Top 7 things that guests hate in a hotel

When you run a hospitality business, you come across all types of guests. Some of them might be easy to handle, while others may seem like a handful. There are even a few who can seem a bit inconsiderate. However, most of the business try to tick a few common boxes to ensure guest satisfaction. In this era of social media, every action will be scrutinised. A few bad reviews from angry guests can harm your reputation. So, we did an online survey to find out the things that guests hate in a hotel.

Our survey respondents included all types of guests: tourists, business travellers, local travellers, elders, honeymooners and people stopping for temporary accommodation. After surveying over a thousand guests online, we bring you the 7 common things that guests hate in a hotel.

Rude staff

As a property owner, the last thing you want to see is a guest and your hotel staff bickering in the hotel. This will not just create a scene but also cause embarrassment for the other staff. While it is understandable that some guests can be unreasonable, it is important for your hotel staff to be patient and understanding.

Alternatively, you can provide a help desk to resolve issues. The help desk number can be mentioned on the intercom in the hotel room. That way, you can address the issue immediately and avoid embarrassment.

Poor housekeeping

You have heard the phrase, “first impression is the best impression”. It couldn’t be more true for hotels. A hotel room should be relaxing and clean. Unclean rooms, stains on the pillows, bed bugs, cigarette smell lingering in the air and dirty dustbins are major red flags. This will create an immediate bad impression. Make sure to block rooms and allot housekeeping duties once a guest vacates the room. In the case of guests who stay for longer periods, allot room cleaning duties every morning.

Housekeeping is not just confined to cleaning the hotel rooms. The people who participated in our survey also mentioned their laundry needs. They expected their clothes to be clean, crisp and delivered promptly.

Bad room service

70% of the people who participated in our survey mentioned this as a major red flag. Most of them felt irritated when the hotel staff did not respond promptly. This included waiting for long periods to get their food, hot water, newspapers, restocking their mini fridge, issues with their TV and more. Some of the survey respondents also mentioned that the intercom in their rooms did not work. So, they had to fetch the hotel staff from the lobby or the reception to place their requests.

Elderly guests and those who travelled with children mentioned that they would not consider going back to a hotel that provided bad room service.

Cheap bedding

This includes thin blankets, uncomfortable foam beds, pillows that were no longer fluffy, ragged bedsheets etc. Tourists who came back to their rooms after a long day of sightseeing and other activities expected a good night’s sleep. As most of them would again spend the next day outdoors, they expected comfortable bedding.

However, the survey respondents mentioned that it was mostly an issue they faced in homestays, small-sized hotels, cabins and Airbnb stays. In the case of mid-sized and high-end hotels, nobody mentioned this issue.

Bad food

Our survey respondents included both domestic and international travellers. The international guests mentioned that they were dismayed at the lack of food options for them to choose from. They preferred hotels that offered multiple cuisines as opposed to the ones that only served local food.

In the case of domestic travellers, taste was the main concern. Stale food, overly salty or spicy food, smaller proportions of food and cold food are some of the things that guests hated in a hotel.

No or slow internet speed

Business travellers mentioned slow internet as a big concern. They recollected incidents where they had to connect their laptops to their mobile hotspot to work.

A few respondents mentioned that even if hotels provided free Wi-Fi, they were wary of connecting to an open network. They preferred a password-protected connection.

Even if your hotel does not attract many business travellers, you cannot escape providing a high-speed internet connection in this day and age.

Temperature settings

A common issue faced by guests who stayed at cold or hot places. Working thermostats and air conditioners are essential. It does not matter if you provide centralised or non-centralised heating and air conditioning. As long as they are in working condition, you are good to go.

Conclusion

We have covered the top 7 things that guests hate in a hotel. If you have additional points to add, leave your comments.