ReviewPro quarterly report reveals hotel guest experiences are falling short

The third quarter analysis of declining satisfaction scores was based on 1.7 million reviews and compiled by hospitality technology provider Shiji Group

by Aidan Poole

Guest experience platform ReviewPro’s quarterly hotel industry report has revealed that satisfaction scores are declining as guest experiences fall short of expectations.

The Shiji Group brand assembled the Q3 Global Hotel Review Benchmark report based on 1.7 million guest reviews across global hotels of all star levels.

Low satisfaction scores continue as a trend from the first half of 2022, with areas of value and room quality as the two driving factors behind low numbers, especially in the North American market, according to the report.

Global satisfaction scores for value fell from 82.3% to 81.6% between 2019 and 2021, bottoming at 80.4% in 2022.

The Middle East and Africa are the two exceptions, with current satisfaction levels exceeding those of 2019.

Global satisfaction measured by the Global Review Index (GRI) decreased by 1.9 points in Q3 2022 compared to Q3 in 2019.

Michael Kessler, chief executive of ReviewPro, said: “Hoteliers have done a remarkable job of upholding guest satisfaction levels in a very difficult 2022, but the guest satisfaction scores contained in this report show there is room for improvement.

“We believe that a number of factors like ongoing staffing shortages, higher room rates, and reduced services, coupled with pent up travel demand and high expectations from guests could be having a negative impact on review scores.

“It’s vital that hoteliers pay close attention to what guests want today, and strive to improve online reputation scores, after all — just a one-point increase in GRI equals up to +0-89% in average daily rate (ADR), +0.54% in occupancy and +1.42% revenue per available room (RevPAR) according to studies.

“So, whilst the hospitality industry is clearly in recovery, and many hotels are returning to profitability, when experiences don’t match expectations this is definitely concerning for the longer term outlook.”

Shiji’s ReviewPro recommends a data-driven approach for hoteliers looking to improve guest satisfaction in 2023.

Continued labour shortages will necessitate smaller staff teams and increased automation to maintain efficiency, according to the company.

Investing in capital expenditures put on pause during COVID, such as maintenance and employee training programs, could help to match guest expectations.

ReviewPro also said that monitoring guest data and engaging with reviews on Booking.com can give hoteliers a sense of how they are performing within the accommodation landscape.

Benchmarking performance against previous years, competitors, region and star segment can also help hotels set realistic goals, according to the brand.