Every Guest is Different

Every Guest is Different

• Posted By Andrew Morgan

After twenty-nine years of selling motels and therefore staying in them regularly, you tend to form an opinion based on your own preferences, as to what makes a good motel from a guest’s point of view.  The way I like to look at it is to break down the features of any given motel and see how it stacks up in those areas.

This not only goes for the motel room itself but everything else that goes into making that motel what it is, good, bad or indifferent.  Everyone will have a different opinion on what makes a motel great against others they may not have enjoyed so much.  Everyone will have their own non-negotiable features that must achieve a ten out of ten whereas others may not see these as important and have different features that they value more.

Here's how I see the value of each area ranked one to nine to make a great stay for me.  This does not mean the ninth ranked item is not important, it is, just not as important as those ranked above.  Not everyone will agree, but these are simply individual preferences that suit one individual’s travel needs.

1. Cleanliness - This one gets top billing in my book.  I feel we can overlook a lot of things that may not be ideal, but a motel room that has not been cleaned properly is not one of those.  It doesn’t need to be modern or new, but it does need to be clean.  Cleaners can at times overlook things going from one room to the next or perhaps rushing through a room if on a short time schedule, however it cannot be forgiven.
2. Comfort - Just edged out by cleanliness, but to have a good night sleep anywhere, you need a good bed and good pillows.  So often people complain about having a poor night’s sleep due to sagging bed or pillows that are uncomfortable.  Now the bedding side of things is an easy fix.  Replacement when required.  However, pillows are a difficult one.  Everybody has a different pillow requirement, hard or soft or in between, who can know exactly?  We could all test ten and still not be happy.
3. In Room Amenities - This heading covers a lot of items, so comes in third.  Clean shower and toilet facilities which has been covered, but also good water pressure and hot water on demand is high on the list after a long day driving or working.  Noise minimisation is great but can be difficult to achieve.  Carpark vehicle noise and other guests can only be addressed by soft floor coverings depending on the actual floor, solid walls, and doors and windows sealed properly and/or double-glazed windows.  Appropriate window coverings that keep out the light at the crack of dawn are a small thing but really appreciated by the majority.  Wi-Fi and tea and coffee facilities are the minimum.  A long-term client of mine who has been in the motel industry for over 50 years told me many years ago, “the bigger the tv the better”.  “No one appreciates a small tv”.  I believe he is right!
4. Unit/Room Types - depending on what one’s requirements are depends how important this one is.  Studio, self- contained, separate rooms, families, singles or couples.  As a single person travelling it may not be high on the list, but a family with three or four young kids… the room type may be top of the list.  Space, bedding and the ability to cook or at least knock something up for the kids to eat or snack on makes a big difference.
5. Service - a quick easy check in to access your room and relax is so good after a long drive or workday.  Being greeted with a smile and friendly chat, banter or even just some additional information on what is available is great.
6. Security & Parking - I am sure everyone wants their car and room to be secure and safe overnight.  Theft or damage will ruin anyone’s day.  Carpark numbering or not, undercover/not covered, off street/on street.  Only deal breaker here is off street carparking at a minimum.  My preference is to have my car close by, even outside my door, if possible, but I can live without that and hence why it sits only sixth on the list.  Large vehicle parking may be very important to some guests though and I could see why this could be much higher on other’s lists.
7. Location - just like Unit/Room Type, I think the reason for travel makes the difference here.  If you’re passing through, a highway location to get that early start works.  In town for work purposes, highway or CBD is fine.  On holidays or an extended stay for recreation, riverfront or beachfront would be great.
8. Value for Money - my kids might say I am “too tight” when they do not get everything they want, and at heart I do love a good bargain.  However, I am quite happy and prepared to pay for all the above items to get a good night’s sleep and enjoy the stay whilst on the road.
9. Other Motel Facilities - what the motel offers outside one’s room such as restaurant/dining, swimming pool, outdoor patio area, kids playground, etc.  Again, who the traveller is and reason for travel will determine how high this one sits on anyone’s list.

In summary the first thing I will say is that I thought this would be a lot easier than it was.  Right from the start I typed the number one, then hit the wall.  I had about four items I wanted to rank as my most important and it did not get easier from there.  Anyway, that’s the list in order of preferences… I think.