How to improve Hotel guest experience

A growing number of brands are now relentless in their desire to identify our emotional and practical needs and eliminate the friction points we are looking for online with our credit cards in hand.

Implicit in the customer experience is a silent plea: “Know me and what I want before I want it.” It seems that the intrusion of privacy is a compromise that most customers are willing to accept for a more personalized experience.

Research revealed that travelers had three emotional and practical needs while on the road: accessing maps and location information, sharing photos with family and friends, and letting people know were safe. That’s why Facebook, Google, Google Apps, Twitter, etc., show such loyalty: they meet our needs, whether at home or on the road.

Travelers also wanted the right recommendations to be sent through the right channels at the right time, whether it was via email, chat or social media.

If brands can surprise and delight customers, then loyalty is more likely. However, 14% of research travelers said that a travel service provider never exceeded their expectations. Only hotels at 24% or booking sites at 23% were likely to delight, said Amadeus respondents.

The keystone of all this is: if organizations want loyalty, they should look at their holistic customer experience and identify points of friction (such as confusion of payments, lack of contact after booking, etc.) and aim to delete them.

According to Harvard Business Review, there is a clear statistical correlation between adopting a holistic approach to eliminate friction points and financial growth. Smoothing the buying path ensures a more efficient conversion of leads to customers. It also creates greater customer retention (ie loyalty).

Evidence shows that customers on a frictionless path become brand advocates through social media and word of mouth.

So, breathe deeply. Look at the customer experience of your business.