Five most frequent guest expectations in hotels and how to exceed them

Meeting guest expectations is one thing, but exceeding them is another. Going beyond the expected gives guests a reason to prefer your hotel over the competition, positively impacting loyalty and ultimately driving revenue. This is why it’s important to understand what are the most frequent guest requirements and how to meet these requirements in all phases of the booking process. 

In this article, we will take a look at the five most important hotel guest expectations and get a better understanding of why fulfilling guest expectations in a hotel is so vital. Keep reading to unlock the key to giving your clients exactly what they want and thereby positively contributing to satisfaction levels.

Why is it important to fulfill guest expectations in a hotel?

Fulfilling guest expectations in a hotel is the minimum required to have a steady stream of bookings throughout the year, but exceeding guest expectations is the secret to turning guests into brand ambassadors. The more you can understand what guests are looking for in each phase of the buyer journey, the more you can ensure that you provide these minimum services and also go above and beyond. 

A guest who is offered only the minimum such as a clean room, a hotel in a good location, and a comfortable bed and pillows isn’t being offered anything that differentiates your hotel from the competition, and is therefore not likely to return. 

On the other hand, if you provide excellent service, special amenities, use technology and make the guest journey smoother, they are not only more likely to become loyal guests but are also more likely to refer friends and become brand advocates. For bonus points, try creating an emotional connection to your brand through personalization. 

Top five hotel guest expectations

Every day, guests are becoming more and more demanding. With the digitalization of the travel experience, guests are constantly comparing experiences through social media and are looking for the “wow” effect that they can share with their online communities. This is why the experience you provide must not only exceed the guest’s expectations, but also impress their followers.

So what can you do to stand out? By ensuring that you meet certain criteria that guests are looking for such as the use of technology, excellent service, amenities, personalization and through a good price/quality ratio.

1. Use of technology 

The use of technology and connectivity with access to fast Wi-Fi are two things guests have come to expect. However, how your hotel uses technology such as self-service kiosks and online check-in can help you stand out. Not just because guests expect these services, but because they also help your operations run more smoothly by allowing guests to avoid long waits at the front desk and to check in quickly no matter what time they arrive. 

Shorter wait times and online check-in have a direct correlation to positive satisfaction levels. 

To take it one step further, you can surprise your guests by using augmented reality to provide a unique experience that won’t necessarily be available at other hotels. It could be an interactive map with the top tourist spots or a range of other opportunities you can unlock with AR technology. This way you can meet the basic requirements with your hotel’s use of technology, but also create an element of surprise. 

2. Excellent service

Great service is without a doubt one of the most important requirements to meet. In fact, it is probably the most important deciding factor behind whether a customer decides to stay at your hotel again or not. While technology has come a long way and hypothetically could replace humans at many steps of the guest journey, there is nothing like great customer service to set your hotel apart from the competition. 

The friendly smile your front desk staff gives or the helpful tips from the concierge are the little details that can make a guest’s stay one of a kind. After all, traveling is all about the sensations and emotions, and there is nothing more powerful in the guest experience than human connection. 

You may also like:

• What is an accessible hotel room and what should it include?
• Ways to improve hotel employee satisfaction

3. Amenities 

Depending on the price point of your hotel or the number of stars, the amount of amenities guests will expect will differ. Some basics are bath soap, a hairdryer, room service, and a mini bar, but the list of possible hotel amenities is endless. 

Of course, the more care you put into choosing your amenities, whether it be organic shampoo, a bathrobe, slippers or a bottle of complimentary water or wine, the more likely you are to surprise your guests. Providing a few amenities that go above and beyond will go a long way. 

4. Personalization 

Personalization is one of the underlying requirements that you may not be able to put your finger on, but is without a doubt expected. Personalization is the future of the hotel experience, it’s as simple as that. With personalization, you can keep guests engaged, providing them with a story to tell their online communities. 

The more you can connect with your guests on an emotional level, the more likely they are to become loyal to your brand and to refer friends. Personalization is the key to creating this emotional connection. Whether it’s a simple message on the bed saying “Welcome, Tom”, a selection of carefully chosen wines in the mini bar, or a guide to the top visitor sites near your hotel, all of these little details will do wonders for guest’s satisfaction levels. 

5. Good quality to price ratio

As the saying goes, “you get what you pay for” and there’s nothing more important to guests than having a fair quality to price ratio. That is to say that depending on the number of stars or the price of your hotel room, the requirements will change. Of course, the more people pay, the more they will expect. 

With more competition all the time, it’s important that you give your guests a reason to stay at your hotel. Make sure to give them added value so that they choose to stay at your hotel over a private apartment or house. No matter what the price, the perceived value needs to be above par for guests to come back. 

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve looked at the top hotel guest expectations and why it’s important to fulfill those requirements. By doing so, you can turn one-time guests into lifelong customers who will be your hotel’s most powerful marketing tool. By not just meeting their minimum requirements, but also surpassing them, you can be sure that you will keep guests engaged long after they check out. And an engaged guest is a profitable guest.