Need opinions and ideas!

[Essentia]

If you go to a hotel, what do you look for? What do you expect? What have you always wanted to see at a hotel that you haven't already? If you got a survey in your email after you checked out, what would make you give that hotel a perfect 10 as a score? I need honesty!

Our score has been down these last few months at the hotel where I work. I am looking for what people actually, and truthfully expect when they go to a hotel, for leisure or business travel. We have a fantastic front desk staff. Everyone is courteous and friendly. Guests tell us all the time that we have the best staff they have ever seen at a hotel, and that alone will bring them back, yet when they get a survey they give us a 7 (which is a zero in Marriott's eyes). Our hotel is getting on the slightly older side (we were built in 2000) so we need creative ways to get people to enjoy their stay here, short of getting flat screen TV's and wireless (currently wired high speed internet connections in all the rooms) which are coming, but do take time.

So help me out! I am honestly all ideaed out.

 

[threewingedfury]

Crysta, I really don't think that people are really unhappy with the service by giving a 7, it's just that I know when I fill out surveys for anything, I never really give a 10 to anyone because an experience is never 'out of the world' and deserving a 10. It's just like being critical of chins, I've never seen a chin I'd give a 10 to because there is always room for improvement!

But as far as hotels go, I think that there should be more pet-friendly options, even if there is a deposit. If you're paying $100+ to stay a night in a room, you should be able to bring your animal in. Now, if the animal messes up the room, then yes, someone should forfeit the deposit (if it's refundable). Also, for the swimming pools in hotels - why can't you swim after a certain time? If I want a midnight dip, I can't because it closes at 9, or 11, and that's just crazy (IMO).

The thing is, you can't please everyone on everything. I've never met one person that worked at a hotel that was rude to me. When it comes to employees being friendly and making sure your stay was top notch - I've never been happier. I've never really had any complaints with any place I have stayed other than pet policies, lack of large towels (for us large ladies!) and uncomfortable or small pillows.

 

[Essentia]

Unfortunately while I agree with you about the perfect scores, our management company does not. Our score has been low for awhile and corporate is now talking to management about possibly changing staff out at the hotels with low scores. My general manager asked me to come up with some ideas to possibly bring them up without having to go that far. This honestly might be my job, as well as my manager's, on the line if we don't come up with something.

And this is ideas for anything. Something to put in the room, something we can give to guests upon check in, something we can give the guests if they have a problem...anything.

 

[Lmbswimmer]

Big things for me is room cleanliness and how the bathroom is. If it even appears dirty it will not score well. This includes wall color/bedding color etc... If the top linens are not being cleaned between customers that is a huge ick factor for me, and in most hotels only the sheets are changed - hurk. Those places with the thinner quilt, that does get cleaned between customers always gets an extra point from me!! I

I also agree with the pool hours, it's not like a lifeguard is on duty anyway! I realize you don't want a crowd of drunk people at the pool with no lifeguard anywhere, but sometimes having a pool open after 9 would be nice. I have stayed at places where the pool closes as early as 8!! That is nuts. Carpet in hotel rooms that are musty, brown in color etc... again color is important. Paint color is important to make a room feel clean. Any paint color with a tint of brown will make a place look dingy, especially as paint ages certain colors darken within it.
Good luck, I don't envy your job!
Oh and another little thing, big groups like to be roomed together on the same floor! At least in my experience whenever possible. I used to swim and our meets were throughout New England. Our team would travel with 50-60 kids, and usually around 25-30 parents, seperating that many kids throughout the hotel really sucks for the group trying to move as a group, and really sucks for other people staying as they hear LOTS of noise at certain times (sometimes super early or super late) and then when the kiddos are running up and down to meet up and play.

Greenery adds a tone of cleanliness, the places that we have stayed with those HUGE trees and stuff that are well kept in the office and main entry always led to an impression of upkeep and care to me. It's a visual thing, especially in the winter. Maybe change out the artwork to more greenery/more naturey pictures. The ones where you see the same cheap painting 4 times before you even get to your room kind of scream cheap and lack of creativity/care also.

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

Cleanliness is the #1 concern for me!!!

I can't stand it if I see a hair in the bathtub, on the bathroom floor or on my sheets!!!

I would also like it if ALL the bed linens, comforter included, are changed between guests, but settle for just moving the bedspread back to be safe.

Flat screen TV is not a dealbreaker for me; I just want to watch the news and other shows. I would like a free newspaper delivered in the morning and a free hi-speed internet (preferably wireless) connection.

Good luck...it's not YOUR fault that people don't score you a 10.

 

[AZChins]

I agree with Lynn...I want it CLEAN. No moldy, musty smells...nice fresh shower curtain. I would love to be able to get right in the tub and not give it a second thought. I could care less about the television or if the internet is super fast. When I go to a hotel I want to be able to sleep and not feel like the crawlies are coming to get me. The bathroom floor needs to be CLEAN.

