What Makes a Hotel Great? Guests Give Answers
Looking to wow your meeting attendees with their venue? A recent survey sponsored by Coyle Hospitality Group (a research firm specializing in guest service management and analysis) gathered word of mouth feedback from 5,000 unique travelers to better understand what makes a great hotel stay. Surveyed guests stayed at properties ranging from Extended Stay and Economy to Luxury and Casinos. The data was then categorized into over 86 attributes that guests cited as important. Among the top four mentioned attributes across all brands were cleanliness, bed & bedding, staff friendliness, and staff helpfulness.
Among their findings:
* Guestroom Cleanliness was mentioned in 42% of Economy best experiences and 39% of all best experiences. As expected, the attribute occurred less frequently for Upscale and Luxury best experiences, at 28% and 22% respectively.
* The attribute ‘Staff is helpful/capable with tasks/accommodating’ was mentioned in 38% of Economy best experiences, but only 22% of Luxury best experiences. As with cleanliness, this is more of a given than a differentiating factor at an upscale location.
* In the Bath attributes, towels were the top mentioned attribute in Economy best experiences. However, bath amenities were the key attributes mentioned in luxury and Lifestyle segments.
* Property design was the most frequently mentioned attribute in the Lifestyle segment, followed by guestroom decor and layout. Guestroom decor and layout also was in the top ten attributes for the Casino and Upscale segment, but not in the top ten for the Luxury segment.
* Staff attentiveness and availability was mentioned in 19% of Luxury best experiences, but it was ranked important by 11% or fewer for other segments. Clearly, travelers at luxury hotels rely on the staff more to ‘make the experience’.
* Guestroom View was one of the Top Mentioned Attributes for all best experiences, and was in the top 20 mentioned attributes for Upscale, Luxury and Lifestyle best experiences.
