15 ways to improve hotel customer experience

Key takeaways

• Hotel customer experience directly impacts guest satisfaction, loyalty, reviews and long-term revenue.
• Creating a seamless journey across every touchpoint, from booking to post-stay communication, helps hotels build stronger relationships with guests.
• Personalization, efficient check-in processes and clear communication are some of the most effective ways to improve the hotel customer experience.
• Technology like property management systems, guest profiles, digital check-in and automated messaging can help hotels deliver more consistent and memorable stays.
• Small details, meaningful interactions and smooth operations all contribute to a positive hotel customer experience that encourages guests to return.

If you’re looking for ways to improve hotel customer experience, you’ve come to the right place. We’re here to tell you that the small details do matter and that going the extra mile to create a guest-centric operation will without a doubt have an important repercussion on your brand reputation and customer loyalty.

Delivering a strong hotel customer experience isn’t complicated - but it does require understanding the basics of guest satisfaction to create experiences that encourage repeat visits. In this guide, we’ll explore 15 simple ways to improve the hotel guest experience and explain why each one matters.

Why is it important to enhance hotel guest experience?

Enhancing the hotel guest experience through different means is crucial in order to enforce your hotel’s brand identity, position your hotel among the competition, potentiate guest retention, increase sales and revenue and continue to grow. The better the experience, the more likely guests are to leave a review, which in turn generates more traffic. It’s a win-win.

Hotel customer experience should be optimized across every guest touchpoint, whether it be when they book, before they arrive, upon arrival, during their stay and long after they’ve left. What makes an experience better than another, is creating an integral, cohesive journey with your brand, that leaves your hotel at the front of their minds when it comes time to book again.

15 strategies to improve hotel customer experience

There are many ways hotels can improve customer experience throughout the guest journey. To make sure you’re exceeding these expectations, it’s a good idea to continuously evaluate and improve the guest experience. Here are some quick, easy and inexpensive tips to improve the hotel guest experience that will have lasting results.

1. Touch base with guests pre-arrival

A detailed pre-arrival email to all guests can make their arrival and check-in process much smoother. Not all your guests will read the email beforehand, but those who tend to ask a lot of questions are likely to. You can consider adapting the pre-arrival email to different types of guests or to different times of the year for a more personalized experience. 

Learn more about creating guest profiles.

2. Provide an early check-in option

Early check-in is one of the easiest ways to improve the guest experience. It’s simply about giving them an option that will best adapt to their schedule. Whether they want to come to unwind before a busy meeting schedule, or if their plane arrives at dawn, allowing guests the flexibility to check-in early is, without a doubt, a quick and easy way to boost satisfaction levels. Find out how early check-in can boost revenue.

3. Ensure a seamless check-in process

A seamless check-in is another key to creating a positive guest experience. There’s nothing like getting off a long plane ride and then having to wait in a long line to check-in. Consider offering mobile check-in or self-service kiosks to expedite the process. 

The smoother it is, the happier your customers will be. It’s a fact. Of course, machines should never fully replace people; be sure to have enough staff on hand at all times to facilitate the whole process.

4. Deliver a warm and welcoming first impression

First impressions make a big difference in this business. Kicking off the arrival and check-in experience on the right foot will not only make your guests feel appreciated but also establish the tone for the rest of their stay. When you check the arrivals each day, take the time to review the names and reservation details, and be sure to greet everyone by name and with a welcoming smile.

Want to score some bonus points? Then why not go one step further and add a welcome refreshment, such as a local drink or snack? Even a cool drink of water can make a huge difference after a series of plane, train and taxi rides

5. Make it easy for your guests to get in touch

How you execute this tip depends on your clientele and the size of your hotel, but as a general rule, streamlined communication plays a major role in hotel customer experience. If you have an older, more traditional customer base, they may prefer to use a phone system in the hotel to get in touch with reception. 

If your clientele is younger and more tech-savvy, consider investing in a simple app or online communication service for your property. This ensures guests can directly message staff from their smartphones wherever they are in the hotel. Modern property management systems can offer this functionality, connecting with various services that allow guests to make requests and get responses in record time.

