Hotel cleanliness is top priority for repeat business, finds survey

Conducted by the Mystery Dining Company, the survey of more than 320 people found that 60 per cent of respondents have at some point been forced to make a complaint about a hotel room’s cleanliness.

In general, cleanliness is one of the top three priorities for customers when deciding which hotel, guesthouse, B&B or inn to stay at, along with price and location.  It is also key to securing repeat business, with 90 per cent of survey respondents saying that a previous experience at a venue or a chain would influence their decision to return there.

Benchmarks​

The Mystery Dining Company, which regularly sends assessors to stay at hotels and rate all aspects of their experience, said that 40 per cent of respondents to their survey were likely to use the state of the bathroom as the key indicator for a venue’s cleanliness.

Some 28 per cent said the general appearance of the bedroom is what builds their opinion of an operation, while 21 per cent said they consider the state of the hotel reception and entrance areas.

“Detailed cleaning audits can be a useful way for management to monitor what is being done in terms of cleaning and what needs to happen more frequently,” said Sally Whelan, director of The Mystery Dining Company. 

“It can also be invaluable to gain an outsider’s perspective of a hotel’s appearance as it can be harder to evaluate this with a critical eye if it is an environment that you are spending time in on a daily basis.”

Second chance​

The survey also revealed that the manner in which complaints are handled varies widely across the sector. 

In 56 per cent of cases the individuals affected were offered a new room either immediately or within a short period of time, while around a third of incidents were handled by sending a member to improve the situation within an hour of the complaint

However, in around 12 per cent of occasions no action was taken by the management to improve the guest’s situation.

“Cleanliness in hotels should be a given – it is a basic standard that only becomes a focus for the guest when it is poor,” said Whelan.

“Making the right impression is especially important in a competitive market – the fact that a quarter of guests immediately put cleanliness ahead of location speaks volumes.  In areas where there is a higher concentration of accommodation options reputation - whether from online reviews and word of mouth – can have a significant impact on occupancy levels.”