The secondary thing is that sometimes I can hear everything going on in the hallway or the rooms next to me. I HATE that. Your hotel isn't that old, so maybe they have everything sound proofed.

Lastly, I don't want people treating me like I am stupid or like I don't matter at all. I like to be able to have a brief conversation with another human without the other human treating me like I am totally putting them out by talking to them. I've actually had desk staff act very rude at hotels for me asking how their day was going! The hotel staff needs to understand that many people are exhausted and the last thing that they need is someone acting like they are being put out for having a simple conversation. It isn't the customer's responsibility to be accommodating...they're the ones paying for the service. As a customer I think I have more of a right to be grumpy than the clerk! (My type of grumpy is everyone else's type of super friendly normally...)

And, no very strangely dressed people working nights. No people with Satanic jewelry, no "that's obviously a dude in a dress" type of people. Normal people at nights!

Another thing...always give someone a little extra and whisper something about "we're not supposed to do this" wink wink. I had a lady give me a coupon for a free meal once and she did that...I will go back to her hotel in a heartbeat should I ever go back to Wyoming!

 

[Ash]

Crysta, you also need to take into account WHERE you work. You're not working for a low-end hotel, and therefore some of your guests are probably pretty (For lack of a better word) snobby.

Does everyone get the survey to take? I don't remember getting one when Keith and I had our stay in Philly at one of your hotels. Maybe you could put something in the rooms or at the checkout desk about "How do we rate?" Tell customers you're striving for that "Perfect Score" and want to know what you can do to make their stay better next time and find out what keeps them away from that score.

Unfortunately, most corporate big wigs forget what it's like to be on the people-end of the spectrum in these jobs. We have these issues all the time with our scores at CVS. We work our butts off to get everything done to the best of our ability, but are extremely short staffed so can't get everything done. Their method of fixing it is to cut hours, making us even more short staffed.

Good luck, Crysta!

 

[AZChins]

We work our butts off to get everything done to the best of our ability, but are extremely short staffed so can't get everything done. Their method of fixing it is to cut hours, making us even more short staffed.

I SWEAR they do that at all the stores I go to! I'm sorry that they cut hours like it will help. Maybe eventually they won't have anyone working and your scores will go up because everything will be free since no one is there to ring customers up!

 

[Essentia]

Not everyone does. Unfortunately it's random. It seems like most, if not all, Marriott Reward members get a survey. Others do receive one as well though.

Ok, for the most part everyone who has said anything here, or on facebook is all about cleanliness, which I agree with. I am going to bring all of these suggestions to our GM, so keep giving! I want to make sure he is aware just how much cleanliness is an issue with people. While I think we are a generally pretty clean property, I have no doubt that we could be cleaner.

I also love the idea of greenery. We used to have a bunch in our lobby, but to cut costs they got rid of it. Having plants that someone else tends to really is costly, but I think it's something we need to bring back.

 

[Essentia]

I SWEAR they do that at all the stores I go to! I'm sorry that they cut hours like it will help. Maybe eventually they won't have anyone working and your scores will go up because everything will be free since no one is there to ring customers up!

Oh, it's not just stores. The entire hospitality industry has done the same thing.

 

[AZChins]

Maybe since the cards are random and not everyone HAS to fill out a survey, the only people that fill them out are people that are angry about something or people that are really happy about something?

You could do a fill out a survey and get a free gift...maybe a small box of chocolates or something? That way you could entice people that normally wouldn't fill it out to fill it out! You want the normal, in-the-middle person to fill it out. It doesn't help if all you get are super happy praises or really angry complaints, you know?

 

[Essentia]

How would you go about giving the gifts? Upon check out? If so, how would we know if they actually fill out a survey? Maybe they will remember the gift though and actually fill out the survey because of it. I know Marriott sends out at least 200 surveys a month for each property, and we usually only receive about 40 back in a month, so you very well could be right. We do get good scores back, don't get me wrong. We are sitting at a 75 score out of 100, but it's looked at as a bad thing to be any lower than the brand average, which right now we are.

We were giving points for filling out surveys, but that only applies to Marriott reward members. I like the idea of giving something to everyone.

 

[threewingedfury]

I've never seen a problem with cleanliness in the nicer hotels. On the other hand, Days Inn, Holiday Inn, Super 8, Motel 6, etc - they're not going to look as nice as the higher end hotels. Their floors, bedding, ceilings, etc just don't look as clean as if you're staying in a place that costs you double. The way I see it is that you get what you pay for.

I receive a lot of surveys and I normally don't fill them out unless I have something to complain about. Maybe that's why the scores are so low.

