Diet Coke, so upon his arrival, you make sure he has a can or two chilling in the mini-fridge.
Personalizing the experience helps your guests feel comfortable and welcome. It also means they’re more likely to leave you good reviews and tell others about their incredible experience.
Offer Loyalty Programs
You might also consider a loyalty program to improve guest retention. This subconsciously helps your guests have a better stay because they know they’re earning rewards.
Let them earn points for extra nights, discounts, or free gifts.
Provide Exceptional Customer Service
One of the most important pieces to ensuring your guests have the perfect stay is the customer service experience.
What this means for you is that you have to hire the right people and then train them on a continual basis.
Every single employee who works for you should be well-versed in the nuances of customer service. Each one should be able to provide great service to your guests. Why? Because each one of your staff members plays a vital role in the guest experience.
When hiring employees, you want to look for customer service-oriented employees. Look for people who are friendly and welcoming. Uncover whether or not they’re open to customer service training. Find out how they feel about service.
You can really gauge a potential hire’s ability to provide service by paying attention to their behavior before, during and after the interview. Good communicators are often good service providers.
It’s also a good idea to look for patient employees because it can be difficult to work with guests who are upset and angry. A calm, patient employee is better able to handle the difficult or unhappy guests.
By hiring the right people, you take a big step toward providing the perfect stay.
Your hotel staff is a team whose sole goal should be providing customer service that is second to none.
Use SMS Text Messaging
With a smartphone in nearly everyone’s hands, it’s never been easier to stay in touch with your guests during their stay.
Make sure you have their mobile number, so you can leverage text messaging for the perfect stay for a great first, second, and third impression. Here are a few tips:
- A few days before your guests arrive, send them a text with links to activities going on in your town. This might be big events, or it could be a text about attractions, museums, shows, restaurants, shopping, and more. This first message is the first step to a great relationship.
- When your guests check-in, send your Wi-Fi information straight to their mobile phones so they don’t have to look for it or ask for it. Have your front desk staff inform guests that the Wi-Fi info was sent to their mobile devices when they’re ready to connect.
- Send coupons or special offers to local attractions and restaurants. If you have an on-site restaurant, offer a free appetizer or dessert.
- After your guests check out, send them a thank-you text letting them know how much you appreciated their stay.
- Once your guests’ trip is over, send them a survey to find out how they felt about their stay. This could be a simple Net Promoter Score survey. Do allow them the opportunity to provide more feedback if they’d like.
Final Thoughts
Finally, your guests are your most important commodity. Not only do you want them to return, but you want them to spread the word about your wonderful property.
Train your staff so they know customer service is your top priority. Make sure your rooms are well-appointed. Focus on being attentive to your guests and responsive in a positive, empathetic manner.
When you put your guests first, you ensure they have the perfect stay every time.
At Hotel Propeller, we build functional, beautiful websites that utilize your star ratings to help you stand out in the crowd. You’ll find everything you need to attract guests to your website and compel visitors to make a reservation. Take a look at our showcase and contact us today.
Images: Alasdair Elmes and Brett Campbell on Unsplash
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