6. Be an insider in your local area

When your guests arrive in their room, there should be a welcome book waiting for them. While historically this has contained all the what’s and how-to’s of the property and services, it should also include tips on what to see in the area, as well as recommendations on the best time to go and hidden gems that only the locals know about.

It doesn’t have to be a welcome book in a traditional sense – this is the 21st century, after all. Why not go digital? Mews Marketplace is home to some great apps that help you to curate the guest experience, providing specialized tips per location and lots of upselling and cross-selling opportunities.

7. Build partnerships with local vendors and attractions

Building partnerships with local attractions and vendors is a win-win for both sides. You’ll bring more people to their business while offering your guests an inside track they will appreciate. If you promise to send many guests through the doors of the restaurant or attraction you’re partnering with, they may even be able to provide your guests with a special discount.

8. Offer personalized stays to guests

Personalization is central to improving hotel customer experience. By adapting to guest preferences and desires, they will feel more welcome, creating a better overall perception of your hotel brand. Whether it’s a welcome note on the bed, or a “little something” in the room based on guest preferences, a little detail will go a long way.

9. Provide free and fast Wi-Fi

Charging guests for Wi-Fi should be a thing of the past. Should you not be able to provide free Wi-Fi in every room or hotel area due to technical limitations or the size of your property, make it as easy as possible for your guests to connect to the Wi-Fi where it is available. Ensure you also tell guests about the Wi-Fi situation as they check-in, so they don’t have to ask. Everyone will appreciate the opportunity to connect.

10. Celebrate special occasions

Are your guests celebrating a special occasion like an anniversary or birthday during their stay? Guests will usually let you know prior to their stay if they are – in fact, they’re often angling for a freebie of some sort. Either way, it’s always worth asking whether there will be a special celebration during their stay – you can do so in the guest’s booking confirmation email prior to arrival.

11. Track your guests’ preferences

Does your guest have a gluten intolerance or a favorite room? Sending an email prior to their arrival asking if there are any special requests or allergies within the party will ensure that the guest feels truly catered to. If you opt for an app, you can collect these basic details through this technology from either a box-ticking survey or question and answer box when confirming the booking. In Mews Commander, there’s a helpful ‘notes’ section, where your front-of-house staff (or any user) can add anything specific about the reservation.

12. Give guests the option to refuse housekeeping – and reward them for doing so

More and more guests are becoming environmentally conscious when they travel. Many are abandoning the mindset that sheets and towels need to be changed every day, which is good for the environment and also good for you, as it cuts laundry costs.

Leave a note in the room that tells guests what their options are. For example, some hotels provide a small bag that guests can hang on the door, and housekeeping will leave a small treat inside instead of changing their towels and sheets. Alternatively, you could offer a complimentary drink from the minibar or a free item from your bar or restaurant.

13. Develop strategies for resolving guest complaints

No hotel is perfect, and it’s only a matter of time before you have a complaint, so make sure you’re prepared. Make sure your staff know what to do if they get a complaint and who to go to should they need to escalate the problem. 

Set up regular satisfaction questionnaires, whether through your virtual concierge or via push notifications. This way, you can get a barometer on how your guests are doing and if there is anything they need from you.

14. Offer clear directions around the property

Put yourself in the shoes of a new guest and evaluate the signage around the property, especially in the elevator. Could you give more information? Writing in another language or adding easy-to-understand symbols can make getting around much easier. Your guests will appreciate being able to find where they need to go at all times.

15. Seek feedback from guests

Don’t be afraid to ask guests throughout their stay how their stay is going and if there is anything you can do to improve it. Surveys can be used to gather insights about their experience. Simply asking will go a long way because it shows that you care. You should also be prepared with solutions to mitigate any negative feedback you get. Most importantly, train your staff that the guest is (almost) always right.

How technology improves hotel customer experience

Hospitality technology allows hotels to deliver faster, more personalized service while reducing operational friction. From mobile check-in to automated guest messaging, modern tools help hotels create seamless experiences without increasing staff workload.

