What are hotel complaints?
Hotel complaints occur when hotel guest satisfaction is at a minimum due to something that has gone wrong with their stay or when the hotel experience doesn’t live up to their expectations. This means a guest is dissatisfied about an element of their stay – whether it’s the hotel room itself, a bad experience with hotel staff, a negative experience at the hotel restaurant or something about guest services. Maybe the hot water wasn’t working in their room, the bed was uncomfortable, or the air conditioning wasn’t functioning properly.
Why should hotels respond to guest complaints?
Hotels should respond to guest feedback and complaints because they can negatively impact your reputation, guest retention, and revenue. Complaints should be addressed immediately in a proactive way – apologizing profusely for what has gone wrong and finding a way to mitigate the issue, whether by moving guests to a new room or asking housekeeping or maintenance staff to address the in-room problem as quickly as possible.
By addressing negative guest feedback, you can help turn a negative experience into a positive one.
Top 15 common hotel guest complaints
Working in a client-facing position has its ups and downs, but by knowing what the common guest grievances are and how to deal with them, you can be prepared for the worst.
1. Wi-Fi problems
Wi-Fi has come to be a necessity for our everyday lives, and it’s no wonder this is a source of dissatisfaction should it not work. Guests nowadays have a laptop, smartphone and/or a tablet, all of which they most likely will want to connect to Wi-Fi.
It’s important that your structure is prepared to offer the bandwidth that’s required to handle all this connectivity.
Some ways to avoid and anticipate this trouble are to have a fast Wi-Fi service with the bandwidth and range to serve the maximum occupancy of your hotel.
Another way to resolve this problem is to make sure that your staff are trained ahead of time about how to connect to the Wi-Fi, so that should a frustrated guest not be able to connect to the internet, your team has the know-how to troubleshoot.
Make sure the password is clearly listed in the room and in the hotel lobby. After all, a connected guest is happier, easier to upsell and remarket to, and likely to be more satisfied with the service you’re providing.
2. Noise complaints
Most people go to a hotel to disconnect and relax, or in the case of business guests, they want a place to quietly take care of their emails and unwind from a busy day.
This is why noise can be a very common grievance. In some cases your staff won’t be able to solve the problem, especially if your hotel is in the city and there’s a lot of outside noise, but in other cases, there are some solutions.
Think about moving your guests further up, where ground level noise will be less of a nuisance. Depending on the kind of hotel and your target audience, you may think about having a no kids policy.
If you’re in the early stages of buying or remodeling your hotel, make sure to think about insulation – it’s key to providing the most relaxing and ideal stay.
3. Room and water temperature issues
Depending on the system you use to heat or cool rooms and the water temperature, you might run into complaints about the water temperature (and/or pressure) as well as the temperature of the room. Since guests’ comfort is so important, it’s key to have the ability to help them reach the ideal temperature.
Think about having instructions about how to cool and heat the room written out inside the room, so guests can troubleshoot on their own. You may consider integrating some smart room features that allow guests to set room temperature before they arrive.
Finally, make sure your team knows how to handle the thermostat and what to do or who to call should the water temperature not reach the ideal setting.
4. Cleanliness concerns
Cleanliness is one of the most important elements of providing a top hotel stay. When this is not up to par, it’s only normal that a guest would complain. First, make sure to read this article about optimizing housekeeping to ensure that your staff are working in the best and most efficient way possible.
Once you’ve ensured your human resources are covered and working to perfection, it will be a lot easier to avoid these mishaps.
However, should a cleanliness complaint be made, be sure to offer your profuse apologies. You may think about offering them another room or an upgrade. If the guests don’t want to move, then consider offering a free drink or a treatment at your spa while they wait to get the room re-cleaned.
5. Customer service
Your service should always be top-notch, but as your staff are human beings, it’s only normal that mistakes can be made. Common complaints could be about a rude staff member, long wait times, unavailable room features or amenities, or the room in general.
If a guest complains about a rude staff member, apologize and then look further into the issue to prevent it from happening in the future, and make sure the guest knows this is what you will do.
6. Check-in and check-out delays
There’s nothing more annoying than having to wait in a long line at the front desk after a long trip. This is why delays in check-in and check-out times are a common complaint. This especially happens with business travelers who usually have tight schedules between when they check in and when they have to get to their meetings.
7. Inaccurate reservations
Inaccurate reservations are frustrating and can easily be avoided by working with a PMS that helps better automate processes. Complaints could include the guest’s name being wrong, not having the correct room type (such as one with a scenic view or an extra bed), or an incorrect number of guests listed on the reservation.
8. Amenities missing or not working
Amenities are at the core of guest services, which is why they can be the cause of complaints. Having a smart TV that doesn’t allow guests to connect to their Netflix or Spotify account, a voice assistant that doesn’t respond to commands, or a digital concierge that doesn’t enact service requests as needed can all lead to frustration. After all, the whole point of amenities is to enhance the guest experience. It’s important to make sure you have the amenities in the room that are listed on your website or booking site and that they’re working properly.
9. Billing errors
Billing errors can happen when a credit card isn’t being processed correctly or won’t go through, when a room is being charged differently than listed on the website, or when discounts aren’t being applied. All of these issues can lead to frustrated guests and complaints.
10. Room comfort issues
Room comfort is at the heart of the guest experience, which is why it’s so important that the bed, pillows, sheets, towels and everything in the room are comfortable and fresh. If these elements fall short, you may receive guest complaints.
11. Parking fees
Guests who are traveling with a car and aren’t aware of parking fees may complain, as many will expect the parking to be included in the room rate. Even if you specify this on the booking site or website, it’s very common for guests to miss this information.
12. Maintenance issues
Maintenance problems will also lead to complaints. This could be a leaky toilet, a shower head with poor water pressure, a lamp that doesn’t work, or even a squeaky door.
13. Safety and security concerns
If guests don’t feel safe within your property due to hazards, or if the area your hotel is in feels unsafe, they may complain.
14. Hidden fees
Hidden fees are frustrating for guests and can lead to complaints, which is why it’s crucial to detail all the fees – from parking to tourist tax to extra person fees.
15. Lack of privacy
Many people go to a hotel for an escape, a little oasis of calm and privacy. Guests may complain if housekeeping enters without knocking, or if there are no curtains to protect them from other people seeing into their room.
Best strategies to resolve guest complaints in hotels
Now that you understand the most common guest complaints and have some pointers on how to resolve them more easily, it’s important to keep in mind some of the best general strategies for handling these common grievances.
- Be apologetic and receptive to what guests are saying. Use calm verbal communication and body language to show guests they are being heard.
- If the guest is clearly very upset or frustrated, smiling could make things worse, but it can also diffuse the situation. Be sympathetic without being patronizing, and make sure your team uses common sense.
- Use hotel guest experience software to improve the overall experience and reduce the possibility of guest complaints.
- Compassion is key, so recognize that your guest is unhappy and offer a solution to make them happier, which in extreme cases could be a complimentary night’s stay or an upgrade.
- When a problem arises, be quick to respond using all the resources you need to solve the problem.
- After the problem has been solved, be sure to follow up and see how the guest is doing, and if there is anything you can do to make their stay better.
- Send out a hotel guest satisfaction survey after a guest’s stay so you can identify areas of improvement.
Conclusion
In a business where “the customer is always right” should be the motto, it’s important to surpass expectations instead of falling short. This is why you should be prepared to handle the most common hotel complaints so that your staff are trained and not caught off guard should problems arise.
By employing the tips and strategies we have listed in this article, you are sure to offer a stellar service and keep guest retention rates high even if little problems arise.
Looking for guidance on how to communicate with guests?
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