What can we learn about guest expectations when re-opening post-COVID?
To some, if not many, this may, come as an easy question. The truth of the matter is that whilst everyone in the industry may know the answers…communicating the asked and unasked answer properly is vital. How you answer will determine whether the guest is pleased or disturbed.
The first question that comes to mind when someone’s making the decision to book is: ‘Am I going to be safe? Which brings us to today’s most important word in the hospitality industry – ‘Clean’. These are two key expectations that guests will have – be it when staying in an economy, budget or luxury hotel.
Previously, travelers had different expectations, priorities and concerns. They still do. But at the very top are ‘Safety’ and ‘Cleanliness concerns’. Go on; ask your frontline staff - especially those manning call centres / reservation offices, about the most ‘frequently asked questions’ they are fielding from today’s callers?
It would likely range from:-
When answering questions, it is also the best time to tell them that the hotel expects its guests to wear masks, distant themselves, wash or wipe their hands before going into the elevator and other protocols put in place.
It’s like telling customers, “Come stay with us, we’ll take care of you all the way – but you have to participate in the new process as well”. What better way to announce it than at the pre-booking stage. Mind you these are the ‘verbal’ cues that the guest receives long before he or she has decided to book a room…let alone set foot into your hotel.
Having hand sanitisers installed in the public spaces as well as part of the guest room amenity kit - alongside the shampoo and body lotion, are some of the visual cues that provide arriving guests - a sense of security and reinforces their belief that they have come to a safe place. Not forgetting of course that you deliver on all what was said at the time guests booked their rooms.
After COVID-19, the industry could be dealing with the emergence of three types of customers. In the main, are those who want to see a whole lot of vigorous cleaning going on throughout the day, then, there are those who resent seeing too much evidence of cleaning, and finally those who are in- between the two extremes. The kind that prefers to see both visible and unobtrusive cleaning carried out consistently.
So, understanding customer behaviour, adopting safe and healthy practices, proper pricing and focusing on implementing clear cut strategies will be key to gauging customer expectations
Hospitality Sri Lanka
The above article is from our video series “19-Hospitality Related Questions on Covid-19", which can be viewed on our Youtube channel here Why not take a moment to share your experience with us, or if you have a question you'd like answered, get in touch through reachus@hospitalitysrilanka.com We hope to hear from you, and in the meantime, check out our social media feeds on Facebook and Instagram.
Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka
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