Dear WuBookers, we know that guest satisfaction is essential. A happy customer is generally more likely to leave a positive review, return multiple times, and recommend the property to others. But how can guest satisfaction be measured objectively? For example, through a satisfaction survey given to travelers at the end of their stay: here’s how to create a truly effective one.

What is the purpose of a satisfaction survey?

Some may wonder why it is important to give guests a satisfaction survey: isn’t it enough to exchange a few words at check-out or ask for a review to find out how their stay went? The answer is no: one thing does not exclude the other, of course, but a survey is a much more accurate and comprehensive method of investigation than a simple review, and less informal than a chat at reception.

Thanks to this tool, it is possible to find out exactly what guests think about various aspects of their experience: from the comfort of the room to cleanliness, from the quality of service to the courtesy of the staff, and so on.

Such a comprehensive overview not only helps to highlight your strengths, but also to identify any areas for improvement. Enhancing the positive elements and working on the negative ones allows you to raise the level of your offering and, therefore, the satisfaction of your guests, who, in turn, will feel gratified and be more inclined to leave a favorable review. And, as we know, loyalty starts with satisfaction: a satisfied guest is more likely to be a repeat customer, capable of generating word of mouth that is beneficial to the property. For all these reasons, a survey is ideal.

How to create a satisfaction survey for hotel guests

First, it is important to understand which areas to focus on. These could include, for example: the welcome, the helpfulness of the staff, the rooms, cleanliness, breakfast, location, and value for money. A good way to start is to study what those who have been using this method for some time, such as OTAs, are doing. Online agency portals almost always use satisfaction surveys at the end of a stay and could provide you with some useful ideas for creating your own.

If you decide to adopt a survey, it is also essential that staff are informed and aware of the importance of this tool. This way, they can present it to guests, invite them to participate, and answer any questions that may arise during the completion process.

Once you have identified the topics and involved your staff, you can move on to the practical phase.

Define the questions clearly

For each area, it is advisable to set a maximum of 5-6 questions. It is a good idea to reduce the number of questions to the bare minimum so as not to risk impatience on the part of guests, thus avoiding repetitive or redundant questions.

The questions should be short and written in a simple way to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings. Among these, you could also include broader requests, such as a general opinion on the accommodation or the possibility of a new stay at the hotel: these are a good way to find out the customer’s perception and their willingness to return (useful information to know for any promotional campaigns and other targeted marketing actions!).

If your clientele is very diverse, you may also want to consider customizing the survey based on different types of guests (business, families, couples, etc.). Not everyone uses the same services or has the same needs: standard questions that are the same for everyone may leave some important aspects unexplored.
Finally, don’t forget to translate the survey into multiple languages depending on where your travelers come from.

Provide a clear and immediate response system

Like the questions, the answers should also follow a logic of immediacy and clarity, which translates into rating systems that are easy to understand and use. The possible options are: quality score (e.g., a star rating from 1 = not very satisfied to 5 = very satisfied); multiple-choice questions, with a maximum of 4 answers to choose from; or closed-ended questions (yes/no).
In some cases, you may want to leave the answer field blank to collect more discursive feedback.

Find the right tool

At this point, all you have to do is find the right medium to share the survey with your guests. You could use the classic pen and paper – perhaps suitable for older customers or those less accustomed to digital tools – or take advantage of technology. In this case, there are many options. There are online platforms that allow you to create and manage surveys of varying complexity. The best known are Google Forms, Survey Monkey, and Typeform, which are available for free or for a fee. On the other hand, this forces both you and your guest to use a third-party tool, which is neither your property’s website nor the OTA from which the reservation may have come. This is not a serious issue, but it does add a level of complexity and potential confusion. Whenever possible, it is preferable to stay within familiar channels, perhaps by using flexible and comprehensive work software, such as a good hotel PMS.

Test it on a small group of people

Before sending the survey to your customers, submit it to a group of trusted individuals. This will allow you to verify that it is usable, that the questions are clear, and that the collection system works well. The testing phase is also important for obtaining feedback on the completeness of the survey and making corrections where necessary before sending it to your guests.

Define the timing of the survey

Now that everything is ready, all you have to do is send the survey. But… when? You may decide to do so while guests are still at the property, perhaps shortly before the end of their stay, when the experience is still fresh (and, hopefully, positive!). Alternatively, you can share the survey at check-out, along with a thank-you email. To encourage completion, you could also add an incentive—such as a discount or a special promotion on a future stay—for those who respond.

In any case, there is no one-size-fits-all rule, and much depends on your internal organization: if you decide to proceed manually, it is essential that your staff is aware of the planned timing of the survey, to avoid losing any contacts or, conversely, stressing the same person multiple times. From this point of view, automatic sending is very convenient and allows you to avoid such risks.

Analyze the responses (and take action)

Creating and sending the survey is not enough; you must then analyze the responses collected to make quantitative and qualitative assessments. In the first case, you will need to add up the scores of the various responses to understand which service or aspect performed best and which ones received lower ratings.

Perceived quality can also be gauged from open-ended questions or comments received in the free fields provided for customers. These should be read carefully to identify any recurring sources of dissatisfaction or useful suggestions for improving the offering. The goal, in fact, is precisely this: not only to obtain accurate and reliable reviews, but also to act on any shortcomings in order to increase guest satisfaction. Otherwise, it remains merely an exercise in itself.

Zak for guest satisfaction in hotels

Precisely because we know how important it is to monitor guest satisfaction, we have long integrated a function dedicated to their feedback within Zak, the PMS by WuBook.

Hoteliers and property managers simply need to access the customer page—the same one used to manage self check-in and activate the display of the survey at check-out following the preset model. This area already contains several questions concerning:

• the staff and their level of availability and preparation;
• the comfort of the room and the smoothness of the service;
• the location and proximity to points of interest;
• the cleanliness of the accommodation and common areas;
• the quality of the meals and restaurant service.

There are a maximum of 6 questions for each area, which can be activated or deactivated as needed. This way, hoteliers and managers won’t have to waste precious time looking for a survey creation tool or formulating questions: they can simply choose which ones to show guests and which ones to hide.

And once received? The dedicated report allows you to see all the feedback with the relevant details: which guest they come from, which reservation they are associated with, what the guests answered, etc.

The hotelier can also decide whether to approve the reviews obtained so that they can be displayed within the direct reservation system (the Zak Booking Engine), or whether to reject them or leave them pending, to be managed at a later date. It is possible to interact with those who have completed the survey to respond to any comments and observations.
And to make sure you don’t miss a single one, simply set up the notification system to send an email alert every time someone completes a survey.

This makes measuring customer satisfaction really easy, useful, and effective!