 

[Ash]

How would you go about giving the gifts? Upon check out? If so, how would we know if they actually fill out a survey? Maybe they will remember the gift though and actually fill out the survey because of it. I know Marriott sends out at least 200 surveys a month for each property, and we usually only receive about 40 back in a month, so you very well could be right. We do get good scores back, don't get me wrong. We are sitting at a 75 score out of 100, but it's looked at as a bad thing to be any lower than the brand average, which right now we are.

We were giving points for filling out surveys, but that only applies to Marriott reward members. I like the idea of giving something to everyone.

We had a "Take 5" deal going on. Our surveys print out on receipts, and when we noticed it, we would ask them to do the survey right there. Then they got entered for a $25 gift certificate to the store and got a Take 5 mini candy bar. Maybe you could do something similar? If they do the survey in front of you or hand the survey into you, they get the option of entering to win something, a small box of chocolates, or some other thing. You can come up with other ideas of what to offer them.

 

[Essentia]

Unfortunately Marriott emails it to them. We don't even get the surveys back personally. We have to log on to the Marriott website to view them.

I am definitely keeping in mind the gift ideas though. Just something small to make them think about the survey.

 

[Melissa]

I just want to touch on a few things as hotel staff before I put in my input.

For swimming hours... the reason is because the IS NOT lifeguard, and it is a liability to have people swim at night when there is less staff/other guests to notice something going wrong. It is also bests for other guests not to hear a bunch of people at the pool screaming and yelling while they are trying to sleep. Most hotels if you ask will allow their guests to go out to the pool after hours as long as they are all respectful. I allow it at my hotel. But then again this is mostly a business hotel.

Also I know at my hotel we try the best we can to get everyone together in a group as close as possible. We also put them on the lower floors so they arent running up and down on the elevators disturbing other guests. But because we have 150 suties here and there are other guests who come in for extended lengths of time and there almost no way to map it out perfectly to accomadate everyone at the same time. So sometimes people have to be split up.

Talking to guests is actually frowned upon over here. I get in trouble all the time for starting conversations with a guest. So you can quickly say hi and how are you Mr. XYZ and how is your room but if you stray from that you get a stern look and a sit down

Now from a customers point of view.. my room MUST be clean. I always bring my own sheets anyways and do not allow housekeeping to chage them because I HAVE worked at a not so nice hotel in the past where they would only clean the sheets between guests but doing the "hair test." If you say stains or hair then you changed the sheets if not then you eft them.. GAG city if you ask me.. So it must not only LOOK clean but smell and feel clean too.

I work for a Hilton brand hotel and when our guests come in we have a welcome letter in their room if its already preassigned. Also for our "Hilton Honors" guests we have water in the room already for them and salty and sweet snacks set up.

Also changing things in your speech helps. When a guest asked for you to connect them to their room or what not instead of saying "hold on one moment while I transfer you" you might try "It will be my pleasure to connect you." "My pleasure" rather than "no problem" "This is Melissa at your service" rather than "this is Melissa how can I help you." If you dont already use these you would be surprised how guests react to them.

 

[threewingedfury]

I've never seen a lifeguard at any hotel I've swimmed at. I've always read on the signs "Swim at your Own Risk: No Lifeguard on Duty". So, from my point of view, what's the difference in swimming at night than during the day? Especially if the pool is indoor (I'm not talking about outdoor pools). I've also noticed that a lot of the places have cameras in the pool rooms.

It's not a big deal, it's just a issue I've had because I'm a night person and there are many times I don't come in until after 11pm and want to go and take a quick swim, but can't because the pool is closed. What's the point of picking a hotel with a pool if you can't use it when you'd like to? Most people aren't in their hotels during the day anyway.

 

[Essentia]

We give a cold bottle of water to every guest who checks into the hotel. As for the talking to a guest, we talk to every single guest we see. We are able to carry on a conversation with them as long as we would like, as long as it isn't taking away from another guest.

As for the pool, it is located right behind some rooms on the first floor so we are very stern with our pool hours. Unfortunately we have to be. The hot tub is about 5 feet from a room window so everything is heard, even if they are being quiet.

 

[Laurie]

If you want my honest answer about what I would expect of my hotel it is to find a naked, handcuffed and bound Alex O'Loughlin to a nice wrought iron bed. Can you or the Marriott provide it? Highly doubtful. So since you can't . . .

I would like a clean room. I would like towels big enough to cover my fat ***--hotel towels are never big enough. In this day and age they should always have free wireless internet. I would like to see more ice machines in a hotel than normally are as I hate walking so far in my jammies to get ice. I don't think we should be charged a million dollars for the items in the mini bar or fridge--5 dollars for a reese's peanut cup is freaking ridiculous.

I would like to see a nice full breakfast served for free and until at least 11am. Omelettes, biscuits and gravy, quiche, fresh fruit, both hot and cold cereals and coffee, hot tea and iced tea and bakery--not rubbery scrambled eggs and stale donuts.

 

[Ash]

Oh! Speaking of "more ice machines"... Vending machines that don't eat your money and spit out the wrong sodas.