The Guest Has Arrived—Now What?
Albert BarraNovember 11, 2018 · 5 min read
It is true that we still do not know what made them choose our offer. Perhaps their booking was a matter of chance; perhaps it was the result of an excellent offer, or the outcome of a stimulus generated by our effective marketing team. The fact is that the guest arrives at our hotel ready to enjoy their experience, full of expectations and highly receptive to all the emotions that led them to want to spend their money at our hotel.
We cannot fail; we must rise to the occasion.
The first impression—the guest’s arrival at the hotel—is usually important, although not decisive. Within their mental framework, the guest will quickly review the information gathered during their search, and this will continue throughout the stay: the general condition of the facilities, the location, the personal welcome on arrival, and so on. Overstating the product in our messaging may create disappointment at this point, as their expectations were higher than the reality.
For our part, we are fortunate that the hotel business has one unique advantage over other sectors. Hospitality is the only business in which we have the opportunity to invite the guest to sleep in our home. This gives us countless opportunities to interact with the guest: ultimately, to get to know them, allow them to get to know us, and serve them properly.
Fortunately, it is true that we can learn a great deal about our guests simply by observing them: what time they get up, which side of the bed they sleep on, what they like for breakfast, what time they return, whether they shower or take a bath, whether they dress elegantly or casually, or relevant details such as whether they use the Internet or prefer to read newspapers, whether they hold meetings or simply visit our city. Imagine what we could learn about them if we also spoke to them. Indeed, we are talking about CRM.
At the very least, in our conversation it would be worthwhile to explore their expectations, their reasons for choosing our hotel and, above all, the state of their experience.
“Is everything all right, sir?”, “Is there anything I can do for you?” These are questions that are very often associated with servitude rather than service, and are not heard regularly in hotels. They are not merely intended to make a good impression on the guest, but also, perhaps, to prevent problems from arising and escalating.
The departure moment—the check-out—should not be limited to a financial transaction, in which the guest is charged, bid farewell and the room is scheduled for cleaning. Check-out is the moment when we say goodbye to someone who has slept in our home, and in doing so our hotel earns money. We want them to return; we want them to bring other people like them into our home.
Was everything to your satisfaction? Is there anything you think we could improve? Not out of courtesy, but because we care about their opinion, because we are committed to it, and because we will genuinely try to fulfil their requests. It is the moment of evaluation, the time when we want to know whether the guest experience has been positive, whether we have met expectations; and asking is the first option.
It is worthwhile to establish opportunities for conversation with the guest throughout their stay, as well as before and afterwards. At the slightest sign of dissatisfaction, the advantages of being the first to know outweigh the disadvantages.
The natural next step, once the guest has returned home, is that they will relive the experience. It is a normal process: remembering the key aspects of their trip, looking at the photographs they took, the videos, their notes; they will show the towels they took from the hotel, and perhaps—just perhaps—they will want to share their experience to inspire others.
What does sharing or reliving the experience mean?
Posting photographs on social media, including photographs of our hotel, either for personal use by using the site as an image bank, or with appropriate comments to share them with other readers, making them easily accessible to any Internet user.
Posting videos on YouTube, including videos of our hotel, to send to friends or share with strangers, making them easily accessible to any Internet user.
Writing reviews on TripAdvisor or on any blog or website, perhaps on travel blogs, their own personal blog, or their virtual community, where they interact with like-minded people, recommending our services—or perhaps not quite so much—but… making them easily accessible to any Internet user.
Or perhaps they will do nothing, keeping the experience private, yet ready for it to resurface the moment someone asks them about a product or service.
The fact is that these experiences circulate online and offline; they are accessible to any potential guest and can influence other prospective guests’ purchase decisions when they decide to travel or plan their trip.
Indeed, this is User-Generated Content, which ultimately shapes our Online Reputation.
We cannot fail; we must rise to the occasion.
The first impression—the guest’s arrival at the hotel—is usually important, although not decisive. Within their mental framework, the guest will quickly review the information gathered during their search, and this will continue throughout the stay: the general condition of the facilities, the location, the personal welcome on arrival, and so on. Overstating the product in our messaging may create disappointment at this point, as their expectations were higher than the reality.
For our part, we are fortunate that the hotel business has one unique advantage over other sectors. Hospitality is the only business in which we have the opportunity to invite the guest to sleep in our home. This gives us countless opportunities to interact with the guest: ultimately, to get to know them, allow them to get to know us, and serve them properly.
Fortunately, it is true that we can learn a great deal about our guests simply by observing them: what time they get up, which side of the bed they sleep on, what they like for breakfast, what time they return, whether they shower or take a bath, whether they dress elegantly or casually, or relevant details such as whether they use the Internet or prefer to read newspapers, whether they hold meetings or simply visit our city. Imagine what we could learn about them if we also spoke to them. Indeed, we are talking about CRM.
At the very least, in our conversation it would be worthwhile to explore their expectations, their reasons for choosing our hotel and, above all, the state of their experience.
“Is everything all right, sir?”, “Is there anything I can do for you?” These are questions that are very often associated with servitude rather than service, and are not heard regularly in hotels. They are not merely intended to make a good impression on the guest, but also, perhaps, to prevent problems from arising and escalating.
The departure moment—the check-out—should not be limited to a financial transaction, in which the guest is charged, bid farewell and the room is scheduled for cleaning. Check-out is the moment when we say goodbye to someone who has slept in our home, and in doing so our hotel earns money. We want them to return; we want them to bring other people like them into our home.
Was everything to your satisfaction? Is there anything you think we could improve? Not out of courtesy, but because we care about their opinion, because we are committed to it, and because we will genuinely try to fulfil their requests. It is the moment of evaluation, the time when we want to know whether the guest experience has been positive, whether we have met expectations; and asking is the first option.
It is worthwhile to establish opportunities for conversation with the guest throughout their stay, as well as before and afterwards. At the slightest sign of dissatisfaction, the advantages of being the first to know outweigh the disadvantages.
The natural next step, once the guest has returned home, is that they will relive the experience. It is a normal process: remembering the key aspects of their trip, looking at the photographs they took, the videos, their notes; they will show the towels they took from the hotel, and perhaps—just perhaps—they will want to share their experience to inspire others.
What does sharing or reliving the experience mean?
Posting photographs on social media, including photographs of our hotel, either for personal use by using the site as an image bank, or with appropriate comments to share them with other readers, making them easily accessible to any Internet user.
Posting videos on YouTube, including videos of our hotel, to send to friends or share with strangers, making them easily accessible to any Internet user.
Writing reviews on TripAdvisor or on any blog or website, perhaps on travel blogs, their own personal blog, or their virtual community, where they interact with like-minded people, recommending our services—or perhaps not quite so much—but… making them easily accessible to any Internet user.
Or perhaps they will do nothing, keeping the experience private, yet ready for it to resurface the moment someone asks them about a product or service.
The fact is that these experiences circulate online and offline; they are accessible to any potential guest and can influence other prospective guests’ purchase decisions when they decide to travel or plan their trip.
Indeed, this is User-Generated Content, which ultimately shapes our Online Reputation.