Reimaging the Guest Journey with a Hospitality-First Mindset

Koryn Okey
11/19/2024

As vacation rentals have become the accommodation of choice for many travelers, property managers find themselves shouldering ever-growing responsibilities while working tirelessly to deliver five-star guest experiences with a hospitality-first mindset. For many, the term “unreasonable hospitality” has taken on new meaning since Will Guidara spoke at Amy Hinote’s DARM conference in December 2023.

To truly deliver the five-star guest experience many travelers seek, property managers have to consider where unreasonable hospitality fits into each step of the guest journey, from booking to checkout and throughout the stay, and understand how they can accomplish this without putting additional strain on an already tight part of the business.

According to an annual property operations survey conducted by Breezeway in 2023, 61% of respondents say they’re seeing an increase in guest expectations around cleanliness. The vacation rental experience is fundamentally based on one core tenant: providing clean, quality accommodations to guests. Without this, a property manager is constantly playing catchup, and experiences initially aimed at surprising and delighting guests begin to serve as apologies and makegoods for issue resolution. To avoid this, businesses are leaning more toward technology to ensure that guests arrive at clean, well-maintained properties that emulate the beautiful photography the guests saw online when starting the booking journey. Anything short of this puts unnecessary strain on the operation.

When issues arise, specifically in the in-stay phase of the guest journey, timely and consistent communication is critical. In many instances, issues can be handled quickly, but others require more exhaustive conversations, visits by service technicians, and/or replacement items to be ordered. In all situations, acknowledging there is a problem and proactive communication with the guest about how the issue is handled ensures the guest feels validated. A survey conducted in October 2023 by Breezeway saw most property management companies leveraging text messaging to interact with guests, and more than 40% report responding to guest issues in less than five minutes during normal business hours, while an additional 49% responded in under one hour. Many operators view avoidable mistakes (those that occurred as a result of a breakdown of procedure) as opportunities to turn “lemons into lemonade” and challenge their team to win over the guest by going above and beyond to ensure the incident does not tarnish the in-stay experience with their company.

As we explore the stages of the guest journey, it is important to remember that there are opportunities throughout to engage your team, creatively explore moments to deliver unreasonable hospitality, and create memories that build your brand and lifelong guests.

Facilitate Seamless Discovery and Booking of Your Properties

It may seem obvious, but this begins by making it easy for travelers to find and book your properties. To truly understand the experience of a potential guest, it’s imperative to map out every touchpoint of the guest journey, from the initial booking inquiry to post-departure. This includes interactions across various channels such as your own website, online travel agencies, communications channels (chat, email, phone, text, etc.), check-in processes, the property and amenities, concierge services, and feedback solicitation. Consider both digital and physical touchpoints to ensure a seamless experience across all platforms.

Shockingly, many companies aren’t prioritizing this and still take a hodgepodge approach, which leads to confusion and no brand standardization, leaving guests confused about what they may expect upon arrival.

Hospitality First

At each touchpoint, prioritize hospitality by identifying opportunities to exceed guest expectations and deliver personalized experiences. These gestures do not have to be grand; they can be simple, like including local recommendations in the welcome email that showcases staff members’ personal favorites. This helps the guest get excited about their upcoming stay and creates a personal connection to your company and your team. 

Sharing details on how to contact your team and setting expectations on availability, providing clear, concise steps to access the property, and educating guests to ensure they have an amazing experience with tips on local etiquette and important details like what flags on the beach represent showcases your professionalism. Ensuring the guest understands you’re a local company and involved in the community also distinguishes you from large OTAs and drives loyalty.

Booking Stage

In today’s landscape, the guest experience begins long before a guest sets foot on the property. The booking stage is a crucial part of the guest journey, as it sets the tone for the entire stay and can significantly impact a guest’s perception of how their experience will go. A user-friendly booking experience requires a well-designed and easy-to-navigate website. The website should offer chat and be mobile-friendly, making it easy for guests to contact you with questions or book the property while offering clear and transparent pricing. By making the booking process as simple and convenient as possible, property managers deliver a seamless pre-booking experience that resonates with tech-savvy guests and garners excitement for what's to come.