Property management systems, guest messaging tools and digital upselling platforms all contribute to improving hotel customer experience by making service more responsive and consistent. These tools allow hotel teams to focus less on administrative tasks and more on meaningful guest interactions.

As guest expectations continue to evolve, hotels that adopt flexible technology solutions will be better positioned to deliver memorable stays and long-term loyalty.

How Mews enhances guest experience

Mews is focused on helping hotels operate more efficiently, creating a smoother, more connected experience for every guest. Our platform simplifies daily operations, enhances service and makes it easier for hotels to build loyalty and deliver memorable stays that keep guests coming back.

1. Offer frictionless self-serve options

Guests expect to manage tasks and request services independently, without needing assistance from the front desk or concierge staff. This streamlines response times while making the experience more convenient and accurate.

Depending on your guests' preferences and tech comfort, you can offer fully digital check-ins, self-service check-in through Mews Kiosk, the traditional reception experience, or a mix of these options.

Take a look at what the frictionless guest experience can look like for your guests:

2. Make every guest feel like a regular

Mews is built around the guest, not just reservations, which means it automatically creates rich guest profiles with preferences, stay history and important dates, enabling your team to personalize each interaction – from a warm pre-arrival message to a surprise birthday upgrade.

With clear insight into how often a guest has stayed, staff can fine-tune offers to feel more relevant and increase the chances of conversion.

3. Eliminate waiting at the front desk

No one books a hotel for the front desk. For guests who prefer traditional check-ins at the reception desk, Mews offers quick and simple check-ins which take as little as three clicks.

What could you achieve with the time you free up? At The Chloe, a cozy 14-room gem in New Orleans, check-in isn’t about forms – it’s about feeling welcome. Guests are greeted with a cocktail and a tour of a local music store. Thanks to Mews, 87% of visitors check-in online, so their details are already in the system. For the rest, an ID scanner instantly captures passport info and updates the PMS in seconds. Less admin, more unforgettable experiences.

4. Increase revenue with digital upsells

Digital upselling typically leads to higher conversion rates than traditional in-person sales, as it reaches guests at the right moment with the right offer. With Mews, you can seamlessly present room upgrades and add-ons before arrival, giving guests the option to enhance their stay on their own terms.

Guests can easily browse and select upgrades – whether it’s a better view, a larger room, or added amenities – directly from their device, making the process smooth, intuitive and more likely to convert. This not only elevates the guest experience but also opens new revenue streams for your hotel without adding to your team’s workload.

5. Offer more than just a room

Whether it's parking for the night, a meeting room for the day or a bike for an hour, Mews Spaces makes it easy for guests to book exactly what they need. These services are seamlessly integrated into the booking and check-in journey, so guests can add them with just a few clicks – no back-and-forth required. It’s a simple way to enhance the guest experience while unlocking additional revenue for your property.

6. Provide flexible payment options

Mews Payments gives hoteliers the freedom to configure payment settings that suit their business needs. Whether it’s collecting payment on arrival or allowing guests to complete check-in without a credit card, the system is flexible and easy to use.

7. Prioritize meaningful guest interactions

Great hospitality tech works quietly in the background. With fewer clicks, less admin and no interruptions, your team can focus on creating the kind of guest experience that feels effortless but leaves a lasting impression. When everything runs smoothly behind the scenes, your guests feel it front and center.

For a brilliant conversation on how tech can elevate hospitality without getting in the way, check-out this Coffee Corner featuring our CEO Matt Welle and Dimitris Manikis, President and MD for EMEA at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

Create memorable stays that keep guests coming back

Enhancing the hotel customer experience is no longer optional. It is what sets great properties apart. By focusing on thoughtful details, seamless service and meaningful guest interactions, you create stays that turn first-time visitors into loyal guests.

Simplify operations, delight guests and boost efficiency with Mews. Book a demo today to see how the right technology can elevate every guest experience.

Understanding the modern guest

We touched upon this briefly in point eight – tracking your guests' preferences – but the more you know about your guest, the more you'll understand what remarkable means to them.

Our guide to Understanding the Modern Guest takes a look at how expectations have changed and what your property can do to keep guests coming back.

Download now