There is no ‘back of the house’ when it comes to guest satisfaction ratings

There once was a time when everything we spent money on was a bit of a roll of the proverbial dice. However, today, we scarcely order anything, subscribe to a service, or dine out without first checking reviews. Hospitality is definitely at the head of the list where reviews matter.

A recent article by Lodging Magazine shared the latest J.D. Power 2024 North America Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark survey data. In the article, the overall guest satisfaction at third-party-operated hotels was up.

The survey is a good reminder that everything from front desk staff to amenities contributes to guest satisfaction. That includes “back of the house.” Guest satisfaction is always ongoing and necessitates staying on top of current trends to meet ever-changing expectations.

At the root of all that is quality control and formalized processes in the laundry. That incredible front desk check-in experience isn’t going to mean much if later that evening, upon turndown, sheets are scratchy, hot, or, at worst, stained. Bottom line: don’t lose sight of the fact that everything contributes to guest satisfaction, and room linens are immensely important.

A few tips to ensure alignment on quality results:

Staff training. Make sure staff not only are trained in laundry sorting and processing processes as well as machine operation, but also know how veering from processes negatively impacts finished quality. Selecting equipment with simple controls that offer multiple language options helps ensure all staff can operate the units.

Rinsing matters. Residual laundry chemicals left in linens is one of the biggest quality issues that makes it to the floor. When chemicals aren’t fully rinsed out, they get baked into linens in the drying process and leave sheets (and towels) warm and harsh to the touch. Make sure to work with your chemical company representative to ensure proper dosing. When it comes to rinsing, high pressure spray rinses remove more residual chemistry than bath rinses – think shower versus taking a bath.

Not bone dry. A little bit of moisture in linens isn’t a bad thing; continuing to dry them after they are already dry definitely is a bad thing. Over-drying linens wears them out prematurely, in addition to wasting utilities and impacting quality.

There’s no way to overstate the importance of linen quality to guest satisfaction. And with linen packages being a major expense for a property, it’s imperative to get the longest life out of them. Linens that are processed correctly last longer.