Every hotel guest is a potential referral, and they’re more likely to recommend your property than any other industry professional. That’s because guests experience your hotels like a first impression — everything from the lobby and check-in desk to the lobby lounge and fitness center. Use this guide to help you create a great guest experience at every turn in your hotel.
Make a welcoming entrance.
When a guest first walks through your doors, they want to feel welcomed and important. Your front desk staff and bell desk team should demonstrate this feeling at every corner of the hotel, from check-in to check-out. The first impression is crucial, so you’ll want to select a front desk location that’s welcoming and welcoming to all.
A lobby with a fountain and plantings creates a sense of warmth and welcome, while a simple and uncluttered desk area makes guests feel like they’re the most important people in the world.
Create a sense of belonging.
The best hotels create a sense of belonging for their guests. It doesn’t matter if a guest has been visiting your hotel for just one night, or if they’ll be staying for a week. Every guest wants to feel like they belong at your hotel. You can create this feeling in many ways, including by making it clear who you are and what you stand for.
You can do this by including information about your hotel in your welcome visuals. You can also include information about nearby attractions, local restaurants, and other hotel amenities in your welcome visuals.
Provide excellent service at check-in.
The first thing a guest thinks when they step into your hotel is how they were greeted. Did you greet them by name? Did you remember their preferred check-in time? Did you give them a warm “welcome home” smile? These are the things that make all the difference in the world. Your front desk team should greet guests with a warm and welcoming smile and be open to any special requests they might have.
Other areas, like the check-in desk and lobby, can also reflect this welcoming feeling. Avoid using dark wood tones, which are often associated with a more formal and serious mood. Instead, use light wood tones, which are more inviting and relaxing.
Ask for feedback.
After a guest has checked out, they’re just as likely to recommend your hotel as a guest who just arrived. To get useful feedback, make it easy for your guests to give you feedback. You can do this in a few ways. First, you can create a guest questionnaire and/or survey that guests can fill out after their stay.
Second, be sure that your front desk team is consistently asking guests if they enjoyed their stay. If a guest isn’t asked about the stay, then it’s not likely that feedback will be given.
During your stay.
There are many things that you can do during your stay to help create a great guest experience. During their stay, your front desk team should greet and welcome guests regularly, offer assistance when needed and make check-in and check-out as smooth as possible.
Front desk teams should also be aware of any special requests that guests might have. These are some of the most important areas of your hotel to focus on during your stay. The lobby is a great place to greet and welcome guests, so make sure it’s always looking welcoming and clean.
Plan ahead
When your guests arrive at your hotel, they’ll want the experience to be as pleasant as possible. In order to deliver this, you’ll want to make sure that your staff is prepared. This means that they’ll be in uniform, they’ll know where to go, and they’ll know what needs to be done.
Ideally, you’ll have a detailed floor plan and staffing chart in place so that your staff can help guests find their way around the hotel as quickly and efficiently as possible. Make sure that your hotel is clean and ready for guests.
You can do this by making sure that your furniture is all put-away, that you have enough towels and bed linens on hand, that your cleaning products are stocked, and that your staff is ready to help the first guest check-in.
Demonstrate you care
When your guests arrive at your hotel, they’ll want to know that they’re cared for. This means that you’ll need to make sure that your staff is friendly, helpful, and non-pushy. This can be especially important when your hotel is busy. If your hotel is unusually busy, you might need to have your staff be a little more friendly and welcoming than usual in an effort to get guests checked in and out as quickly as possible.
Make sure that your staff wears their uniforms when on duty. This can help guests know that they’re getting professional service. You can also wear your staff’s uniforms to create a more uniform feel for your hotel.
Offer a seamless experience
To ensure your guests have an outstanding stay at your hotel, you’ll want to make sure that the check-in process for your hotel is as smooth as possible. This is especially true when your hotel is busy. Ideally, your hotel will have a separate check-in area for each type of guest.
This allows you to focus on each guest while also keeping the check-in process fluid. It’s also a great idea to keep a checklist at the front desk of the guest information you have on hand. This allows you to quickly check off items before helping the next guest check in.
Make sure that the information on your guest intake forms is correct. You’ll want to make sure that the guest has enough cash to pay for their stay in case credit card readers are down, or you’ll need to charge extra for damage. You’ll also want to make sure that the guest’s name, address, phone number, and other information are correct.
Be flexible
To ensure that your guests have an outstanding stay at your hotel, you’ll want to make sure that your staff is flexible. This includes your front desk agents, housekeeping staff, and food and beverage staff. Each of these groups will want to know that they can offer guests what they need when they need it.
Make sure that your staff is aware of any dietary restrictions that your guests may have. This is especially important if your hotel is open to the public. You’ll want to make sure that your guests are aware of how to ask for food that’s not available on the premises.
Don’t be afraid to shake things up
To ensure that your guests have an outstanding stay at your hotel, you’ll want to make sure that your menu offers something for everyone. This will help you to avoid running into issues with food allergies and menu items that might offend some guests.
Make sure that your menu is as accurate as possible. This can help you to avoid having issues with menu items that are misidentified. If a menu item doesn’t look anything like what you expected it to look like, your guests might have an issue eating it.
Conclusion
When it comes to creating a great guest experience, there are a few things that you can do to make sure that your hotel is an excellent stay for your guests. Make sure that your hotel is clean and ready for guests, that your staff is friendly, helpful, and non-pushy, and that your menu offers something for everyone.
To ensure that you aren’t missing anything, it’s a good idea to have staff members that are familiar with all of the different types of guests that may stay at your hotel. This will help to ensure that you’re making every effort possible to create a great guest experience. When you’re trying to create a great guest experience, make sure that you follow these four simple steps.
