Would you like to get inside the mind of millions of potential guests to find out what they really really want? Well we’ve researched a number of reports and statistics to help figure out how you can make your customers truly happy.
Hotels.com® based the formula below on 148 million comments from their customer reviews to gain some of the industry’s most accurate and comprehensive insight to date.
500 of the most commonly used keywords were extracted from Hotels.com 5 million + guest reviews from 2016. 148 million sentences containing these keywords were then analyzed and the formula was calculated by Dr Simon Moore, based on the keyword volume. Dr. Simon Moore then cross-referenced which elements of a hotel stay (stay attributes) were listed in customer feedback, against the underlying sentiment conveyed.
What they came up with was this:
F25 + C35 + B10 + P2 + Q + Br + D7 + S + W + ½H = Hotel Perfection
F = How friendly are the staff
C= Perceived cleanliness of the room
B= How comfortable is the bed
P= Perceived Reasonable Price
Q= Quietness of the room
S = Swimming pool
Br= Breakfast is included
D = Location/Walking distance/access
W = Free WiFi
H= Hot drink available to make in room
HP = Overall hotel perfection
The results may be rather surprising to some, considering the list above concentrates mainly on the necessities and not on perceived luxuries like spas and fitness centres. For small hotel owners the above list can be considered reassuring as most of these facilities are achievable for every kind of accommodation provider.
statista.com prepared a recent infographic in May 2017 which really highlights that one basic service is still at the top of everyone’s wish list when booking a room. Yup, you’ve guessed it, it’s the all important Wifi! You can clearly see from the stats that nothing comes close to being able to get online.
Another survey conducted by Trabber in 2016 just goes to reinforce the importance of free wifi and highlights some more common requests:
- Free Wi-Fi: It remains firm in first position of the amenities sought by the guests for both business and leisure travellers.
- Air conditioning: Being able to change the temperature of the room and regulate it to taste influences the choice of the hotel.
- Toiletries: The value of details. These are bathroom specific amenities like shower gels, shower caps, soap, shampoo, conditioner, shaving kit, etc. Their number and quality are indicators of the level of service of the establishment. It is important that the design and fragrance is related to the purpose of the hotel (business, beach, mountain, urban, etc.)
- Parking: Free or even paid parking, but guests wanted to ensure that their car was safe and secure.
And there you have it, a short but informative post to help you gain the advantage and encourage potential guests to choose you. After all, you can’t argue with statistics!
