How to improve guest satisfaction by putting people first

How do you improve guest satisfaction when every hotel already promises a warm welcome? Satisfaction is usually measured as an outcome, in scores and reviews, but the decisions that drive it are made much earlier: who stands at the desk, what the lobby offers at midnight, and whether the default answer to an unusual request is yes or no.

Burg de Rave, Hotel Director of Room Mate Bruno in Rotterdam, has run his hotel for more than seven years on a simple order of priorities: people first, quality second, money third. His company calls the approach happitality, and in his view it is also the profitable one.

What people-first hospitality means in practice

Putting people first only means something if it changes how a hotel ranks its decisions. De Rave starts with travel itself. In his words, the best way of traveling is by visiting friends, which is why his company calls guests roommates and colleagues roomies. For him, success in hospitality is not a number on a report but the ability to make people feel truly welcome, rather than only saying they are.

Each hotel in the group gets its own personality, built on the building's history and atmosphere. In Rotterdam the hotel's face is Bruno, an old ship captain, a nod to the building's past as a warehouse for tea and spices. But the order of priorities is what makes the concept work:

• People first: guests, staff and suppliers.
• Quality second: the way you measure how you treat those people.
• Money third: revenue and cost follow as the effect of the first two.

In many companies he worked for, this list ran the other way around. Reporting still matters, but it sits lower. If staff feel welcome, can be who they are and get the responsibility to connect with guests while having fun, the rest will come. Front desk teams show what that looks like in these employee empowerment examples.

Why technology should support the welcome, not replace it

A people-first approach does not mean rejecting technology. De Rave's hotel has invested in IT, for example in online check-in. But there is a clear line it will not cross.

“We will never go into a fully automated check-in where there is nobody at the desk trying to help you or trying to create that smile.”

Burg de Rave, 9:16

That human connection, he says, is everything, and it means being open and free of prejudice. His example: if two men check in together, a receptionist might ask whether they would like twin beds. His team does not ask that question, because it fills in the blanks for the person in front of you.

The connection ideally starts before arrival. The more a hotel knows about a guest before the stay, the easier it is to connect. The hard part is that early contact happens by email, WhatsApp or phone, so the whole journey, from the brand's philosophy before booking to the reservation, needs to be aligned for a guest to arrive with a smile and leave with one. For a hotel that wants to improve guest satisfaction, that means looking at every contact point before arrival, not only the moment at the desk.

How saying yes can improve guest satisfaction

Many hotel rules exist to protect revenue, and De Rave's alternative is to start from yes. During the pandemic his hotel started a small honesty bar in the lobby: help yourself, built on trust, because otherwise it does not work. That idea has grown into a lobby shop that is open around the clock and run with an external partner. Guests can buy anything from water to a bottle of wine and use it whenever they want. The peak is between ten in the evening and two at night, and guests may even take that bottle of wine and drink it in the bar.

“A lot of these choices are very specific to our brand where we always try to say yes instead of no or trying to think of the negative.”

Burg de Rave, 18:22

He accepts that the shop might take some revenue from the bar, or that a guest might choose an orange juice and a sandwich over a full breakfast. If that is what the guest wants at that moment, the hotel should provide it well. A guest who was not looking for a twenty euro breakfast might come back or extend the stay because the option was there. Starting from yes also helps when deciding how to handle guest complaints.

The same applies to events: when a group of 300 wants its own caterer, his hotel tries to say yes where many hotels would refuse.

Making the hotel part of its city

Guests experience a city, not only a building, so a hotel that is connected to its surroundings has more to offer. More than half of De Rave's team is international, so many staff once arrived in Rotterdam the way a guest does. The hotel encourages them to find their own places, from a skate park to a new Michelin star restaurant, and works with local initiatives such as giving artists exhibition space during the city's art week. In his view, a hotel is not a business on its own but is connected to everything that happens in its city. Staff who know their city also deliver a stronger hotel concierge service.

His favourite story is not about a typical guest. During the pandemic the hotel joined a project that offered rooms, more or less free of charge, to people who had become homeless for economic reasons. For about three years it kept three or four rooms available, with stays of three to six months. Having their own place again helped those guests take the next step.

He also chairs an association that unites the hotels of Rotterdam, around 45 members ranging from international chains to a boutique hotel with ten rooms. Together they speak with one voice to the municipality on topics like safety, security and city tax.

Using AI to free up time for guests

De Rave does not expect technology to change the core of the work. His hotel already uses AI for several tasks, and that has not meant fewer team members, only more time.

“AI or other types of technology, even design is gonna help you facilitate that, but we'll never replace it.”

Burg de Rave, 31:33

His advice is to embrace efficiency in procedures, reporting and administration so staff can spend more time making a connection. He also sees a challenge in attracting people to the industry. Kitchens have role models on TV and social media; front of house needs them too. If a waiter's job is seen as only a student job, people leave when times get hard. For more ways to improve guest satisfaction, explore the Lead the Experience series, or watch the full conversation with Burg de Rave.

Frequently asked questions

What is people-first hospitality?

In the approach Burg de Rave describes, people-first hospitality means putting guests, staff and suppliers first, quality second and money third. Revenue is seen as the result of treating people well, not the starting point. At Room Mate Bruno this shows up in choices like keeping staff at the desk and saying yes to unusual guest requests.

Can technology improve guest satisfaction without replacing staff?

The hotel uses online check-in, but Burg de Rave says it will never go fully automated with nobody at the desk. For him, the person who helps you and creates a smile is a key part of the connection with the guest. Technology should support that welcome and give staff more time, not take their place.

How does a hotel lobby shop built on trust work?

At Bruno, a lobby shop open around the clock sells food, drinks and non-food items. Guests take what they want, pay, and use it whenever they like, even taking a bottle of wine to the bar. It grew out of an honesty bar started during the pandemic, and its busiest hours are late in the evening.

Does saying yes to guests cost a hotel revenue?

Burg de Rave accepts that a lobby shop may take some bar or breakfast revenue. In his view, a guest who gets exactly what they want, such as a juice and a sandwich instead of a full breakfast, may return or extend their stay. He sees this long-term view as what makes the people-first approach profitable.