5 Ways Venues Can Improve the Guest Experience

As a venue owner or operator, maximising the guest experience should be at the top of your priority list. After all, if you give any customer a good experience, they will be more likely to increase spending, be loyal to your brand, and become an advocate for your venue.

But when it comes down to it, what defines a good guest experience?

As guest demands grow and adjust, so too must the way in which you plan and deliver a quality experience. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to improve the experience for your guests - you just need to know what they are. 

In this blog post, we'll outline five ways that hotels and venues can enhance the guest experience, using everything from food to formwork. Keep reading to find out more.

1. Create a more efficient booking & check-in process

Speed, convenience, friendliness and knowledge are four core consumer demands - and opportunities to improve how guests view and engage with your venue. By implementing new technologies that allow guests to instantly book and check in on mobile devices, hotels can create a more efficient overall booking experience.

Creating an efficient booking process also extends to event managers looking to host their next event at your venue. By listing your venue on sites like iVvy marketplace with live availability and instant booking, you increase your chances of securing larger group bookings, while making the entire management process quicker and easier for both yourself and your guests.

2. Improve the quality of food and drinks served in the hotel restaurant

Opting for seasonality is a great means to not only improve the quality of food in your venue but a great way to be a more sustainable venue. Using fresh, locally sourced ingredients on a regularly changing menu will improve the guest experience by consistently offering a fresh dining encounter. As the Sustainable Restaurant Association believes:

“Right now, at a time when adopting sustainable practices could not only reduce a business’ impact but also save it serious money, pressure on staff time has never been greater. A fully engaged team motivated to do the right thing can be the single biggest force for good. That’s what makes engineering sustainability into every facet of the business so important.”

Another means of improving menu quality is to hire talented chefs who are passionate about creating innovative dishes. And finally, it’s important to offer a variety of menu items that appeal to different tastes.

3. Increase customer service training for all employees

The hotel industry is a service industry, and as such, providing good customer service is essential for success. In fact, Deloitte has reported that when hotel teams provide a high level of attention and care, guests are 29% more likely to share positive reviews.

Additionally, 89% of customers said that they would return to the same hotel in the future if they received good customer service. These statistics make it clear that providing good customer service is key to retaining guests and building positive word-of-mouth marketing.

Invest in a customer service training program, in which all employees are trained to deliver quality service in alignment with your venue’s values and company culture. Identify learning objectives throughout different training elements, and choose the most appropriate training delivery method (video, in-person, hybrid). Make sure to update your training course content as time progresses.

4. Use data to create greater guest experiences

Using data to create more memorable and meaningful experiences for your guests is one of the most powerful ways to increase customer satisfaction. Hotels are using data to create a more personalised experience for their guests. By tracking customer preferences and behaviour, hotels can better understand what their guests want and need. This information can be used to improve everything from room service menus to the types of amenities offered in the hotel. As a result, guests will feel more valued and appreciated, which is sure to lead to repeat visits.

Consider what information you collect when a guest books at your venue. For example, if a guest has stated they are staying for business rather than leisure, consider reaching out to offer options such as room service meal deals, more information about the on-site facilities, or transportation booking services.

Similarly, if guests are booking for a family vacation, consider family package deals for local tourist attractions or kids club activities. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, but something to show you are invested in their stay - guests remember how you make them feel. 

Having insight into why guests are staying at your hotel and then adjusting the experience accordingly can have a positive impact on satisfaction levels. Keep in mind, hospitality is the industry to exceed in the element of delight. Guests want to be surprised and entertained - especially millennials (who want this 71% more than other generations). 

Use custom reports from your venue management system to pull this data, and brainstorm with your colleagues how you can improve the guest experience by targeting offers to different.

5. Make venue information easily accessible

If it’s difficult for guests to find information about your hotel or venue, chances are they will look elsewhere. There are a number of ways hotels can make it easier for guests to access venue information, including price, availability, facilities, and inclusions. 

Start by providing clear and concise information on your venue website. This should include an overview of any amenities and services, as well as directions on how to get to the hotel from various points of origin.

Another way to improve accessibility while also expanding your customer service is to provide informational materials in multiple languages. This will ensure that all guests have easy access to the information they need, regardless of their native language.

Finally, hotels can also provide customer service representatives who are knowledgeable about the hotel and its services. These representatives can help guests with any questions or concerns they may have. Alternatively, consider investing in automation technologies such as chatbots, that can assist in answering online questions about your venue in real-time. 

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