How To Handle Gust’s Complaints in a Hotel?

The thoughts and wishes of the guests who come to the hotel and what they expect from the hotel are varied. In such a situation, even if the hotel provides excellent services, the guest can complain for various reasons. Therefore, the hotel should handle the guest’s complaint correctly. But it is more challenging than it seems. So studying how to handle guest complaints is more important for you in a hotel or learning about it. This article explains how to handle guest complaints in a hotel.

Type Of Guest Complaints.

Guests can complain on different occasions, which can be divided into three main parts.

• Technical (Mechanical) Complaints.
• Altitude Complaints.
• Service Complaint.

Let’s pay detailed attention to the above Guest Complaints types.

Technical (Mechanical) Complaints.

Most guests can complain about things such as the room’s air conditioner, TV, minibar, ceiling fan, light bulbs, hot water or cool water in the bathroom, safety locker, etc., in their room needing to be fixed. Similarly, complaints can be made about elevators/lights in public areas.

Altitude Complaints.

A guest can express their dissatisfaction with a staff member’s behaviour. For example, guests can complain about the words used by the staff member when speaking, not paying attention to them, not dressing appropriately, the staff member’s lack of hygiene, being very angry and rude, and the staff member looking at the guests unnecessarily etc.

Service Complaint.

The main thing the hotel should provide good guest service at all times. But if it is not received correctly or if the guests think so, the guest can complain. Especially things like getting luggage to your room late, quality of food, a wrong serving of food or drinks, not receiving wake-up calls correctly, ignoring them after hanging up on guest service, giving bad service etc. are fundamental.

In addition to these three methods, there are things that some guests complain about. They are called unusual complaints. Among them, we hear more about the weather, public transportation problems, and flight delays.

However, it is more important to ask how to resolve the complaint, as mentioned earlier. Receptionists, guest relation officers, guest relation executives, front office executives etc., contribute to solving most guest complaints in a hotel. Problems that are difficult for them to solve can be seen by other hotel managers or up to the hotel manager.

How to resolve a guest complaint?

There are several key points to consider when settling a guest complaint. In any case, a guest complaint can come for various reasons.

• The guest who makes a complaint should be given good attention.

• You should listen carefully to the complaint.

• Think of the guest’s problem as your problem.

• Avoid arguing with the guest.

• Don’t panic. Focus on the problem very calmly.

• If you are with a guest group, take them out of the group as much as possible and try to solve the problem alone. This is because the other guests in the group may contribute to increasing the guest complaint unnecessarily.

• Obviously, you need to figure out what the problem is.

• No undue promise should be made to provide the solution. It should be well explained only about the things that can be given.

• Avoid contributing many people from different departments to handle a guest complaint. Handle it only by yourself. Let your executive or manager know if you find it challenging to handle.

• If you fail to solve a guest complaint before finishing the shift, mention it in the log book and inform the person who comes to the next shift about the guest’s complaint with the correct details. 

• Always follow up after resolving a complaint. For example, the guest can complain to you about the air conditioner in the guest’s room not working correctly. Assume that you reported it to the engineering department, and they informed you that they repaired it perfectly. Then don’t think that the guest complaint is completely resolved. All you have to do is call the guest and confirm with them that it is set up correctly. If they say they did it right, you mention it in the log book.

• Never tell the guest that another staff member caused a problem. Discussing the staff’s issues with the guest will not solve the problem.

In which cases do guest complaints occur the most?

When the hotel is busier, the staff members cannot pay attention to everything. In such a case, there is a possibility of receiving more guest complaints. In the same way, if more trainers are working, there is more tendency of mistakes to happen by them. Therefore, it can also get more guests to complain.

How do you know if a guest has a problem?

If a guest often has a problem, they directly report it to the hotel’s receptionist or staff member. That way, the hotel can know about guests’ issues. In the same way, most of the guests can be informed and explain their experiences and problems in the guest complaint card or the comment card. In the same way, many guests express their problems through a comment on the hotel’s website, and some guests express their feelings through email to the hotel management.

What advantages can the hotel have from knowing the guest’s complaints?

Knowing that the guest has complained, the hotel can solve the problem and provide good service to the guest. In the same way, the hotel can make sure that such a situation does not occur in the future by knowing the problems. This will ensure that everything is fine for future guests. By knowing a guest’s complaint and solving it, the hotel can reduce the guest’s complaint. The hotel’s brand name can be kept at an outstanding level due to the reduction in complaints.

Therefore, as a hotelier, avoid thinking that a guest who makes a complaint is your enemy or a person who does not like you or the hotel. Think that the complaining guest is the best. Due to a guest who complaints, many defects in the hotel can be known, and they can be corrected. Always welcome a guest complaint. It is a good quality of a good hotelier.

This article describes how to identify and handle guest complaints and the value of a guest complaint. If you have other ideas, comment on them below.