In every kind of business, feedback is essential in establishing improvement points while

keeping customers satisfied. Acting on guests' feedback helps in enhancing customers' loyalty,

therefore, increasing profitability. Thus, customers' feedback is collected to understand the level

of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with a product or service and about the overall experience they

had in the hotel(Davis & Horney, 2015). As such, there are vital benefits to why guest feedback

is important in the hotel industry, as discussed below:

Guest feedback helps in improving products and services

When the hotel management decides to introduce a new product or service in the

industry, it seeks to meet the customers' needs. Before introducing new services, it essential to

conduct market research to establish the number of customers willing to buy the products while

sharing important information on how to improve existing services(Fritsch & Sigmund, 2016).

However, after the guests have used the hotel's products and services, the management has the

platform to know the advantages, disadvantages, and points of improvement. Since the needs of

customers evolve over-time, feedback is recommended in rediscovering effective strategies to

meet their needs. In this aspect, guests' feedback acts as a benchmark upon which the hotel

management can use in exploring a new market niche.

According to Davis & Horney (2015), guest feedback provides important insights about

the products and services that are faring well in the industry, and what should be done to improve

customers' experience. It is essential to note that in the hotel industry, the business might have

employees with a high level of professional knowledge, but guests' feedback is valuable in

measuring its performance. As such, customer's opinions ensure that services and end products

meet their prospects, resolve their problems, and satisfy their needs. Since the customers pay to

receive the best services, feedback helps in mirroring the deviation in services hence determining
the customer's loyalty in the long-run. From this perspective, feedbacks are ideal in obtaining

understandings of the quality of services and precisely what guests are supposed to gain from

them.

Guests feedback help in measuring their satisfaction

Satisfaction and loyalty are two aspects that determine the competitiveness of a business

in a specific industry. As such, satisfaction and loyalty are significant in establishing business

financial performance. As recorded by Manoharan & Singal (2019), improving satisfaction and

loyalty in the hospitality industry has many benefits such as an increase in market share,

lowering services costs, and gaining high revenue. Therefore, if a particular hotel wants to boost

its performance in the industry, it is crucial to meet the expectations of the existing customers.

Naturally, an effective way to find out if the clients are satisfied with products and services is by

getting their opinions. More importantly, customers' satisfaction predicts the state of business

financial condition in the future. As such, the hotel management can decide to introduce or

eliminate certain products and services.

A study conducted by Bharwani & Jauhari (2017) indicate that guests' feedbacks helps in

regulating staff behavior, which ultimately affects the level of satisfaction. Since hotels staffs are

always in contact with customers, it is essential to establish codes that will enhance customer

loyalty since the unhappy customer will have a negative review of products and services.

Therefore, the hospitality industry is more concerned about connecting with other people, and

the staffs have the power to enhance and break customer relations. Since the hotel industry is

founded on competition, feedback can be essential in assessing the services that are well

provided and those that need improvements. This can be obtained by evaluating the products and
services that the majority of the guests are purchasing. Therefore, customers' satisfaction ensures

businesses outperform their competitors while gaining significant market share.

Collecting and action of guests' feedback show that you value their opinions.

Essentially, making customers a vital part of the business determines the longevity and

performance of the business. As such, asking customers for their feedback communicates that

you value their opinions. Moreover, involving customers in shaping various products and

services helps in developing connections between customers and boosting business performance,

its performance in the long-run. In this aspect, listening to guests is foundational in creating

stronger relations with them. As indicated by Gibson, Lim, & Holmes (2016), building stronger

connections with customers is critical to gain valuable brand ambassadors who will help in

increasing the market share, contributing to the longevity of the business. Therefore,

recommendations from customers are the most effective and cheapest way of acquiring new

customers, and increasing trust before current and potential clients.

