Customer complaints can arise at any stage of any hotel business operation.Important causes are tracked down in deficiencies or omissions.
Since the dawn of civilization and with the spark of the discovery of lived experiences magnetizing the human mind, the role of travel, although initially it was purely intertwined with entertainment acting as a means of escape from the dull everyday life, occupies an integral part in the modern era, part of the cycle chain of emotions in most people’s lives.
Wishing to offer a set of personalized services in a modern and comfortable environment, several hotel companies try to raise the bar of their guests’ expectations to new heights without being able to react immediately and effectively to the causes of their customers’ complaints, causing dissatisfaction or irritation.
Management and HR experts say that customers may forget what you said to them, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
The main causes of hotel customer complaints are of great interest, while over the years several of them have featured in negative comments from review sites (TripAdvisor, Yelp, Foursquare) and interactive travel forums.
When the request for a room with a double bed…is not granted
The majority of rooms in many hotels are rooms with a double bed, followed by other types such as rooms with single beds, triple rooms, family rooms (connecting/adjacent), suites (junior/executive/presidential) etc.
How many times have you been in the position where you visited a hotel with your significant other and instead of a double bed room, you spent the night in a bed with 2 single beds joined together? Definitely, not the best feeling to start your vacation.
Traffic chaos with the elevators
After a particularly demanding day due to traffic, you finally arrive at your destination, get your room card and wait to enjoy a few moments of relaxation. But the elevator is occupied and, unfortunately for you, a large group has checked in. The universe seems to have conspired against you you contemplate in frustration.
One of the most frequent customer complaints of hotel business customers is the lack of investment in elevators, the creation of a separate entrance for numerous groups and the existence of frequent technical problems that make it quite a difficult task to move unhampered to each floor.
The room is dark, it feels like a dungeon
In several categories of accommodation, and more specifically in city hotels, you will find rooms whose view is on the roofs of houses, on skylights, located on the mezzanine floor and very close to the reception or the restaurant, on a floor near the pool area, is a fact that upsets the guests to enjoy their holidays.
When the presence of insects in the room is intense
Safety and hygiene are very high on travelers’ preferences with hotels investing significant resources.
A frequent phenomenon and source of dissatisfaction is the emergence of insects such as bed bugs, ants, cockroaches that make the job of customer service significantly knotty. There is no lack of those cases where customer complaints are also made in writing to online travel agencies, according to which compensations are postulated.
Defective appliances (e.g. mini bar, TV, air conditioner, WiFi)
One of the things that negatively affects travelers’ stay experience is faulty in-room appliances. So think about the difficulties that arise when you need to participate in a video conference having chosen the peace and safety of your room and the internet is very slow or the air conditioner and the mini-bar do not properly function on a hot summer day.
When there is a planned event at the hotel (wedding, birthday) and you have not been informed about the possibility of noise
Part of the revenue of many hotel businesses (apart from room revenue itself) is the exploitation of various outlets such as bars, shops (clothes, cosmetics, souvenirs), conference/event rooms, gyms, spas, massage parlors, themed restaurants. Chances are your stay will coincide with a scheduled event, especially in the late hours of the night when, while you’re trying to get some rest, you feel like the party has moved outside your door and the otherwise kind night receptionist informs you that your change request room cannot be satisfied since the hotel is already on a full occupancy!
When the room door won’t open
You have just arrived at the hotel and the temperature has reached 40 degrees Celsius. You are desperately looking for an oasis of coolness and relaxation but the door to your room won’t open. A frequent phenomenon that is not missing from the long list of complaints of hotel customers are the cases when the door mechanism is jammed and the limits of patience are almost exhausted.
When the maids are especially… talkative in the morning
The tasks of the staff in each hotel are many and varied with the planning and division of the day’s tasks starting very early in the morning on a 24-hour basis. There is no shortage of cases, however, when the maids, in order to communicate with each other, raise the … decibels of their voices with the customers expressing their anger.
Lack of parking space
Parking (paid or free) is one of the assets of businesses and one of the most important reasons why travelers choose accommodation for their frequent trips. Nevertheless, the phenomenon of lack of space during peak periods and increased tourist traffic is strongly observed.
When service is divisive because of… racial discrimination
Customer service does not discriminate on color, gender or race. How many people would feel comfortable in the modern era, with enough taboos abolished, to be served by people from third countries without even once commenting negatively?
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