Not Knowing What Your Customers Want Can Be a Big Problem

So, you’ve just taken a long trip, you’ve arrived at your hotel tired and hungry and all you’re really interested in at that moment is knowing which restaurants are near your hotel. You’ve experienced this, right?  You get checked in, and begin searching your night stand for the print Yellow Pages.  What?  No Yellow Pages?   Well, according to an article that recently ran in USA Today, a number of hotel chains will no longer provide print directories for their guests.

 

I don’t think that’s a move in the right direction.  Aren’t we, as businesses in dealing with our customers, supposed to focus on customer service and strive to give the customer what he wants?   Maybe the hotels need to review the 2007 Simmons data below shared by Dennis Fromholzer, Ph.D, CRM Associates, that clearly shows that people who travel frequently are much more likely to reference the print Yellow Pages in a given month than people that don’t.

 

Below are some stats, taken from the 2007 Spring Simmons data.  I define a “heavy YP print user” as one who uses YP print directories on average at least once a week.

 

·         Those who have stayed at a hotel/motel in the past 12 months are 1.8 times more likely to be heavy YP print users while on the road than those who have not.

 

·         Those who are members of hotel frequent guest programs are 1.4 times more likely to be heavy YP print users while on the road than those who are not.

 

·         Those who stay at hotels 3 or more times per year are 1.6 times more likely to be heavy YP print users while on the road than those who do not stay at hotels or who stay only 1 or 2 times per year.

 

·         53% of those that stay at hotels 11 or more nights per year have used YP print directories in the past month at home;  24% have used YP print while traveling or for business.   Compare this to:  37% of those that have not stayed at hotels in the past year have used YP in the past month at home, and 11% have used YP print while traveling or for business (17% for those that stay only 1 or 2 nights per year).   Bottom line:  those that travel a lot are 40-100% more likely to use YP print directories in an average month than those that do not travel much.

 

·         Similarly, 53% of frequent “guest” program members have used YP print for personal purposes in the past month (vs. 45% of non-members); 25% of frequent guest program members have used YP print in the past month for business/travel purposes (vs 16% of non-members). 

 

These data would suggest that continuing to provide directories in hotel rooms amounts to good customer service.  As Stephanie Hobbs of the Yellow Pages Association notes in the article:  “The move will upset many guests. “You have to ask what your customers want, not what’s easier for hotels.”

 

My hope is that this initiative won’t be adopted by most hotels.  I need my Yellow Pages to find the nearest steak and baked potato!