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January 25, 2023 Justine. S
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8 Things Guests Expect From Your Hotel in 2022

Throughout 2021, hoteliers have proven their resilience and ability to make the most of difficult situations. As we move into 2022, it’s important to continue to adapt to guest expectations in an ever-changing environment.

GuestRevu asked real hotel guests what they want from their stay and we compiled a list of the most useful answers to help you make informed decisions to attract more bookings in 2022. This list is based on surveying real hotel customers from 2019-2021 and consulting with industry data experts.

8 things guests expect from your hotel in 2022: 

1. Cleanliness protocols

2. Virtual contactless check-in

3. Staycation packages

4. Sustainable practices

5. A good deal

6. Surveys

7. Bookable website

8. Communication

1. Continued cleanliness protocol

Even with COVID-19 restrictions easing in many countries, hotel hygiene still factors into the decision-making process of hotel guests.

The majority of guests surveyed felt at ease with COVID-19 protocols at the hotel they were staying. It was an immediate indicator to them that the property followed the necessary protocols to mitigate their risk of contracting COVID-19.

In fact, 98.2% were happy with their temperature being taken upon entry; and 37.5% didn’t mind wearing face masks in public spaces either.

Courtesy of GuestRevu

Bonus: As event planners and travel managers source for 2022, a whole new set of requirements will appear in their RFPs. Guest safety tops this list.

2. Virtual contactless check-in

Ah, the big debate.

Do guests prefer to skip the front desk altogether or is the personalized service a part of the guest experience?

Contactless hotel check-in technology has been widely adopted since the start of the pandemic. Hotels wanted to reduce traffic at high touchpoints and online check-in tools allowed them to accommodate more guests quickly and efficiently.

GuestRevu data shows that 64% of guests surveyed were happy with self-service check-in and 31.5% felt neutral about the experience.

Properties with higher visitor volumes can create a safe and personalized experience at the same time.

For example, sending a welcome email after guests have checked in online to let them know that complimentary drinks are waiting for them at the bar is a great way to keep the human touch in the new contactless world.

3. Staycation packages

Local holiday destinations will remain popular in 2022. GuestRevu asked over 2500 people for their post-lockdown travel plans and 49.7% of the respondents say they will be looking to travel within a few hours of home. 24% of the respondents say they are willing to travel anywhere in the world.

Capitalise on the staycation trend by making sure your special offers and packages are attractive to locals!

Respondent accommodation type:

4. Sustainable practices

Sustainable efforts have been part of the industry for a while. With increased global awareness of environmental issues, more hotel guests want to stay at green hotels.

In fact, Google announced in September 2021 that travelers will now be able to see information on a hotel’s sustainability efforts while searching for a stay on Google.

So, if you’ve listed your hotel booking engine on Google Hotel Ads, it’s a good idea to promote sustainability practices on your business profile.

5. A good deal

Not so surprisingly, when GuestRevu asked the same participants what will impact their booking decisions post-lockdown, the majority said that cost will be the biggest factor. Followed by the ease of travel that ties in with the staycation trend and in third place, guests will be looking at your property’s online reviews. 

For this reason, it’s important that your room prices are on par with your competition at all times. And no, this does not mean you have to stalk your competitor’s webiste every day. There are various revenue and yield management hotel tools available to manage your hotel pricing effectively.

These tools can be used in highly tactical ways to automatically optimise your prices based on what your competitors are doing and current market conditions. This ensures that your rooms are always priced right and that you’re never caught off guard.

6. Surveys

Remarkably, the hotels that have been asking their guests for feedback after their stay and especially during the pandemic have actually achieved slightly better Net Promoter Scores than those who didn’t bother with feedback.

You may feel that your foyer needs to undergo drastic renovations, but your guests may be more concerned about more breakfast options. Hotel managers can easily send post-stay surveys with guest engagement apps to gauge what guests enjoyed about their stay — and what they didn’t like as much.

Guest feedback is an effective way to identify areas of your property that need improvements, and can also aid in their comeback strategy in 2022.

7. Bookable website

A majority of hotel guests will be looking at booking directly with the property in 2022. That means more commission-free bookings! This is excellent news for hotels armed with a booking engine to capture direct bookings on their website but what can they do to increase their booking engine’s conversion rate?

Here are a few easy changes to implement for quick results:

  • Value for money; showcase your rooms and hotel amenities
  • Special discounts; offer exclusive direct booking discounts
  • Exciting and engaging content; highlight your hotel’s unique selling points
  • Adjust your hotel lead generation strategy; prioritize high-value markets to target qualified leads on Google Hotel Ads
  • Clear, effective CTAs; phrases that express action. “Check Availability” issues a sense of urgency

8. Communication

Guest sentiment on promotional emails has drastically changed from 2019 to 2021.  When GuestRevu asked guests in 2019 “Can we send you promotional emails and special offers?” only 44.3% said hotels may do so.

In 2021, 56.8% of guests said they would be happy to receive such communications from hoteliers. Sending post-stay emails is a useful function of most hotel reservation systems and you can use your guest feedback information to tailor your product offering to the market that is most likely to return soonest to your property.

Final Thoughts

The data makes it clear that the majority of hotel guests feel safer when staying at hotels that enforce safety protocol. Contactless technology provides a better experience for guests.

But even more interestingly, guests are not only passive observers; they are eagerly communicating with hotels, which opens up more opportunities for hotels to explore.

Connect GuestRevu to your RoomRaccoon HMS to receive useful guest feedback and reviews to keep your property top-rated. Get in touch with us – we are happy to help!


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Justine. S

Justine is a Content Manager at RoomRaccoon, bringing her background in language and communication studies to the SaaS world. When she's not writing about the latest trends in the industry, she's probably out exploring the world or indulging her love of pink.

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