What is Guest Experience?
Guest experience is defined as the interactions you have with your guests from before they check-in to after they leave. This term is primarily used in the hospitality industry to measure the experience you provide to your guests.
From the moment they see your listing, read reviews or descriptions of your vacation rental home, and view pictures of the property, they will already have developed opinions, thoughts, and emotions that affect their experience. Once your guest arrives at the vacation rental home, the experience continues. The upkeep and cleanliness of a home will affect their overall feeling as well as the location. For example, street noise, drafty rooms, or a pest infestation will have a negative impact on their guest experience.
Additionally, customer service and personal touch are all part of the guest experience. Were directions to the home clear and easy to understand? Was the owner or property manager easy to contact in the event of an emergency? What free amenities were offered to make the house feel like a home?
The Importance of Guest Experience for Vacation Rentals
Customer experience is crucial to the success of your vacation rental business because it can increase customer loyalty through better ratings and reviews and therefore increase your revenue.
The truth of the matter is that the vacation rental industry is becoming more and more competitive. As more businesses emerge, potential guests will have more options when choosing where they are going to book. If you want to keep your rental home booked throughout the season, you need to have high ratings from previous guests. Most guests will make their final decision on where to stay based on what other guests’ experiences have been.
Key Elements for a Memorable Guest Experience
If you want to know how to improve guest experience, consider these key elements:
- Welcome Your Guests
You don’t need to do this in person. However, making sure that they made it to the vacation home without any difficulty can have a lasting impact. You can do this by sending a simple text message welcoming them to your home and encouraging them to reach out if they have any questions.
- Be Available
In case a problem arises during the stay, your guests need to be able to contact you. Respond as soon as possible, and even if you are not personally able to attend to the problem, reassure them that you will make arrangements for someone to help.
- Offer Recommendations
Let your guests know that you are happy to recommend places to eat or nearby activities during their stay. You can even leave a list in the home with numbers and addresses to restaurants, points of interest, and local events so they can make the most of their stay.
- Customize Their Stay
Offer packages and add-ons to guests such as those celebrating a wedding anniversary or honeymoon. You create a connection with your guests when you add a personalized detail.
What Is a Guest Experience Specialist?
A guest experience specialist is often referred to as a host or receptionist. In the case of your vacation rental home business, you or your property manager are considered the guest experience specialist. Welcoming your guests to your property, providing appropriate amenities, offering food and entertainment suggestions, and ultimately making your guest feel comfortable and at home are all part of a guest experience specialist’s job.
If you’re wondering how to create a memorable guest experience, consider how you can improve your vacation rental property and your communication with your guests. Doing so will encourage higher reviews from previous guests and more bookings from potential future guests.