Obtaining guest feedback is easy…or, at least it should be. Unfortunately, many of us are still stuck in the “we need as much information as possible” mode…thinking that the more questions we ask, the better our information will be. We are under the false assumption that “quantity” is somehow proportional to “quality”.
I suggest that these “old school” tactics (comment forms, e-mail surveys, telephone follow-ups, etc.) are the result of our own laziness, our failure to take time to build a quality relationship with our guests in the first place. Respectively, we are in no position to ask sincere and personal questions at the end of their stay.
You only need to know one thing about your guest’s experience in order to continue a productive relationship with them…How did it make them feel? If you get an honest answer to the question (that’s where the relationship part comes in), you have all of the information you need to continue a meaningful dialogue and make improvements to your operation.
So, focus on building relationships with your guests and lose the lengthy comment forms.
Besides, have you ever felt good about filling out a three page comment card?
