Connect with Your Hotel Guests

There are times when you may feel disconnected from your guests, times when you feel your competitors have gained the upper hand and you do not know which strategy to pursue. Then listen to your guests. No one is better placed to tell you what they want, what they expect from your hotel or what they dislike. Listen to your guests, open up channels of communication, make it easy for them to complain, encourage dialogue between staff and guests, observe, ask questions and allow your guests to engage with you. But that is not all: listen to your guests even before they become guests, when they share their views on forums, communities or blogs. And also after they are no longer guests: stay in touch with them, ask them what they remember about their stay a year later, whether they would return, whether they would recommend you to their friends and whether they recall any shortcomings. Ask them about the negatives, especially the negatives. About failures and mistakes, inconsistencies, services they did not like and considered unnecessary, and those they felt were missing. Bear in mind that your guests are your best consultants: they are the ones who have actually experienced the services they assess and, more importantly, have paid for them. Do not waste the information your guests can provide. It can be a great help in improving your business.