Guest experience is of prime importance for all hotels. It is their satisfaction that will increase their willingness to revisit the same hotel and will drive them to recommend its name to others. Essentially, a good experience is a key to loyalty.
The hospitality industry depends a lot on how managers and other staff members interact with the guests at the hotel. Only good services during a guest’s stay may not be enough to earn a guest’s loyalty and desire to revisit the hotel.
Taking an after-stay feedback for the service quality is as vital as the feedback that the manager may take while they spend time at the hotel. Only feedback is not enough and hotels need to extend appreciation to the guest for choosing to stay in their hotel. A personalized hotel thank you letter after guest stay is an excellent way to express appreciation and to ask for feedback.
Any hotel management that cares about influencing the intentions of guests to return to their hotel must have a system of sending a hotel thank you letter after guest stay in place. It may be handwritten, printed and signed by hand, or an email, as deemed fit. It can be sent by the manager, a front desk staff, or a member of the management as appropriate. In most cases, a thank you letter to a hotel guest is signed by the hotel manager or the front office manager.
Importance of a thank you letter after a guest’s stay in a hotel
Sending a thank you letter to guests is not just about showing appreciation. The main intention behind it is to show the hotel values the customer but it serves many other purposes.
It shows the hotel management cares
Taking time to write a thank you letter to guests individually shows that the hotel takes interest in all their guests. It also expresses care.
It gives an opportunity to talk about the hotel
Thoughtfully drafted, a hotel thank you letter after guest stay can be much more than a letter of thanks. It can be used to know the guests’ feelings, asking them about their experience, what they liked the best, and so on. This letter can also be used to highlight the features of the hotel.
It is an opportunity to take a feedback
Well-written letters can express a lot. In a thank you letter a hotel manager can request the guest for their feedback. Feedbacks are extremely important and serve as a tool to make things better for the guests. Asking for feedback also gives the guest a feeling of the hotel’s eagerness to listen to what they have to say. It also shows concern and willingness to make improvements based on the guest’s suggestions.
It is a way to gain loyalty
Thank you letters are a way to impress guests as it shows appreciation. It adds a personal touch and the hotel’s keenness to create a one-to-one relationship with its guests.
It has a feel-good factor
Most of all, thank you letters always have a feel-good factor. Everyone likes to be thanked. A hotel thank you letter after guest stay makes the guest feel privileged and important. That serves the goal of earning loyalty. There are more chances of the guest returning to the hotel and recommending it to friends and family.
It leaves a positive impression
A thank you letter leaves a good impression on the guests. The time and effort that goes into it is a way to impress the clients. There is a good chance of gaining their patronage in the future.
It is an alternative to conversation
While the guests stay in the hotel it may not be always possible to have a face-to-face conversation with them individually but writing a letter can be a good way to communicate. Stating what the hotel management wants to express and asking for their input is another way of exchanging dialogue.
When is the right time to send a thank you letter to a guest after a hotel stay?
Sooner the better! It always pays to be prompt with guest thank you letters after they have left the hotel. The reason is simple, the memories of the hotel stay are still fresh in their mind and a quick appreciation is always admired. If the hotel asks for feedback, it is more likely for the guest to reply and give their genuine comments. Be it criticism or praise, hotels should look forward to it as a means of improvement.
The best time to send a hotel thank you letter after guest stay is within a week. Although there is no hard and fast rule, that’s the ideal time.
Tips for writing an effective thank you letter to guests after their stay
Use appropriate salutation
A thank you letter to a guest after staying in the hotel is a semi-formal letter. The salutation should be appropriate as guests are the customers of the business.
Eg:
- Dear Mr./Mrs. (Full name of the guest)
- Dear Sir/Madam
- Respected (Name of the guest)
Politeness wins hearts
As the guests are the costumes, it goes without saying that the language should be extremely polite. Use words that do not sound rude, uncivil, or intimidating. A letter that sounds courteous grabs attention and is remembered for long. Do not use any slang or negative words which may sound hurtful or disrespectful.
Begin with a thank you
The subject of the letter should reflect its purpose Not only that but the letter should also be started by thanking the guest. Getting to the point right at the beginning helps the guest to know what the letter is all about. Or else, the letter may end up in the trash thinking it to be some useless spam or promotional document.
It should sound genuine
A genuine letter is distinguished from the others by its language. A hotel thank you letter after guest stay should be worded properly. Authenticity is vital for trust and gaining a guest’s trust is important for winning his/her loyalty. Being original and expressing the feelings of the hotel for the guest creates a personal relationship that attracts the guest to come back to the hotel. It creates familiarity and builds a connection.
Highlight the special features of the hotel
Mention the special features that the hotel is proud of and request their feedback on them. Asking if they liked them is a clever way to review what others think of those aspects.
