Business Report: HGE401 - Hotels and Guest Experience in Hospitality

This business report delves into the multifaceted concept of guest experience within the hotel industry, exploring its definition as both a concept and a discipline. It examines the historical evolution of guest experience, critically appraising key elements such as seamlessness, personalization, transformation travel, food-focused experiences, and eco-friendly initiatives. The report highlights how hotel operators create these experiences through various initiatives, emphasizing the role of technology and customer data in shaping personalized and memorable stays. It also provides a comprehensive analysis of how these elements contribute to guest satisfaction and overall success in the competitive hospitality market. The report synthesizes research from academic literature and industry publications, drawing conclusions based on the provided readings. The report is a comprehensive analysis of guest experience within the hotel industry.

Running head: HOTELS AND GUEST EXPERIENCE
HOTELS AND GUEST EXPERIENCE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note
Table of Contents

1HOTELS AND GUEST EXPERIENCE
Definition of guest experience.........................................................................................................2
Guest experience..........................................................................................................................2
Definition of guest experience both as a concept and as a discipline, as it relates to Hospitality
and tourism......................................................................................................................................2
Guest experience as a concept.....................................................................................................2
Guest experience as a discipline..................................................................................................3
History of guest experience in the hotel industry............................................................................4
A critical appraisal of the elements constituting guest experiences in the hotel context.................4
Elements of guest experience......................................................................................................4
Seamless experiences...................................................................................................................4
Personalization in the experiences...............................................................................................5
Transformation travel experience................................................................................................5
Food focused guest experience....................................................................................................5
Eco-friendly guest experiences....................................................................................................6
Ways by which hotel operators create guest experiences............................................................6
Initiatives implemented by hotels................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

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Definition of guest experience
Guest experience
Guest experience can be defined as the interaction that is developed between the
organization and the Guest. This is considered to be a blend of the physical performance of the
organization, the emotions that are evoked and the stimulation of senses as well. The different
aspects of guest experience are measured against the expectations of the Guest across various
memorable moments of the contact (Belarmino, Whalen, Koh & Bowen, 2019). The interaction
is mainly developed with the help of proper communication that takes place within a split second
when the Guest visits the print materials or website. The individual or person who experiences
the services of the organization for first time is called a Guest. An experience that is provided by
the organization to its guests is also termed as an effective blend. The expectations are developed
by guests with the help of perceptions that they have about the organization and various activities
that are performed as well (Boo & Busser, 2018).
Definition of guest experience both as a concept and as a discipline, as it relates to
Hospitality and tourism
Guest experience as a concept
Guest experience is considered to be quite similar to the customer experiences that are
provided by the organizations. Customer experience mainly represents a process that helps in the
proper management of entire experience of the customers with the service providers. The
collection of various processes that are implemented by the organizations in order to interact
with the customers is considered to be a major aspect related to the operations. The overall
experiences that are offered to the customers allow them to improve service providers to raise the

3HOTELS AND GUEST EXPERIENCE
levels of satisfaction and the improvement of performances (Lu, Berchoux, Marek & Chen,
2015). The creation of sustaining and the strong relationships are also supported in an effective
manner by the customer experiences that are offered by organizations. Physical delivery of
services is an important aspect related to the ways by which relationships can be developed by
the organizations. Three major aspects that need to be included as a part of guest experiences
management include customer intelligence, account management and continuous improvement
(Manthiou, Kang, Sumarjan & Tang, 2016).
Guest experience as a discipline
The expectations of customers have evolved with passing years and the guests have also
become more demanding in nature. The meeting of expectations of the guests in hospitality
industry is an important aspect that is related to the ways by which their loyalty can be
developed. The needs of international customers have to be catered by the organizations in
hospitality industry due to the growth in tourism related activities. The offerings that are
developed by the tourism and hospitality brands have the ability to attract the guests. The
development of excellent customer experiences and travel experiences are related to the training
that is provided to the staff (Mody, Suess & Lehto, 2019).
Increasing the levels of customer engagement in sustainable tourism is an important
aspect that is related to the ways of developing guest experiences. Millennials are an important
part of the group of digital travelers who are provided with effective services based on the
development of guest experiences. The food and restaurant services have also been developed by
the organizations with the aim to maintain the loyalty of customers and develop their attitudes as
well (Radde, 2017). The success or the failure of business organizations in tourism and
hospitality industry are mainly dependent on the services that are offered to the customers. The

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consistency of high levels of service delivery has an impact on the ways by which organizations
can maintain their positions and the loyal customer base as well (Morosan & DeFranco, 2016).
History of guest experience in the hotel industry
A critical appraisal of the elements constituting guest experiences in the hotel context
Elements of guest experience
The trends in hotel business have created ripples in the hospitality industry and the
impacts of these trends are considered to be quite lasting in nature. The hotels are able to benefit
from the ways the organizations can adapt the experience that is provided to the guests. The
independent hotels are quite creative, agile and they also have flexible standards that are not
quite similar to the large hotel chains (Xu & Li, 2016). Five major hospitality trends have an
impact on the experiences that are provided to the guests of various hotels. The five major trends
or elements in guest experiences include seamless experiences, personalization in the
experiences, transformational travel experience, guest experience that is food focused and eco-
friendly guest experiences (Sharma & Rather, 2015).
Seamless experiences
The hotel operators are aiming offering seamless experiences to the guests with the help
of customer engagement and use of technology as well. The use of customer data is considered
to be an important aspect related to the development of seamless experiences for the guests. The
ease of communication that is provided to the guests is also able to influence the ways by which
hotel operators try to satisfy the guests. Voice control is considered to be an emerging trend that

