Hotel managers note: the guest knows best

By VICKI JAYNE

Business and tourist accommodation in New Zealand is big money. During a fairly typical month this year, says Statistics New Zealand, guests spent a total of 3.1 million nights in short-term accommodation.

And of the estimated $13.2 billion that tourists and business travellers lavished on the local economy during the 1999-2000 year, a sizeable chunk would have gone on finding a bed for the night.

So knowing how prospective guests choose their accommodation is crucial. Is it décor or dining? Rates or reputation? Comfort or cleanliness?

But little local research is being done on the subject because hotel management thinks it already has the answers, says Dr Tim Lockyer, director of Waikato University's department of tourism management.

And the guest questionnaires aren't helpful, he says, because only the deeply delighted or profoundly peeved tend to respond. "What you get is the extremes."

Lockyer's doctoral research found that there was "a big gap between what management thought was important and what guests perceived as important".

Price, for instance, loomed large in management consciousness: they reckoned guests found this most important. But visitors gave it a much lower rating - 15th on a list of 38 factors affecting their accommodation choice. And, says Lockyer, with average motel occupation rates at around only 60 per cent, managers have to work on areas other than price.

What guests want most is clean rooms, then good-quality bath towels and washcloths, good service, friendly staff and a comfortable mattress and pillow.

Neither location nor reputation rated as highly as hotel managers thought.

It's not that these things don't count, says Lockyer. They just don't weigh as heavily in favour as hotel managers think.

"Managers tend to think price, facilities and location are important because that is what they are dealing with all the time," he says. "They tend to take cleanliness as a given, but from feedback I've had from people who have stayed in New Zealand's top hotels, I strongly believe managers don't really understand how important it is."

Guests have even taken pictures of offending showers areas as evidence of what they don't like to find.

"I've just been doing more detailed research in that area of cleanliness," says Lockyer, "and, again, there is a gap between people's expectations and what they actually get."

His interest in the topic springs from his days as a chef. He worked in hotels around the globe - including the Savoy in London - and moved into management before deciding to apply a more academic eye to the topic at Waikato University.

A major survey undertaken for his doctorate encompassed the thoughts of a small group of local industry stakeholders and consultants, plus wide sampling of hotel management and potential guests.

Its results have implications both for industry training and accommodation marketing.

"A lot of hotel managers have come up through the ranks [and] tend to believe what they have been told by predecessors, so that knowledge becomes self-perpetuating," says Lockyer.

Based on his findings, some hotels and motels in Hamilton have broken with tradition and bravely shifted their marketing emphasis.

Instead of priding themselves on possession of Sky TV, their roadside signage now boasts clean, tidy rooms and friendly staff.

"Having a wider range of TV channels is no longer a point of differentiation - everyone has that," Lockyer says.

As yet, there has been no follow-up on whether the new marketing tactic has netted more customers. But research so far suggests it has to be a better approach than chasing competitors down the discount ladder.

Teaching people to expect discounts is one of the worst things management can do, says Lockyer.

This is reflected in his survey by comments from people in the industry who say discounting affects the market badly in the long run.

Lockyer says the reduced income caused by discounting means money isn't applied to factors that have more influence on guest selection.

It's better, he says, to spend the dosh on those fluffy new bath towels. Or to explore more profitable points of differentiation.

"Mattresses, for instance. There's not enough understanding about their importance. The idea is that you just go for good-quality, firm mattresses, but some people prefer soft mattresses."

Treating guests on a one-size-fits-all basis is easier, and for smaller facilities may be the only possible option. But larger hotels could offer more customised choices - pitched to business travellers, perhaps, or women.

There is not a lot of difference between what men and women rate highest, though women prioritise cleanliness, comfort and security.

And a small number of establishments are starting to cater for those differing needs, says Lockyer.

"Because there are more women travelling for business, some hotels have special floors that offer greater security, or they provide parking close to room access, because feeling secure is a big issue for women."

Women are also more enthusiastic about having tea and coffee facilities in their room, and wanting cooking facilities in motels.

This particular woman traveller's definition of unwelcoming is a kettle that either cannot be found, cannot be filled except under the shower, cannot be plugged in without disconnecting TV or fridge, and which boasts safety features that are a barrier to use.

Having to expend major effort to get that comforting cuppa is not what you want when arriving in a strange place, suffering travel fatigue.

And my best find in a hotel room: a big bowl of fresh, colourful, complimentary fruit. Very welcoming.

* vjayne@iconz.co.nz