Ask for feedback
A thank you letter may seem like a one-sided conversation without asking for guest feedback. Requesting guest comments about their experience leaves room for conversation, exchange of feelings, and opinions. It makes the guest feel important. They get the idea that the hotel is open to making amendments and improvements based on their suggestions.
Guest suggestions are as good as any research and give a lot of scope for improvement for the staff and the hotel working system.
End with a pleasant note seeking patronage
The letter should have a pleasant ending requesting the guest’s presence whenever they plan a trip to the city. If the hotel has a chain of establishments, that can also be brought to the guest’s notice. It can be a golden opportunity to highlight the presence of the business in different locations.
Samples of hotel thank you letter after guest stay
Template #1
Dear Mr/Ms. [Guest Name],
Thank you for choosing to stay at [Hotel name] during your recent visit to [location name]. It was a pleasure to have you in our executive suite.
The room B – 405 (mention room number) that you occupied had been renovated recently. We put in a lot of thought to improve the interiors and the room plan. We hope you liked it. A feedback from you will be highly appreciated as that will give us a chance to incorporate further improvements.
We sincerely hope you liked the food at our in-house restaurant. We at (hotel’s name) continuously strive to make the experience of our guests unforgettable. Your comments will be extremely valuable to us.
It will be extremely kind of you to take a moment to fill out the guest feedback form. Our staff could use it to improve the services.
We hope to see you soon during your next visit to (location). Do remember to use the Promo Code (mention code) to avail our exclusive return guest offer when you book a room in our hotel next time.
We would be looking forward to serving you again.
[Manager Name and Signature]
Template #2
Hotel Manager
Green View Hotel
T: +456 234 7860
E: email@hotel.com
Dear [Guest Name],
Thank you for staying with us at hotel Green View (hotel name) from (mention dates). We hope your stay was pleasant and to your satisfaction. The comfort of our guests is our priority and we want to make every guest’s stay in our hotel a memorable one by providing outstanding services.
I hope our staff achieved the goal of making your stay comfortable by providing outstanding services. We hope you enjoyed our infinity pool which is the most admired feature of all our guests.
It will be a pleasure to hear your feedback about the room and services of our hotel. Please take some time out to fill the online comment card so that we can amend any shortcomings and improve our services.
Looking forward to having you in our hotel soon.
(Front Desk Manager)
(Name and Sign)
Template #3
Dear Guest,
I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude for choosing us as your preferred hotel in (location). On behalf of our team, I extend a big thank you forgiving is the opportunity to serve you tha]is weekend while your stay at (hotel’s name)
We at (hotel’s name) are extremely proud of our new health club and spa, and the renovated mix lounge with complimentary high-speed Internet access for our guests. Hope you took the opportunity to relax at the spa during your stay at the hotel. Our sous-chef and assistant chefs work tirelessly to offer the best cuisines to our guests and always look forward to genuine feedback.
Kindly let us know how was your stay at the hotel and how you feel we can improve our services further. Your valuable feedback will help us make your future stay at the hotel more pleasurable.
We hope we could match your expectations of a comfortable hotel stay and you will allow us the opportunity to host you again.
Thanking you
Hotel Manager (Hotel Name)
(Manager’s Name)
Template #4
Respected Mr/Mrs. (Guest’s name),
It was extremely kind of you to return to our hotel after your last visit. We thank you for your patronage.
Since the last time you stayed at (Hotel’s name), we have made many changes to provide more comfort and better services to our guests. As you have witnessed the before and the after renovation status of the hotel, we couldn’t think of anyone more suitable to give us more genuine feedback.
If you have noticed, starting from the parking lot, to the rooms, and the lounge, there were many new things incorporated to provide a better guest experience. We request you to please complete our online survey card that will take only a few minutes. It will help us maintain our exceptional services.
We sincerely hope your stay this time at (hotel’s name) was a memorable and productive one.
The staff of our hotel wishes to serve you again soon.
Thank you once again
Manager’s name and signature
Template #5
Dear Sir/Madam,
It was a pleasure to have you as our guest at (Hotel’s name). Thank you for choosing to stay with us.
As you have experienced the blend of our eastern and western hospitality, you are already aware of the stylish rooms, and comfortable rooms that we offer. We hope you enjoyed the unmatched sea view from your room and would like to come back again to bask in the sun and enjoy our luxurious pool.
If you had a comfortable stay in our hotel and found the services unmatched, kindly leave us a positive review. In case we failed to match your expectations feel free to extend your suggestions and we will give our best to rectify them in all possible ways.
We always look forward to improving our services with constructive feedback from our guests. Do help us in our endeavor to provide the best services to our guests.
Thank you
Hotel Manager