5HOTELS AND GUEST EXPERIENCE
has an impact on the seamlessness of the services that are offered to the guests
(Businessblog.trivago.com 2019).
Personalization in the experiences
Personalization of the experiences is based on the ways by which an organization aims to
fulfill the expectations of customers. The hotel operators are constantly aiming at offering unique
services to the customers based on their choices and demands. The data that hotels are able to
gain about the customers prove to be helpful for them in order to personalize the experiences that
are offered to the guests. The guests are also able to respond to the changes and latest trends by
ensuring that they feel like they are a major part of the organization rather than only guests
(Dzia-Uddin, Hashim & Isa, 2018).
Transformation travel experience
The new philosophy based on travel is considered to be a major part of the evolution that
is taking place in different parts of the world. Transformation travel is a major trend that has an
impact on the development of travel experiences that are gained by the guests in different parts
of the world. The engagement of travelers with the local communities is also considered to be an
important aspect that is able to affect the satisfaction levels.
Food focused guest experience
Food is considered to be the most important element of travel based activities of different
individuals. The different ways that are implemented by the hotels in order to improve the guest
experiences are based on providing the best quality food to guests. The travelers also tend to
choose hotels based on the quality of food that is provided to them (Dzia-Uddin, Hashim & Isa,
2018).

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Eco-friendly guest experiences
The awareness related to carbon footprints of the operations of various hotels have started
increasing in the last few years. The hotel operators thereby need to cut down on the waste that is
generated by them in order to develop a proper image (Businessblog.trivago.com 2019).
The levels of seamlessness based on services offered by hotel operators are considered to
be a major factor that is able to affect the experiences that are provided. Technology is
implemented in order to improve the service levels of hotels and automation is now an important
part of the guest experiences (Businessblog.trivago.com 2019). Personalization is considered to
be the most important aspect of guest experiences that are offered by the modern hotels. The
hotels are trying to analyze the demands and needs of customers in order to tailor the services
accordingly. Personalization is able to play a major role in proper improvement of the guest
experiences in various hotels (Manthiou, Kang, Sumarjan & Tang, 2016). The experiences that
are provided to the guests in hotels are mainly based on the five major constituents that have
been discussed above. The most important element among the five is the levels of
personalization that is provided to the customers by the hotel operators (Xu & Li, 2016).
Ways by which hotel operators create guest experiences
The guest experiences that are designed by the hotels enable the travelers to engage with
local communities and also challenge themselves. Food is also considered to be an important
aspect of the experiences that are gained by the guests and the travelers also choose hotels that
are able to provide the best quality food (Mody, Suess & Lehto, 2019). The guest experiences
that are provided to the customers are also based on the impact that they have on the external
environment. Eco-friendly nature of service is designed in order to provide the best levels of
guest experiences. The hotel operators are currently working on the ways by which paperless

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transactions can be made in order to reduce the waste levels and carbon footprint of hotel
operations (Lu, Berchoux, Marek & Chen, 2015).
Initiatives implemented by hotels
The green initiatives that have been implemented by the hotels are also based on the
development of services without affecting the environment. The guest experiences that are
designed by the operators of hotels are related to the changes that have taken place in the
industry over the years. The improvement of hospitality activities are considered to be an
important part of the operations of the hotels and experiences that are offered to the guests as
well. The hotel operators are thereby able to play the most significant role in development of
proper services that can be provided to the customers or the guests as well (Belarmino, Whalen,
Koh & Bowen, 2019). The relationship that is developed between the guests and hotels is mainly
based on the services that are provided by the hotel operators. Hotel operators are able to develop
a major link between the guests and organizations.

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References
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peer-to-peer accommodations and hotels: mixed-methods approach. Current Issues in
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Boo, S., & Busser, J. A. (2018). Meeting planners' online reviews of destination hotels: A
twofold content analysis approach. Tourism Management, 66, 287-301. Retrieved from:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517717302637
Businessblog.trivago.com (2019). 5 Hotel Trends That Are Transforming the Guest Experience.
[online] trivago Business Blog. Available at: https://businessblog.trivago.com/hotel-
trends-transforming-guest-experience/ [Accessed 29 Aug. 2019].
Dzia-Uddin, D. N., Hashim, S. A., & Isa, Z. M. (2018). SELF-SERVICE TECHNOLOGIES
INFLUENCING GUEST SATISFACTION IN HOTEL INDUSTRY. Journal of
Hospitality and Networks, 1(1), 25-31. Retrieved from:
http://journal.kuim.edu.my/index.php/JHN/article/viewFile/368/318
Lu, C., Berchoux, C., Marek, M. W., & Chen, B. (2015). Service quality and customer
satisfaction: qualitative research implications for luxury hotels. International Journal of
Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 9(2), 168-182. Retrieved from:
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Manthiou, A., Kang, J., Sumarjan, N., & Tang, L. (2016). The incorporation of consumer
experience into the branding process: an investigation of name‐brand hotels.

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International Journal of Tourism Research, 18(2), 105-115. Retrieved from:
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Radde, B. (2017). Digital Guest Experience: Tools to help hotels to manage and optimize the
digital guest experience. tredition. Retrieved from: https://books.google.co.in/books?
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Study-of-A-Category-Hotels.pdf
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