You might have often heard that “a satisfied customer is the best advertising.” We’re partial to saying it’s true.
NB: This is an article from HiJiffy, one of our Expert Partners
You can spend a huge budget on marketing, but nothing beats feedback from a guest who has had an exceptional experience. That’s why your hotel’s reputation is crucial and why measuring and continuously improving guest satisfaction is necessary.
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Whether it’s a conversation between friends (“word of mouth” marketing) or a review on an online platform such as TripAdvisor, more than ever, your hotel’s reputation plays an essential role in the decision-making process of your future guests.
If you stop that effort once your customers check out, you may be missing out on valuable opportunities to leave a final – and long-lasting – good impression. Offering exceptional service during a stay is not enough to guarantee customer satisfaction or a good reputation. The final moments spent in your hotel should not be neglected; on the contrary, they have the power to considerably influence the decision to return to your establishment. How can you make the most of check-out to improve guest satisfaction and your hotel’s reputation? Here are four tips that can really make a difference.
Simplify check-out (make it quick and hassle-free)
It’s often said that first impressions are the most important, but one last bad impression could ruin your previous efforts. Remember: the check-out is the last contact that guests will have with your hotel and is, therefore, the last memory they will have in their minds before potentially leaving a review or telling friends about it. So it’s in your best interests to make this last memory a pleasant one. How can you make check-out quick, easy and convenient? By offering automatic check-in kiosks or online check-out.
In the first case, the kiosks allow your customers to check out themselves: pay their bill if necessary and hand in their key. All without the assistance of reception staff.
In the second case, customers receive a pre-check-out form before their departure, where they can provide all the necessary information. The advantage of online check-out over automatic check-in kiosks is that you don’t need to install any new equipment in your reception, which means less work, fewer expenses and less clutter. Hotel guests receive instructions directly on their mobile phones. HiJiffy’s AI-powered solution automates the sending of these forms, which customers receive via WhatsApp, the world’s most popular messaging application.
By implementing one of these two solutions, you can make check-out as quick and easy as possible, ensuring that your customers leave with a smile on their faces. But that’s not all. This will also benefit you and your reception teams, as it will reduce the number of long queues at reception.
