Are your guests having a great stay?

Whether those staying at your resort are rental guests, guests of owners, or timeshare owners themselves, they are all Guests of the resort. It’s even codified in some CC&Rs that ‘Owners’ are considered ‘Guests’.

As a Board member you probably have an innate sense of Guest Satisfaction at your resort from verbal and written comments you’ve received. If it’s informal feedback, chances are it’s more negative than you’d like. Even so, that feedback is valuable for management and the board if it’s actionable.

So how do you solicit positive, accurate guest feedback, and still get a bead on issue areas in the resort that affect the guest experience? The following 8 steps could be a great help.

1. You should have a short and easy to complete formal guest survey or comment ‘card’, preferably electronic. There are many companies that offer this service – but the simpler and shorter the better.

2. Send the request for feedback/comments (or make available) to every guest immediately after checkout. You want comments when they are fresh in the guests’ minds.

3. Ask for the feedback – when you see guests during their stay, enthusiastically ask, ‘Are you having a great time?’ Phrased this way the answer is usually positive. ‘Great, let us know all about your stay on the survey you’ll get after you leave.’

4. At departure, I’ve heard so many Guest Services or Front Desk staff try to sell the survey with a long, rote, rapidly spoken or mumbled script about ‘an important survey coming in their email’. This isn’t sincere or respectful, and it just doesn’t work.

5. Instead, simply ask the guest ‘Did you have a great stay?’ Again, the answer is usually positive and an added ‘I’m glad to hear that! Please let us know about it in the survey you’ll receive.’ That’s all that needs to be said. Make sure your guests leave with that idea in their mind – that they had a great stay.

6. Of course, if the response is less than a positive ask what could be done better for their next visit, etc. And follow up! Even note in their file, or send a follow-up thank you note.

7. Get management out of the office and at the front of the resort, either checking guests out, helping them with luggage, or just sending them off. It’s an excellent way to cement that great feeling guests have about their stay. It’s also a good approach for management to hear about any guest issues, or compliments, firsthand.

8. Finally, resort management should read every survey response and reply to the guest if needed – with an apology or a thank you. It goes without saying trends in guest feedback scores should be tracked and analyzed, and guest service initiatives modified when needed. Guest feedback is critical to steering the day-to-day operations of your resort. Simpler is better when it comes to both survey design and soliciting the survey feedback.

At two resorts where we implemented this approach our survey return rates increased to 33%, positive survey scores improved 10-20%, and management had plenty of positive and constructive feedback to share and act on.

Try this, or something similar at your resort. See for yourself as your guest feedback, satisfaction, and your staff responsiveness all increase.

P.S. Consider giving a way for guests to note or pass on maintenance items or other issues that didn’t require immediate attention but should be corrected on the room turn after their departure and before the next guest arrives. Often a ‘Notes to the Staff’ notepad and pencil will do the trick. John Whitby is the founder of Resort Advisors and previously award-winning resort and HOA manager.