Nevertheless, acting on customers' complaints on specific products and services can help

the business to maintain its credibility in the hotel industry. If a customer complaint about hotel

services and the management institute's perfect strategies to address the issue, the customer will

undoubtedly be attached to the business. As such, acting on improvements does satisfy not only

the customer but also enhances the business competitiveness in the industry. According to Joseph

& Varghese (2019), a customer complaint highlights a problem either in products, services, or

specific processes, and by hearing these complaints help in improving them to prevent further

customer dissatisfaction. Therefore, acting on negative customer feedback is good for business

since it serves as a motivation to become the best in the industry.

 It is essential to note that satisfied customers will stay with you while dissatisfied clients

will seek superior services from competitors. Whenever a disappointed customer expresses their

complaints, the hotel management should seize the opportunity to find a solution and fix the

issue. Consequentially, acting on such complaints provides a sufficient moment to win the

customer back and even increase the level of loyalty. In most cases, if a customer has his/her

issues fixed will exhibits a better dedication to the hotel brands than a client who has never been

disappointed(Bharwani & Jauhari, 2017).

Customer feedback is the source of information for other customers.

With the advancement of communication technology, customers have shifted their

reliance on experts' opinions to their colleagues. Opinions provided by clients who have already

used specific products and service in the hotel industry acts as a reliable source of information

for other consumers. For example, when booking a dinner online, customers usually read reviews

before booking their reservations. As such, customers' opinions and feedbacks are essential in the

growth and expansion of the business(Manoharan & Singal, 2019). Therefore, the hotel

management should institute measures to obtain reviews and feedback to ensure quality

improvements.

Currently, a company like Airbnb incorporates a review system to its products and

services, which provide a platform to institute effective strategies to address customers'

complaints. Consequentially, the business should strive to detect poor services and exclude them

from their environments. According to Joseph & Varghese (2019), eliminating inferior business

products and services is vital to boost customers' confidence to receive solutions in specific

scenarios.
Feedback gives the business important in the decision-making process

Currently, there is no place for organizational decisions grounded on loose presumptions

on an extremely competitive industry. Successfulness in the hotel industry mandates collecting

and handling different data and information that assist in formulating imminent strategies. In this

aspect, different management ensures that their products and services serve diverse customers,

providing a competitive environment in the hotel industry. According to Manoharan & Singal

(2019), customer feedback is one of the most reliable sources of information upon which

management can make decisions such as diversification, expansion, or downsizing. However,

learning how to listen to customers' feedback helps in establishing actionable plans for the

business leading to increased performance and an increase in profitability.

In most cases, top-performing companies in the hotel industry know how to treat

customers' feedback, allowing them to improve product superiority leading to maintenance of

their market share. Since different customers have different preferences, companies in the hotel

industry must utilize customers' feedback at all management levels and across all

departments(Fritsch & Sigmund, 2016). More importantly, it is fatal to ignore customers'

feedback since they will shift their loyalty to those who will hear them out. Therefore, the

customer's voice is priceless for the business, so never stop listening.

 References

Bharwani, S., & Jauhari, V. (2017). An exploratory study of competencies required to cocreate

memorable customer experiences in the hospitality industry. In Hospitality Marketing

and Consumer Behavior (pp. 159–185). Apple Academic Press.

Davis, T. R., & Horney, N. (2015). Guest feedback and complaint handling in the hospitality

industry. Proceedings of the 1988 International Conference of Services Marketing, 246–

260. Springer.

Fritsch, A., & Sigmund, H. (2016). Review platforms in hospitality. In Open tourism (pp. 229–

238). Springer.

Gibson, P., Lim, W. M., & Holmes, M. (2016). Keeping the customers happy: The importance of

morale on cruise ships. Tourism in Marine Environments, 11(2–3), 136–145.

Joseph, G., & Varghese, V. (2019). Analyzing Airbnb Customer Experience Feedback Using

Text Mining. In Big Data and Innovation in Tourism, Travel, and Hospitality (pp. 147–

162). Springer.

Manoharan, A., & Singal, M. (2019). Organizational effectiveness in hospitality: Managers

perspectives. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 80, 123–125.