10+ Brilliant Ideas to Enhance Your Guest Experience
Improving guest experience is a top priority for every hotelier. But it can be tricky at times. And with their demand quickly evolving, the complexity of delivering such experiences also increases. So you need to step up your game to provide an out-of-the-world experience. Because ultimately, this is what is going to set your hotel business apart from the rest. In this blog today, we will look at 10+ ideas to improve guest experience at your hotel. Before that, let’s look at some of the benefits of having happy guests.
- Happy guests are loyal to your brand.
- They become your repeat guests. It reduces your guest acquisition costs.
- They tend to spend more during their stay.
- They are likely to recommend your property to their friends.
- They write positive reviews and feedback, improving your hotel’s online rankings.
- And when your hotel’s online rankings improve, you can increase your prices.
In simple words, enhancing guest experience can lead to stronger brand value, more sales, and increased revenue.
What are the 3 Important Components of Guest Experience?
1. Communication
Your guests want to be informed and heard, and they want their preferences to be considered. Maintain a good communication skill so you are able to listen to their needs, answer their questions and value their feedback.
- Send out a well-detailed pre-arrival email
- Send out reminder emails/SMSs before their check-in date
- Ask them if they need assistance in reaching your hotel
2. Convenience
Whether your guests are on a business or leisure trip, they expect a wonderful stay at your property.
- Help them with airport pickup and drop
- Give your guests the option to pre-check-in self-check-in
- Don’t make them wait longer at the front desk, expedite the check-in process
- Offer faster resolution to their requests and complaints
3. Choice
Giving guests options for everything from room type to dining preferences allows them to customize their experience to their liking.
- Offer personalized packages
- Give them different options to contact the hotel staff
- Let them decide when they need housekeeping
1. Send out booking confirmation instantly
A booking confirmation email informs guests that their reservation has been accepted. This instant message serves the main purpose of the email – reassuring guests that they will get what they have paid for. It must include details like:
- Hotel information
- Chosen dates for reservation
- Amount paid and also the mode of payment
- Instructions on how and when to get to the hotel
- Additional services and amenities
- Hotel personalization and branding
It’s a great way to connect with your guests and show them what your hotel is all about, even before their arrival.
2. Send out reminder email/SMS a day before arrival
The pre-arrival is one of the most essential and initial stages of the hotel guest experience. Guest experience begins way before they arrive at your doorstep. Reminder SMSs/emails are typically sent a day before the arrival of guests.
It is a great way to welcome them, show how eagerly you are waiting to host them and create a memorable experience for them. Let them know how much you look forward to them visiting your hotel.
3. Arrange airport pickup and drop
Arranging an airport pickup and drop option for hotel guests is a great way to ensure their journey starts with you smoothly. This shows that your commitment to guest satisfaction extends far beyond the hotel’s premises.
This is a great option for first-time visitors to your city. They will appreciate having a driver waiting at the airport to take them to your hotel. The same goes for drop-offs after check-out.
4. Provide self pre-check-in option
Allow guests to have the upper hand by allowing them to self-pre-check into their rooms using their phones. You can do it with several apps/solutions available in the market. Today’s guests like it, and it also saves your time by streamlining the check-in process.
5. Offer Faster Check-in facilities
Reducing your front desk friction and offering faster check-in facilities to your guests should be your top priority. No guest wants to spend time in the lobby after a tiring trip. You need to speed up your check-in process and let them enter their rooms in just a few minutes. This is one of the most critical aspects of guest service that needs to be addressed.
6. Allow them with keyless entry
Keyless entry is becoming increasingly popular for hotel guests. Let your guests lock and unlock rooms using their smartphones. It is convenient for them as they don’t have to worry about losing the keycard.
7. Offer in-room entertainment systems
Offer them all sorts of in-room entertainment systems, including flat TVs with a high resolution screen, good sound system, voice assistant, etc. Also, help them with OTT subscriptions. It makes their stay better.
8. Allow them get in touch with your staff easily
Make it convenient for your guests to communicate with your staff using their smartphones. Inform them that they can easily submit service requests with just a few taps on their screens. It improves guest experience and lets you track the timely completion of their requests.
9. Be resourceful about nearby attractions and the best transport facilities
As a hotelier, you must offer a well-rounded experience to your guests. Tell them about nearby tourist attractions and arrange pickup, drop, and a guide. Be vocal about local and help them explore what is worth exploring. They will appreciate it for sure.
10. Offer personalized services to repeat guests
Your guests want to feel valued, welcomed, and pampered. The best way to achieve this is by keeping a note of all their preferences and special requests. The tiniest details matter, as this information will help you offer a personalized guest experience the next time they visit.
This could be a breeze if you use a cloud Hotel PMS that has a guest history module. It lets you know your past guests’ likes and dislikes and recognize repeat and loyal guests.
11. Offer faster check-out facility
Like hassle-free check-in, faster check-out is also crucial for guests. Slow check-out can be frustrating and stressful, especially if your guest is in a hurry to catch a flight or get to your next destination. So, make it quick and easy by keeping all the folios/bills ready.
12. Ask for their feedback
After checking out, encourage your guests to leave their feedback on TripAdvisor and Google. Also, ask them to spread the good word by sharing their experience on social media. Positive reviews will enhance your brand image. Do not ignore the negative reviews; they can help you understand where to improve.
Invest enough time to respond to bad reviews as well as to positive reviews. The suggestions you receive will help you identify all the room for improvement. You may also offer short surveys to your guests that you ask them to fill up. Finally, remember to end it with a thank you note for staying in your hotel.
13. Offer loyalty programs
Hotel loyalty programs are incredibly important for frequent travelers. Offer specially curated loyalty programs to your repeat guests and let them redeem the same for free upgrades, free nights, and other perks. You can also tell them they are eligible for early check-ins and check-outs. It is all about providing them with a sense of value and appreciation from the hotel.
14. Maintain post-stay communication
This will encourage them to revisit your hotel. Make sure to stay in touch with them even after they have left your hotel. You can keep them constantly updated on offers. Send them monthly newsletters to keep them in the loop on all the latest developments in and around your hotel. You will be able to stay in their minds for an extended period of time. This way, you will also be encouraging them to recommend your services to the closer ones.
Leave no stone unturned when it comes to enhancing guest experience in hotels. It would help if you walked the extra mile to provide the best hotel guest experience. This is key to your hotel’s overall growth – for more sales, enhanced reputation, repeat and loyal guests, and increased revenue. The best part is that it can help you gain the much-needed competitive edge. Let us know if you have tried other ways to improve the guest experience at your hotel.