Business guests’ accommodation selection: the view from both sides

A comparative study was undertaken analysing what accommodation managers and business guests believed were the factors influencing accommodation selection. It was discovered that business guests rated “bathroom and shower quality”, “standard of bedroom maintenance” and “comfort of mattress and pillow” highly, while accommodation management rated “courteous, polite, well‐mannered staff”, “enthusiasm, and commitment of staff” and “efficiency of front desk” highly. In contrast, both the business guests and accommodation managers indicated that the cleanliness of the hotel was the most significant factor influencing accommodation selection. The research also identified that there was a statistically significant difference in many items in the survey between what management and guests believed were important, which indicates a lack of understanding by management. The ramifications for management who do not provide those items important to guests are lower occupancy rates and guest dissatisfaction. Further, spending time and money on items that are not so important to guests may not be a wise use of resources. Regarding the question of whether managers understand their guests, this research indicates that they do not.