Hoteliers love paper documents — the touch, the feel, the weight. They can save these documents, stow them in cabinets, store them in warehouses, and file them to the outer limits.

We have moved, however slightly, to the paperless using electronics for our financials, daily reports and our payrolls. So why haven't we embraced technology to provide a feedback mechanism for guest satisfaction, especially those operations that cater to the business traveler and conventions/groups? These folks are connected, and e-mail is their daily communication vehicle while we wave down the Pony Express.

I recently returned from a trip to a major destination area, a prominent resort development atop a mountain range. The operation was upscale, serving the convention business, leisure and owners of second homes. The resort featured comfortable guest rooms and suites, wonderful amenities, including high speed internet access, and extensive facilities. Yet, when I interviewed the general manager, I had to weave my head around several thick piles of comment cards. He said he reads each one, a daunting task shared by far too many managers. When I pointed out the use of the Internet, which would provide the information he seeks, sorted and timely, he had no answer. I had challenged the comfort zone. Visiting two other destination resorts that same trip, managers responded similarly.

Comment cards have always been suspect. Once upon a time, they were our only means, beyond questioning the guest directly, to receive our report card on performance. I always felt they did not represent a good cross section of guests, yet we clutched them to our chests. I was particularly taken aback by the cards with no postage or pre-paid mailing; I want to share my thoughts, but not for 37 cents.

It is time to move to the next plateau, the next frontier, and use technology for the following reasons:

• Comment Cards simply do not provide a meaningful response about the guest experience, because not everyone participates (usually only the disgruntled and the gruntled);
• Internet customer satisfaction surveys reach a broader, more representative and diverse audience, and quickly, because most of your guests are on-line. The responses are timely, and they validate your relationship with the guest and allow you to better mange the experience;
• With a request for an e-mail address at registration, you begin to build a significant data base, which serves as a super marketing opportunity for your business, from determining guest preferences to making special announcements and offering deals;
• Just because the guest may be satisfied with one visit does not mean they will rebook. But now you have another opportunity, to build loyalty. It is easier to retain an existing guest than recruit a new one. So, drop your quill, toss the parchment and get online to better manage the experience, frame the expectations and create real value, which you can then market. Plus, you have engaged the guest, and now have a relationship. That is what it is all about.
  
  

About the Author
John R. Hendrie is the CEO of Hospitality Performance, Inc.

HPI measures the performance of lodgings, restaurants, clubs, cruise lines and attractions against reasonable hospitality standards through a comprehensive assessment process, and then helps market the achievement of those standards to a discerning customer.
http://www.hospitalityperformance.com