US: Touch Stay, creators of digital guest welcome books, has released its Guest Communication Study, which compiled the findings from a company survey of 2,024 US adults who have stayed in vacation rentals.
The survey, which was conducted through YouGov in August, aimed to provide fresh insights into the world of host-guest communication, a view into the minds of vacation rental guests, and how pivotal communication is to today’s guest experience.
Touch Stay wanted to back its own perspective that when guests are communicated with they feel cared for, they get more from their stay, and are more likely to spend more and leave better reviews.
The findings of the study reveal the frequency, format and clarity of communications guests received during recent stays as well as the impact communication or lack thereof has on incremental revenue, orphan nights, and the guest’s likelihood to leave a positive review.
Key findings include:
- Two thirds of guests receive one to two or no communication[s] from their hosts
- 69 per cent said communications most influenced their likelihood to leave a positive review
- Less than half [42 per cent] of guests said they felt “very well looked after”
- 44 per cent prefer mid-stay communication via text
- 67 per cent want to be able to self check-in
The report also demonstrates the state of guest communication, the opportunity for operators and ways to apply learnings from the data to everyday operations.
Touch Stay’s ideal outcome from carrying out the survey was to help operators, however small or large, elevate their guests’ experience, enhance their reputation, improve review scores and bolster their bottom line.
The report is available to download at this link.
