Anna Ransom
Today’s hotel guests have more choices than ever before and high standards because of it. Online reviews weigh heavily in a traveler’s decision to book accommodations, and they’re expecting to be wowed from the moment they step foot on the property. What was once considered an “extra” VIP touch, such as early check-in or welcome gift, has now become expected.
This is putting added pressure on hotels to deliver a quality guest experience if they want to secure repeat business and glowing reviews. So what are the first steps hoteliers should take to improve the guest experience?
Before we dive in, be sure to visit our ultimate guide to elevating guest satisfaction full of tips, insights and data points on how to improve your hotel service and ensure optimal guest satisfaction.
Adopt Hospitality Software to Optimize the Guest Journey
Hotels that are slow to embrace digital transformation don’t have many options besides responding to a guest request or complaint as it happens. But a manual approach won’t win your property any service awards or improve guest satisfaction scores in a competitive marketplace that generates 208 billion dollars in revenue in the U.S. alone. Leveraging the power of hospitality software can significantly assist in all phases of the guest experience—before, during, and post-stay—by ensuring that critical touchpoints will result in positive outcomes.
According to a recent study from the Cornell School of Business, hotel guests ranked the quality of service and rooms as the two most important factors for their stay. That’s where hoteliers need to be proactive in focusing their energy and technology budget. Can you increase productivity in the housekeeping department? Can you automate maintenance programs?
By honing in on areas like these where improvements can be made, you can ensure optimal customer satisfaction and empower your staff at the same time.
Improve Room Quality and Service Levels
One major challenge for travelers and front desk associates alike is a delay in room readiness. Nothing is more frustrating for tired travelers than showing up and waiting around the lobby for their room to be cleaned. Whether it’s a small boutique hotel or a large Las Vegas resort, customers expect and deserve to have access to their rooms in accordance with the hotel’s check-in policy.
But what if a guest arrives earlier than expected? The front desk should instantly alert housekeeping so cleaning assignments can be re-shuffled to accommodate that guest. This can substantially reduce the customer’s wait time.
To avoid delays or confusion when it comes to juggling your hotel’s cleaning schedule, a fast and effective digital solution is required. An advantage to using a service optimization solution is that departments can communicate with each other in real-time, enabling staff to prioritize work as needed.
Identify and Solve Issues Before They Happen
Service optimization software also serves as a “behind the scenes” tool, enabling hotel staff to schedule preventative maintenance and reduce guest incidents. According to Deloitte guests are 40% more likely to give a positive review to a hotel if their problems are fixed quickly.
Amadeus Service Optimization can make a lasting impact on your team’s ability to deliver on your brand promise. Amadeus HotSOS and HotSOS Housekeeping are powerful solutions that can aid in your hotel’s strategy to consistently provide personalized experiences and exceptional service throughout the customer journey.
For more information on how hotel housekeeping software can automate and streamline your property’s communication processes, download our whitepaper “The Importance of Task Automation.”
