Instant Feedback: Lopesan Costa Bávaro's secret to detect and improve experiences before the guest leaves

In 2023, Lopesan resolved the following percentage of cases after receiving ratings below 3 out of 5 with Instant Feedback:

• Welcome survey: 84%
• Generic surveys: 83%
• Facility surveys:78%

On average, Lopesan guests complete 3.6 surveys of the four they receive during their stay.

Without Instant Feedback, detecting all the experiences that could be improved during their guests' stay was difficult for Lopesan.

Sara Gunjaca is the Room Division Director of Costa Bávaro Lopesan and one of the reasons why this resort is a jewel of hospitality in the Dominican Republic.

A very high percentage of guests were happy in their property.

"We seek excellence and 100% delighted customers, and we are not going to rest until we achieve it."

To this end, Costa Bávaro Lopesan implemented STAY. And Gunjaca confirms it:

"STAY was an operational and guest experience revolution because the queues at the hotel disappeared, and the guests feel that they can book and consult all the services from their smartphones.”

When STAY launched Instant Feedback, Gunjaca didn't hesitate.

"Although most of our guests left very positive reviews, sometimes something unexpected can happen. But we couldn't detect it. It's frustrating when you read a bad review on external websites. and you realize that you could have solved it easily if you had known about it in time.”

Gunjaca goes a little further.

“Keeping a strong online reputation is paramount to our success. That's why having a tool that meticulously detects areas for improvement in guest experiences while at our hotel represents a significant evolution for us.”

“Online reputation is crucial for us. Although most of our guests left positive reviews, we could not detect experiences that could be improved during their stay with time to act."

Sara Gunjaca
Room Division Director

A flexible tool that allows Lopesan Costa Bávaro to be strategic to improve the guest's stay and operations

Sara Gunjaca explains that several aspects of the Instant Feedback functionality were essential when implementing it.

“It is a flexible tool with a strategy behind it to satisfy our guests. First, when the client arrives to check in, he is informed precisely how important the app is and everything they can do with it.”

“We ensure they know that to enhance their stay; they can book a table in our restaurants, activities, request room service from the hammock or the room, or communicate with the staff.”

Engagement assured, Gunjaca highlights the key factors that make Instant Feedback a hack to success. 

“It allows us to choose which people receive an alert when the customer's score is unsatisfactory. It allows us to choose the score that we consider below the quality standards of our resort; we have marked the threshold at 3 out of 5.”

“But above all, It allows us to be flexible with questions and receive warm feedback, qualitatively and quantitatively, above any other feedback tool.”

Sara Gunjaca gives an example:

 “We decided that 10 minutes after dinner, the guest would be asked a question about the experience. At that moment, you have all the details in your mind. And usually, they are happy and content. But if something has not gone as it should, we find out instantly, with time to react before you check out.”

Here, two strategies come into play—one with the client and another departmental. 

“We have a person on our staff who monitors the feedback through the app. And if a guest is unsatisfied or there has been an incident, we ensure that she or he has extra attention during their stay.” 

“Instant Feedback is a tool that turns a problem into a hidden opportunity to shine because if you take care of a dissatisfied guest and show him or her that you care, they usually leave happy.”

However, it also comes into play as a departmental strategy. 

“We are recording incidents that may occur, not only in restaurants, but in the check-in process, cleaning, and facilities. Instant Feedback allows us to polish imperfections; we comment on them in team meetings, which allows us to improve”. 

Moreover, it even allows them to change the hotel's operations. Sara Gunjaca provides us with another example.

“We have just asked a question about the gym. Opening hours are from 7 in the morning to 7 at night. But we have asked a question to see what guests think about it. If they are dissatisfied, guests have to add a comment to clarify the reasons."

"If at the end of the consultation period, we detect that they want it to open earlier, we will modify the opening hours, and these things are only possible with an immediate feedback tool like Instant Feedback."

"With Instant Feedback, we detect experiences that can be improved in time before the guest leaves the hotel. A person monitors the feedback and we take care of a dissatisfied guest and give them extra attention." 

Sara Gunjaca
Room Division Director

84% of experiences below 3/5 were detected and improved, thanks to outstanding guest engagement with surveys

Costa Bávaro Lopesan had very high ratings before implementing STAY and its PRO Instant Feedback functionality. However, occasionally, a customer could live an experience that could be improved, and that was reflected on external websites.

"We found it frustrating when occasional dissatisfaction arose among our guests. It's regrettable because, with an immediate feedback tool like the one implemented with STAY, we could have promptly addressed those rare negative experiences. Our online reputation is vital to us, and we are dedicated to diligently mitigating any issues."

With Instant Feedback, these negative reviews have progressively disappeared. Lopesan now detects many of the ongoing experiences that can be improved and also exhibits a solid ability to turn a complaint into a smile, thanks to the strategies of Sara Gunjaca's team.

They managed to resolve 84% of the problems identified in the welcome survey, below ⅗ in 2023. Regarding generic surveys, the resolution percentage was 83% and 78% in facility surveys, respectively. They are very high figures, although Sara sighs:

“At Lopesan, we want to reach 100% fully pleased customers.”

Early detection of experience subject to improvement and proactive response are making a difference.

Guest engagement with the hotel app is outstanding, and Instant Feedback is no exception. The average number of surveys answered is 3.6 for every four received.

“It should also be noted that the questions are rapid to answer, not intrusive.”

The benefits of Instant Feedback are therefore evident:

“It provides us with a path for continuous improvement by identifying areas of opportunity quickly and efficiently. Additionally, it strengthens customer loyalty by diligently responding to their comments, which encourages guests to feel cared for and want to return.”

This proactive attention also positively impacts Lopesan's online reputation, detecting 84% of improvable experiences in time.

In short, it is a tool that has helped revolutionize the guest experience through Instant Feedback. In contrast, Costa Bávaro Lopesan revolutionized the rest of the guest journey by eliminating queues and optimizing operations and revenue through the rest of STAY's functionalities.

“Instant Feedback helps build customer loyalty by making them feel cared for and want to return, reducing negative opinions on external websites because it allows us to solve incidents we previously did not detect in time."

Sara Gunjaca
Room Division Director