The J.D. Power’s North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index study showed scores improving across the board, but not as much in the areas of check in and check out. While up overall, guests aren’t quite as happy with the process as they are with the rest of the stay.
It makes sense. One of the top annoyances in any experience is standing in line, and a busy front desk often means guests are doing just that. In an early Monscierge survey, we found that 49% of travelers feel that 1-5 minutes is too long to stand in line while visiting a hotel. Moreover, 66% prefer to use mobile check-out over visiting the front desk, and 79% prefer mobile for check-out. Billing accuracy and speed were found to be the biggest factors in guest satisfaction during check-out.
Another point touched on by the J.D. Power study is direct booking. Jennifer Corwin, Associate Practice Lead for the Global Travel and Hospitality Practice at J.D. Power, had this to say, “Years of capital investment in offerings such as higher-end televisions and in-room tablets have left their mark. Now, as hotels look to push customer satisfaction levels higher, their focus should turn to service areas, particularly when it comes to direct booking.”
At Monscierge, we firmly believe that tech is a key factor to increasing scores across all of these areas. Furthermore, technology should always enhance, not attempt to replace, service excellence and face to face interactions. If you’d like more information on the J.D. Power’s North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index study, you can read further here.