Pre-arrival and Check-in Stage

Provide guests with comprehensive pre-arrival information, including the property address and driving directions, check-in procedures, Wi-Fi access details, and contact details, should they have any trouble, ensuring a smooth check-in experience. The easiest way to do this is through a digital Welcome Book so guests don’t have to search through emails to locate the information. The welcome book can include additional details about the property and surrounding area the guest can access days before their arrival to become more familiar with where they’ll soon call home!

Arrival and In-stay Stage

Once the guest has arrived, the real work begins. There are infinite opportunities to enhance the guest experience and ensure guests have an incredible time in the property. While plenty of guests will voice concerns, a large percentage of travelers don’t share feedback until they’ve departed, and it’s too late for the manager to take action. A text or call the day after arrival provides the guest an opportunity to communicate issues. It also provides another channel to communicate contact details, provide local recommendations, or answer outstanding questions about the area or property, ultimately leading to an improved experience.

Checkout and Post-stay Stage

All good things must come to an end. So often, companies are so focused on the pre-arrival experience that they forget guests will remember the experience of leaving a property far more than arriving. It’s important that this process is also seamless. There’s a huge opportunity to improve the guest experience here.

• Set realistic expectations for what needs to be done before departure and communicate this in advance. Consider reducing your checkout procedures for things that don’t move the needle.
• Remind guests of checkout time and advise your team to be close to the property but not sitting in the driveway—guests may feel rushed if they’re leaving at 10:02. While we understand the importance of getting a head start on the cleaning, this minor adjustment could be the difference between a five-star review and a three-star review.
• Thank guests for coming, and make it easy for them to share feedback directly before they receive a review request.
• Then ask for a review— many companies, especially in drive-to markets, have seen a significant increase in review conversations by asking two to three hours after departure.

Brand Forward

For many companies, the #bookdirect movement has been significant to helping travelers understand the value of booking with a local company. But to do so effectively requires that a company consistently delivers to guests. For some guests, the comfort of knowing what they will get when booking with large OTAs like Vrbo or Airbnb is the primary reason for not booking direct with a property manager. To combat that, companies have to prioritize consistently delivering a five-star experience to guests and ensuring that every interaction aligns with their brand standards. Whether the company prioritizes luxury, sustainability, or authenticity, infusing these principles into every aspect of the guest journey creates a cohesive and memorable experience that resonates with prospective guests.

For some companies, the brand may represent how the blinds are set, the lighting preferences, or the ambiance a guest experiences upon entering the property for the first time. For others, it may be the physical items waiting for them upon arrival.

While guests always appreciate a welcome gift, it doesn’t have to be pricey. From locally sourced coffee, bottled water, or snacks and a handwritten welcome note, guests will appreciate the thought. Arguably pricier, some may say the most effective welcome gift includes the company brand so they can take it home to remember who they booked with: things like reusable shopping bags or water bottles, postcards, ChapSticks, and koozies are just a few popular items.  

The Future

As we look toward the future, one thing is certain: Guest expectations will continue to rise. Property managers should expect more requests from guests about what is available for the arrival and in-stay phase of the guest journey as they look to elevate their stay experience and reduce the research and logistical burden of traveling to a new destination. While this may seem daunting, managers should think about the upside. Offering these sorts of experiences not only provides the opportunity to add additional revenue streams for your business, expand your local partnerships, ensure guest satisfaction (you are the expert of your destinations, after all), and create more control around the pre-arrival and in-stay experience for your guests, but it offers a vehicle to deliver the unreasonable hospitality experience guests crave.

Naturally, there will be additional operating expenses, but are these costs balanced by the quality of guests or owners they may attract and the type of stay experience that starts to become synonymous with your brand? That’s a decision that each management company will have to make on its own, but it’s certainly one worth considering.

---