People think a hotel visit begins when a guest walks to the front desk and officially checks in. They also believe that a hotel visit ends when you return to the front desk and check out. This may have been true in the past, but it is not anymore. The guest experience from check-in to check-out now starts and finishes online. Digital channels are now facilitating every aspect of our world, especially in the hospitality industry. If you want to optimize your hotel property’s guest journey, look no further.

Use Guest Reviews for Guidance:

The first place that will help you improve your guest experience is online guest reviews. Who better than the guests themselves to tell you what they would like to see at your hotel. Guest reviews are the perfect forum to gather information, interact, and engage with your audience. Common topics that guests mention in online reviews are hotel breakfast, on-site amenities, mobile help desk, and other hotel services like housekeeping. Ensure you have ample time to read and evaluate guest feedback because this part is critical to the success of your hotel. Lastly, you will want to respond appropriately to each guest’s review and thank the guest for their sentiment. Check out some best practices if you need help responding to online reviews.

Set Guest Expectations:

You can educate guests through review responses and set expectations before their stay. Expectations are critical to overall guest satisfaction. For example, suppose the guest expects a free complimentary breakfast every morning of their stay, but your breakfast bar is undergoing renovations during their trip. In that case, the guest will most likely be extremely dissatisfied with their stay. The possibility of losing their business forever becomes a reality. Use your digital channels like social media and online guest reviews to help prevent these scenarios. 

Follow-up Post-Stay:

We discussed how to polish the pre-stay component of the guest experience by using guest reviews to gather guest sentiment and set expectations. But what about post-stay? Following up with guests after their visit is key. One great way to follow up and get guest feedback is immediately sending them a post-stay survey via email. It is important to remember that you need to send the survey right after check-out because you want instantaneous and relevant feedback. If you wait too long after the guest leaves the property, you run the risk of the guest forgetting valuable details. Also, you can simply ask the guest as they are checking out to write a review online or fill out a survey when they have available time. Being upfront is a good approach because guests tend to remember people and faces rather than check their email after a trip.

Generate Value for Your Hotel:

Pre- and post-stay initiatives aim to cultivate guest satisfaction and achieve a competitive advantage in the market. These two pieces will lead to sustainability for your hotel property, and it will flourish. By interacting with your audience and finding new ways to better their experience, you will grow your community and establish loyalty amongst them. Your hotel’s longevity and success depend on the guest experience and satisfaction.

Upgrade Your Online Presence with TMG:

Travel Media Group is an industry-leading digital solutions provider. Contact us if you are hesitant about refining your guest experience through social media, review response, and reputation management. With over 40 years of experience, we have a guide to improving the guest experience for your hotel. From check-in to check-out, TMG can help you every step of the way.

Learn more about our strategies and take your property to the next level.