In a recent JD Power Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, the Quality of Sleep was listed as one of the most important components of the hotel guest experience. Also noted in the study was that a majority of hotels were not delivering better-than-expected sleeping conditions. This brings a great opportunity for those hotels to measure guest perception and improve service. A high majority of guests (78%) who do report having better-than-expected sleep say they will definitely return to that particular hotel.
What factors contribute to a quality night sleep?
According to the study, the top components for a quality night sleep include: the comfort of the bed, quietness of the room, quality of the pillows, room temperature, and the quality of the linens. Adding to the quality of the guest experience can also include ear plugs, white noise or sound machines, and robes and slippers for additional comfort.
Another touchpoint to add value to the customer
How a customer views the check-in experience is another avenue where hotels can enhance the service they provide. The JD Power study emphasized this as an area where an experience can shine or tumble quickly based on what happens at check-in. Some of the top elements to focus on within this aspect include the efficiency of the check-in process, the accuracy, and the human factor of a warm welcome.
How to measure customer’s perceptions in real time?
As hotels look to enhance the value that they provide to their guests, capturing real time feedback is important to finding the pain points that provoke bad experiences. By having feedback while a guest is IN the experience, hotels can make quicker improvements to increase the overall experience along with the ratings the hotel receives.
A solution to capture real time feedback is a HappyOrNot® Smiley Touch from SmileyAnswers. A Smiley Touch allows a customer to give quick feedback based on what question the hotel asks. The important touchpoints can include the perception of a guests sleep, the check-in process, a dining experience, valet service, the experiences within conference rooms, the cleanliness of rooms and restrooms, and any number of important touchpoints where a hotel needs to obtain the guests perception of service.
A Smiley Touch easily allows the guests to give instant feedback while they are at the hotel and still within their goal orientated task. By making it easy and simple, hotels can achieve a higher amount of feedbacks to get a better understanding of the guest’s perception of their experience. Also, by consistently capturing this perception all year long, hotels will be in a position of strength by adapting to changing guest expectations.
Sharing successes with the Customers and Staff
One of the unique aspects of the HappyOrNot® Reporting System is the ability to instantly share your results with both customers and employees. The customers get the benefit from knowing that the rating is based on how other customers perceive their experience. The positive results can be shared within the hotel at the point of service and through social media. The employees can obtain instant results on how they are doing within the experience to improve results. Also, by having the Smiley Touch terminal close at hand for employees to see, the focus on providing great service will be present for all staff members.
Wrapping it up
As seen within the JD Power study, there is a great opportunity for hotels to increase service perception by focusing on improving the quality of sleep along with the check-in process. Being able to measure and monitor the improvements made to these experiences and others can be done using a Smiley Touch. By capturing real time feedback while a guest is IN the experience, hotels can be on top of current and changing expectations to continuously develop a better overall experience. Lastly, by sharing the successes with both employees and customers, a positive culture shift can occur to make the process of providing better service easier and more enjoyable. By having an instant voice, a guest will see that their opinion matters and that changes are being made when necessary to improve the overall experience.
Contact SmileyAnswers today to learn more about how a Smiley Touch can improve experiences.
