The Biggest Pet Peeve at Texas Hotels
When you finally get to the hotel after a long day of travel, the last thing you want is to come face-to-face with rudeness front desk. Unfriendly staff frustrates travelers the most, but it's probably not the only hotel pet peeve you've experienced traveling around Texas.
At some of the leadership conferences I've attended over the past few years, I've had the chance to listen to great speakers from some of the biggest hotels in the hospitality industry, and even though I don't work in that industry they almost made me want to sign up. They were so good with the details! Answer the front desk phone on the first ring, deliver room service within twenty minutes, and make parking a breeze. The best hotels are the ones that deliver a level of customer service that seems routine and might even be unnoticeable, but without it, there is a huge void.
The person at the front desk is one of the first locals we get to meet, and I always find it interesting to pick that person's brain about the best restaurants and places to shop. They must get tired of relaying the same information over and over again, but if it's a friendly and fun five minutes it can really help set the tone for the trip. And if it's a not-so-friendly experience, well that can send us straight to Yelp to vent.
Hotel operations platform ALICE did some digging and found that 62% of guests say that unfriendly staff are the most frustrating part of their stay. That's the biggest pet peeve at hotels.
Other hotel pet peeves:
Front desk taking too long to complete requests
Outdated technology in rooms
Delays in service from hotel staff
Have you had any horrible experiences? Texas hotels seem to have pretty friendly staff overall and seem to try hard to be truly hospitable, but there might be a few that have left a bad impression. Stuff happens. Overall, the industry is renewing the push toward better customer service and we might see more hotels erase the biggest pet peeves completely.
If there is a problem that pops up, most travelers say they prefer to walk to the front desk to solve it, rather than try to communicate by phone or text. So hotels still might be one of the best places for face-to-face interaction.
Are ski lodges in other states better at hospitality than non-seasonal hotels? We'd love to know your thoughts.