admin 
By Paola Waschbush, Rooms Division & Sustainability Lecturer, Les Roches Marbella
An industry that’s all about personal service and human emotion relies heavily on creating memorable experiences and both meeting and exceeding guest expectations. And in today’s increasingly online world, it’s now more important than ever for hotels. Get it right and you could boost your bottom line but get it wrong and there could be serious consequences.
With many years’ experience as a manager for top brands such as Marriott, Mélia and Starwood Hotels, Rooms Division and Sustainability Lecturer at Les Roches in Marbella, Paola Waschbusch has been on the frontline of guest relations throughout her career. She has also spent considerable time as a ‘mystery guest’, assessing hotels’ performance from the customer perspective. As a result, she understands better than most how important guest satisfaction is for the hotel industry and what are the best ways to deliver it.
The importance of guest satisfaction in the hospitality industry
Guest satisfaction is at the core of the hospitality industry. This is a people-to-people business, so all hotels are aiming to have the highest performance in terms of guest satisfaction. Those who consistently achieve high scores are more likely to generate customer loyalty and benefit from word-of-mouth advertising, which ultimately helps them boost their revenue.
I’ve always worked in operational departments and have been a mystery guest, auditor and quality assurance specialist, so I’vehad the pleasure of seeing first-hand how properties around the world are striving to achieve this. It’s why they invest so much in trying to provide all the tools and resources their teams need to attain high customer satisfaction levels.
When I started in the hospitality industry more than 20 years ago, the environment was completely different. But today, with social media reviews and all the information available to guests before they even arrive, expectations are now higher than ever. We’re living in such fast-paced times and new trends are emerging all the time, so it’s becoming even more of a challenge for hotels to adapt to changing guest behaviors and preferences. They’re now having to not only meet but also exceed guest expectations. And the pace at which they change means it’sincredibly difficult for hotels to stay aligned with them.
The importance of understanding what guests expect
When looking at how to increase guest satisfaction in hotels, understanding what a guest’s expectations are is critical. So, one of the things hotels almost always ask is the reason for a customer’s stay. That simple clue helps hotels gain a basic understanding of what guest expectations will be. For example, I’m not the same if I’m traveling for business purposes as I am if I’m traveling with my kids. I’m the same guest but have completely different needs.
All the new systems we have in hotels that allow us to build guest profiles provide crucial information for hoteliers. And if it’s a loyal guest, hotels can build up a very clear picture about their preferences. That data is incredibly helpful because it allows hoteliers to anticipate needs and prepare better for meeting expectations, which in turn helps them create memorable experiences and boost customer loyalty. The resulting higher levels of guest satisfaction can, of course, lead to increased revenue.
A good example of that is cultural awareness. It can help so much when trying to create emotional connections with guests and is something I try to impress upon students here. The more they mix with the many different nationalities here on campus, the easier it will be for them to form those relationships with guests in their future careers.
How a human connection sets you apart from the rest
But it’s not just about the data. I’m a great believer in that human connection and how emotions help create those connections with guests. From my perspective, that’s the way hotels can really set themselves apart from others, create customer loyalty and drive increased revenue.
How to meet and exceed expectations to achieve higher satisfaction levels
One of the great ways of meeting and exceeding guest expectations and therefore achieving higher customer satisfaction levels is through providing a personalized service.
That’s why hotels focus on personalizing service, using the valuable customer information they have gained through previous interactions, purchase history and other personalization techniques to deliver exceptional guest experiences. There’s also a great opportunity to up-sell and generate more revenue by tailoring guest experiences. Because the more you get to know your guest, the more you can offer things for which they really are willing to pay a premium.
It’s almost a virtuous circle too, because those improved financial results will give you the funds you need to create good training programs for employees, which helps ensure they are equipped to deliver those memorable experiences to guests.
Creating a memorable experience
Hotels can use many different techniques for creating a memorable experience for guests by personalizing their stay, including leaving welcoming gifts in their rooms or offering complimentary refreshments. Often they are just little things that don’t cost much but can create a lasting impression.
But in my personal experience, I do not remember how luxurious the hotel was or the specific services offered. I remember people. Yes, the personalization techniques are important, but at the end of the day, what really creates that customer loyalty are those human connections. So of course, hotels need to deliver a consistent high-quality product and services adapted to the guests’ requests. But at the end of the day, what enables them to create those memories is actually employee engagement.
For management, it becomes a question of caring for employees and guests at the same time. If you create that ‘hospitality mindset’ as the general manager, you will be co-creating those special memories. Of course, you can build guest profiles from all the advanced technology you have at your disposal. But sometimes you find out how you can make a stay truly memorable through just a small guest-employee interaction. That’s why having employees who are engaged is so important.
There is a nice Japanese concept called Kuuki Yomenai that I love because it refers to reading the ambiance and having the sensitivity to notice, for example, if a guest wants to talk or not. Once you start being aware of a customer’s feelings, you can really make a difference.
It would be amazing to create ‘wow’ experiences every time we have an interaction with guests. But in real life, that’s not possible, even in the most luxurious hotels in the world. But if you foster that guest-oriented culture in which employees are engaged, at some point in what we call the ‘guest cycle’, there should be moments when you can create that emotional connection.
