5 Things Guests Complain About, And How To Handle It

We invest a huge amount of resources (money, time, etc.) into attracting more guests to our hotel, but what happens when they have left, and have a complaint? Read on to find out how to avoid such complaints, or how to solved them if they do arise.

Regardless of the kind of guest; backpackers, family, business or senior, they all have great expectations about their stay. It’s our responsibility to exceed those expectations, so that the guests recommend us, growing our reputation with every guest.

Many times, we forget to keep a close eye on the condition of our rooms. Suddenly, we find that the bed might not be as comfortable as it once was, or we have one or two faulty lights, maybe the fan is making a ‘funny’ and annoying noises, the towels are not ready on time, or one is missing. So many details that can make quality one of the main sources of complaints among guests.

All this can be easily avoided by utilising a proper to-do list, and implementing great task management for your staff and eat and every room. In doing so, you will always be ahead of any possible malfunction.

Sometimes, the guests quickly grab the number of your property, and name of the street, then when trying to locate the building on GPS, they realize that there is more than one street with that name, or they are not sure whether to take a taxi, bus or even a train to reach their hotel.

In order to facilitate a quick and easy arrival for your guests, write down on your web site, or the booking confirmation email, the different options of how to get to your property. Include the easiest ways to reach your hotel from the airport, bus or train stations, and always include a map with the exact location and picture of the outside of your hotel for quick reference.

Extra sheets, baby cots or cribs, vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or special diet requirements or allergies. There’s always going to be guests with special requirement or need. That’s why you always have to be prepared for such an eventuality, and be ready to react promptly and with good manners, to any of these needs.

Keep a strong, open communication with your customer, asking basic and courtesy questions, like “How is everything going?” or, “Do you need any assistance?”. Try to be on top of any possible need, and offer solutions as soon as they arise. If you can, stay on top of things by creating a simple survey or special request list to be send to your guests as soon as they book with you. That way, they can discuss in advance any possible requirement that they might have, giving you time to prepare.

There’s nothing worse than a guest showing up to your front desk, just to be informed that their room has been taken or that there was a double booking. Even if you are able to find a spare room, or offer an upgrade, your reputation may already be damaged, and you may receive a bad review.

This is why using a great Hotel Management System is paramount, as it will allow you to view an update your bookings in real time. Not only will it help you avoid overbooking or double booking guests, but you won’t need to check every booking channel individually. All bookings, in one calendar, in one system… easy.

After traveling, the only thing that our customers want is drop their luggage, and get into their rooms asap. No one wants to wait an unreasonable amount of time to be served at reception, or to sit around until their room is ready. When checking out, the guest will also be in a hurry to catch a plane or embark on a time sensitive journey. A smooth check-in/check-out process shows quality and efficiency.

During the booking process, make sure that the customer fills in all the details you may need at reception. This will save you time, speeding up the check-in, and avoiding unnecessary questions on their arrival. Keep an up to date log of any extra charges that your customer incurs during the stay, so that you can charge them swiftly and complete the check-out process. During their time with you, make notes about what your guests liked or didn't like, and add this information to your data base. This will provide a personalised and higher quality service when they come back.

As you can see, most complaints can be avoided when you actively involve the human capital that makes a hotel work properly and efficiently. From the management, front of house, housekeeping, maintenance, food and beverages to the accounting department, every single part of your hotel must be focused on excellent customer service.

At Tashi, we take pride in providing a solid management system, that will oversee every single aspect of the day to day operation, of a successful and profitable hotel. Our tools will help you avoid any complaints, by using a great data base, giving constant reminders to your staff members through an active to-do list and helping you to successfully market online. At Tashi, we build websites that update bookings in real time, and pul together all payments from each different channel. This allows us to generate helpful reports, facilitating you in the decision making process.

Tashi will help you to gain a fast, efficient, easy and profitable management of your hotel. We are the best tool that you can utilise, in order to provide the highest quality experience, and exceed your guest expectations. Visit www.tashi.travel to get started now.