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The illustrious AA inspector is something of a revered figure in the hotel world. With the power to bestow the honour of a listing in the famous AA guides, a visit from a hotel inspector is enough to cause the best room to be reserved, the best china to be laid out and all staff instructed to bring their A game to the table. But is this assessment a true reflection of the guest experience?
While hotel inspectors are nothing if not thorough and can provide excellent feedback to move a business closer to that coveted rosette, it’s no secret that hotels are often prepped for an AA inspector’s arrival. Consequently, a hotel inspector often sees an artificial showcase of a hotels service rather than a true reflection of the guest experience.
Hotel experiences can last days and touch several departments and so there is no substitute for seeing things through the eyes of a ‘real’ guest. That's why our most popular service for hotels is the completion of detailed Mystery Guest Assessments.
Unlike an external audit, the Mystery Guest Assessments measure the ‘actual’ experience of a regular guest. It is this experience that hoteliers need to understand thoroughly as these guests are the ones whose opinion could soon be appearing on an online social review site, that could make or break a hotels reputation.
Why use a Mystery Guest?
In a fiercely competitive market, any successful hotelier understands that maintaining standards to exceed guest expectations for every visit is essential to stand out and that there are plenty of competitors chomping at the bit to take their place, should standards slip.
Mystery guests are real people and therefore offer a true reflection of the guest experience. They will lie in the bath-tub, set up their laptop in a bedroom, dine in the restaurant and sleep in the bed. The carefully prepared and thorough reports they provide will give an insight into the experience from a guests’ perspective.
The importance of regular Mystery Guest Visits
Regular Mystery Guest visits, rather than highly anticipated one-off hotel inspector assessments, offer the most effective insight for identifying trends and setting or adapting standards. Rachael Head, HGEM's New Business Manager comments, “Our clients tend to opt for an ongoing programme of monthly Mystery Guest Assessments. The reports are then used by hotel management teams to identify learning and improvement opportunities to enhance the experience of future guests”
Rachael continues, “In our experience, hotel staff that are aware of regular mystery visits taking place is in itself enough to keep standards high”
Hoteliers can expect HGEM Mystery Guests to have a profile that matches their brand and to be well briefed on what they need to observe. A detailed and personalised report, specific to your brand will be in your hands within one business day. As well as measuring against your standards, we can also provide benchmarking statistics to compare where you sit across the market against your competitors.
While we can’t guarantee your hotel an AA rosette, we can promise that with regular visits and feedback from our Mystery Guests and a programme designed to work with your business objectives, your guest experience insight will improve.
To learn more about how we can help you manager your guest experience please get in touch on 01225 470999 or email enquiries@hgem.com.
