Test copy: 1. What is hotel guest experience?

Hotel guest experience describes the touchpoints and emotions a traveler experiences interacting with a hotel -- beginning with the research and booking experience and extending through to check-out. Aligned with the concept of customer experience in other consumer-facing industries, a consistent guest experience influences a traveler’s overall perception of the hotel and the quality, value and level of satisfaction they have with their stay. A positive guest experience can result in glowing reviews, return visits and a brand reputation that contributes to ongoing growth.

Is hotel guest experience the same as hotel guest satisfaction?

Guest experience and guest satisfaction are related but distinct concepts. Guest experience describes the entirety of a traveler’s interaction with a hotel, all the micro-moments that occur through human and digital channels and the physical experience of being on-property. Guest satisfaction is a point-in-time measurement that can capture how happy a traveler is each micro-moment, as well as the entirety of their experience. Hotels who actively shape their guest experience and confirm satisfaction during a stay are more likely to meet and exceed traveler expectations. The rewards include both a healthy business and the sheer pleasure of delighting guests.

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2. Principles to shape your guest experience

Guests are satisfied when their expectations are met and thrilled when you exceed them. Although this formula sounds easy, it can’t be left to chance. Hoteliers need to actively outline what travelers can expect, work to know their guests--uncovering opportunities to delight them—and then deliver at every turn.

We’ve outlined four key principles that will help you define a guest experience that stands out to travelers and helps you grow your business

Be consistent

With so many points of engagement, consistency of message and behavior have become fundamentally important to creating a positive experience.

Be sure not to narrow your focus to the interactions that occur once a guest arrives—that’s actually mid-journey for them. Start with the expectations you set on your website and listings with online travel agents (OTAs) and consider how travelers will experience your brand and level of service from the moment they book until they’re asked to leave a review.

Proactive communication before and during a guest’s stay is a huge opportunity to influence how they perceive their experience and gives you the insight to delight them in simple, meaningful ways. From adjoining rooms for a family traveling to a baseball tournament to acknowledging a birthday get-away, doing all you can to create a seamless, personalized stay ensures you’re delivering a great guest experience.

Be responsive

The flip side of being proactive is being responsive to guest needs. This is never more important than when problems arise, as they inevitably will. How you acknowledge concerns and the speed at which you resolve them, will influence how guests feel about their overall experience. A quick response will reinforce that you value your guests and their experiences.

Don’t assume that you’ll know about every issue a guest has – no doubt you’ve been surprised by a negative review resulting from a situation you knew nothing about. Confirming guest satisfaction at key points in a stay will help you identify opportunities to go above and beyond and transform an okay stay into a great one.

Be authentic

Creating memorable, even transformative, experiences is why many hoteliers work in hospitality, so let that passion shine through in every guest interaction. From warmly welcoming back repeat guests to providing insider tips on the best running paths, views and things to do – you have the ability to make people feel special. Treating your guests as guests instead of temporary occupants of your rooms, goes a long way toward differentiating your property and creating an experience people can’t wait to share.