In the previous article, we have uncovered the concept of guest feedback and its value in the hotel industry.
“On average, approximately 70-80% of hotels rely on guest feedback to enhance their services and operations.“
Source: Internet
Collecting guests is undoubtedly important but collecting guest feedback without annoying our guests is the most important.
Guest feedback is an asset to the hotel only if it is collected in an organized and joyful way.
Imagine after an exceptional service, if the guest is annoyed by the feedback process of the hotel, everything ends in vain, including the service.
Here are a few creative ideas for collecting guests’ feedback without annoying them 👇.
- QR Code Feedback
In today’s fast-paced world, it would be more convenient for guests to provide feedback directly to the hotel via their mobile phones, rather than using traditional feedback forms.
Integrating a QR code linked with the feedback forms can make it more convenient for the guests to provide feedback.
Placing the QR code in noticeable spots such as the check-out desk at the reception, beside the bed, or at the exit door, where guests can easily scan them, or politely requesting the guests to scan the QR code and provide feedback at their convenience can lead to more feedback collection.
This will create a win-win situation for both guests and hotels.
The guests will find it easy to provide feedback, and the hotel can increase the number of feedback collected without annoying its guests.
- Personalized Follow-Up Calls/Emails
Guests these days expect a personalized experience staying in the hotel and a personalized interaction in collecting feedback is one the best ways.
Ensuring guest satisfaction and politely asking the guests about their experience during their stay will create a positive impression of the hotel’s commitment to the service.
Personalized email requests asking guests to fill out a feedback form and assuring them of improvements based on their feedback will encourage them to provide the feedback.
It is very important not to annoy your guests by providing feedback through continuous calls or emails.
- Social Media And Online Reviews
Social media and online reviews influence people to book a stay in your hotel.
For instance, if a guest who stayed at your hotel gives a positive review on their social media platform, describing their unforgettable experience, it will draw a lot of attention and build trust, as potential guests will see that an experienced guest is giving their review.
The hotel has to keep an eye on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter looking for any mentions, hashtags, or comments.
Guests will also have the same influence and attention to any negative reviews as the positive reviews.
The social media platform is highly transparent, has the widest reach to the general public, and therefore, has the potential to influence a large number of people.
“81% of travelers find online reviews important for a hotel and 49% will not make a reservation for a hotel that has zero reviews.“
Source: Internet.
- Guest Feedback Software
Implementing dedicated software to handle guest feedback itself is the smartest idea.
The software can gather and analyze the reviews, surveys, and comments from social media platforms and review websites all in one place.
This makes it easy for hotels to view and understand their performance quickly and easily.
Though it has some initial investment, good guest feedback software can outweigh the initial costs.
“Adoption rates can range from 30% to 70% among mid-to-large scale hotels.”
Source: OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com
- Surveys And Feedback Forms
Surveys are an essential tool to gather detailed feedback from your guests.
They are designed to gather specific data about participants’ experiences, preferences, attitudes, or behaviors on a particular topic of interest.
Analyzing survey results enables hotels to pinpoint trends, identify areas for improvement, and ultimately enhance guest satisfaction.
Feedback forms are the specific type of survey designed to collect information on a specific type of subject for example food feedback forms, housekeeping service feedback forms, staff behavior feedback forms, etc.
As part of a survey strategy, feedback forms target particular touchpoints, such as after a hotel stay, a meal at a restaurant, or an event.
They help organizations gather actionable insights by asking targeted questions about specific aspects of the experience.
Conclusion
The proper feedback collection depends on the real-time situations experienced by the hotel since each hotel located in different regions serves different kinds of guests.
The five methods of this article are the proven strategies used by many hotels these days.
Guests feedback could be the most valuable asset for the hotels if the hotel utilizes it properly to improve both the hotel and also the guest satisfaction.
Learn “How can guest feedback improve hotel services and guest satisfaction?” in the next article of the blog series “Guest Feedback 360: A Complete Guide for Modern Hoteliers”.