Capitalizing on the In-Stay Experience: Hospitality Report

January 19, 2018

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According to EyeforTravel, hoteliers would do well to focus a great deal of their efforts on not only catering to but analyzing the captive guest.

By Barbra Murray

Mushrooming pipelines, new flags, evolving generational groups—competition in the hospitality sector is as steep as ever and the guest experience is one route to gaining an edge, according to The Future of the In-Stay Experience, a new report by EyeforTravel. The key, per the report, is not focusing on attracting guests, but honing in on the actual stay—that golden period when the hotel has a guest’s undiluted attention.

“There has been a shift in guest expectations in recent years. Today’s traveler is more demanding and savvier,” per the report. “They travel more and are looking for something unique. Guests can explore and build a unique experience for themselves, but if a hotel can help them curate an even more outstanding experience, they will reap the rewards.”

As outlined in the report, there are five steps that can be taken to provide the ideal in-stay experience, one of which is perfecting the pre-stay. With the guest having already committed to the property, the timing is optimal for creating a connection and employing personalization to establish loyalty and offer additional services as well.

Enhancing staff performance also lays the groundwork for an enriched stay, as does the modernization of in-room and onsite entertainment. Additionally, collecting and properly analyzing guest data allows the hotel to predict behavior and anticipate preferences, which will enable the hotel to, upon return visits, give the guests what they want.

The technology of things

Another means of enriching the in-stay period is providing an interactive environment, including automated check-in, smartphone-activated room keys, and the option to employ an app to regulate in-room settings such as air conditioning.

“The biggest evolution to take place in the hotel industry is the connected guest,” as noted in the report. “The guest will dictate the future of the in-stay experience. Hotels need to keep their finger on the technology pulse if they are to keep up.”