Spend a Day as Your Own Guest: The Power of Personal Experience in Hospitality

Why Experiencing Your Own Service is Essential for Quality Improvement**

Many hotel managers rely on feedback forms, reviews, and surveys to understand the guest experience. While these tools are valuable, they’re not a substitute for firsthand experience. Spending a day, or even a night, as a guest in your own hotel can reveal overlooked details that even the best feedback forms might miss. This personal touch allows managers to spot simple yet impactful improvements—like ensuring toiletries are placed within easy reach in the shower, not by the sink.

The Bathroom Scenario: A Lesson in Practical Details

Consider the all-too-common scenario of having to leave the shower to reach the shampoo by the sink. Small as it may seem, this minor inconvenience can disrupt a guest’s sense of relaxation and comfort. Simple adjustments, like relocating toiletries, enhance a guest’s experience in a memorable way. When a manager experiences these details firsthand, it’s easier to appreciate how a small fix can lead to big improvements in guest satisfaction.

The Real Benefits of Experiencing Your Own Service

1. Enhanced Guest Comfort and Convenience
– Simple observations during an overnight stay or a room inspection can reveal improvements that instantly elevate guest comfort. Think about accessibility to amenities, ease of temperature control, lighting options, or even the flow of the room setup. Each of these elements impacts a guest’s experience in subtle but meaningful ways.

2. A Clearer Understanding of Customer Service Quality
– Calling the hotel’s own customer support line or engaging with the concierge as a guest helps managers evaluate response times, friendliness, and problem-solving capabilities. Experiencing these services directly offers insight into how effective, or frustrating, a typical customer service interaction might be for real guests.

3. Identifying Efficiency Gaps in Guest Processes
– Managers should try the check-in process from a guest’s perspective to gauge efficiency and warmth, or even test their own online booking platform. This firsthand experience helps reveal what’s working smoothly and where unnecessary steps or delays occur, allowing the hotel to streamline processes and enhance the overall experience.

4. Unearthing Opportunities for Cost-Effective Improvements
– Experiencing a stay within the hotel often highlights small, easily fixable issues, such as uncomfortable pillows, limited plug access, or even confusing signage. Adjusting these factors can lead to noticeable improvements in the guest experience without major renovations or high expenses.

5. Empowering Staff Through Shared Experience
– When management has walked in the shoes of a guest, they’re better equipped to empathize with guests and staff alike. Sharing these insights with staff can foster a shared sense of purpose in maintaining high standards, as everyone gains a clearer picture of what truly impacts guest satisfaction.

Tips for Executing a Personal Service Evaluation

• Book an Overnight Stay Anonymously: Stay in a guest room under a pseudonym, experiencing everything from the check-in process to the housekeeping and dining services.
• Test All Services: Call the front desk, order room service, and use all available amenities as a guest would.
• Document Observations: Take notes on everything from the comfort of the bed to the usability of in-room technology.
• Prioritize Staff Feedback: Include staff insights, as they can offer valuable perspective on what guests frequently comment on and what goes unnoticed.
• Act on Findings Quickly: Implement changes as soon as feasible, especially for quick fixes like room layout adjustments, amenity placements, or adding clearer instructions.

Conclusion: The Power of Empathy in Action

Spending a day as a guest in your own hotel offers a powerful, firsthand perspective that can help close the gap between management’s assumptions and actual guest experiences. These insights often lead to practical improvements that may otherwise go unnoticed, yet make a world of difference to guests.