How we checked reviews for 14 hotels in 3 days
In August 2024, in the middle of the summer holiday season, Tatra Business Insight conducted an intensive reputation audit of 14 accommodation facilities in Zakopane. For 72 hours, our team collected hard data directly from guests to show owners facts they won't find in reservation systems or in comments on portals.
Task: 14 facilities under the magnifying glass in 72 hours
We started work on August 12, 2024, at 8:00 AM. Our target was 14 hotels and guesthouses located within 800 meters of Krupówki Street. Instead of analyzing old data from the internet, we sent 6 field surveyors whose task was to talk to guests leaving these facilities. We focused on real experiences, not on pleasantries exchanged at the reception. We verify facts, so we were interested in specific situations: waiting time for keys, temperature of scrambled eggs at breakfast, or cleanliness of grout in the bathroom.
Owners of these facilities often live in the belief that the lack of negative reviews online means full satisfaction. We showed them the other side of the coin. Over 3 days, we collected exactly 437 surveys from tourists from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany. We chose the moment of highest occupancy, because only then can all cracks in service be seen. We see the whole picture only when the hotel system is overloaded and the staff is working at 110% of their capacity.
Each of the 14 facilities was assessed in 5 key categories: response time to requests, sleep quality, spot cleanliness, pricing transparency, and authenticity of hospitality. We don't use a scale of 1 to 5 because it says nothing. We operate on binary indicators: either the problem was solved at the first request, or the guest had to intervene twice. Hard data from the Tatras don't lie – in 9 out of 14 cases, guests pointed out different problems in direct conversation than those they would have entered in an online form.
We see the whole picture only when the hotel system is overloaded and the staff is working at 110% of their capacity.
Field work methodology: Krupówki and surroundings
Our work in the field is not just about asking questions. It's about observation. During the audit on August 12-14, our employees spent a total of 216 man-hours on their feet. Every Tatra Business Insight surveyor is trained in behavioral interview techniques. Instead of asking 'Was your stay successful?', we asked 'How many minutes did you wait for the elevator between 9:00 and 10:00 AM?'. This approach eliminates politeness and forces a specific detail. On average, one conversation lasted 4 minutes and 12 seconds.
We used a proprietary data collection system on tablets, which plotted results on a map of Zakopane in real time. Thanks to this, already on the second day evening, we saw that in one specific part of the city (Tetmajera street area), guests complained about the noise of night deliveries to neighboring stores, which affected the ratings of three different hotels. The owners didn't know about it, blaming their staff for the guests' 'bad mood' in the morning. No sugarcoating, we showed them that the problem lies in external logistics, not in their employees.
Additionally, we conducted 14 'mystery customer' tests regarding telephone reservations. We called at unusual times – e.g., 10:45 PM or 6:15 AM. Only 5 receptions answered the phone before the fifth ring. In two cases, no one called back the customer's number for the next 24 hours. Such small gaps in procedures cost these facilities an average of 2,400 PLN in lost reservations during just three days of our study.
Instead of asking 'Was your stay successful?', we asked 'How many minutes did you wait for the elevator?'. This approach eliminates politeness.
What is not visible from behind the director's desk?
The biggest surprise for the management of one of the 4-star hotels was information about 'cold coffee at breakfast'. According to procedures, the coffee machines were serviced every week. However, our study showed that between 8:30 and 9:15, a queue of 12 people formed, causing guests to take coffee to their table and then wait 10 minutes for a free toaster. As a result, they drank a cold beverage. Solution? Moving the toaster to the other side of the breakfast room shortened the waiting time by 3.5 minutes. Cost of change: 0 PLN. Effect: 22% increase in breakfast satisfaction the following week.
Another example is the parking issue. In three facilities, guests spent an average of 14 minutes looking for the entrance because the navigation led them into a dead-end street behind the hotel. Owners thought guests found their way easily because 'no one calls with complaints'. The truth was that guests arrived already irritated and rated the hotel worse from the start. It was enough to send an SMS with a Google Maps pin 2 hours before arrival. Tatra Business Insight verified that after this change, the number of complaints about 'poor service at check-in' dropped almost to zero.
Analysis of 437 collected reviews also showed that tourists in Zakopane are becoming increasingly sensitive to a lack of authenticity. In facilities where staff used learned formulas like 'We invite you again', the degree of guest loyalty was 18% lower than in places where the receptionist was able to advise which trail to take to avoid crowds. We verify facts and know that in the hotel industry in the Tatras, details build the margin. One smiling employee who knows the topography of the area is worth more than expensive marbles in the lobby.
Concrete conclusions for the industry
We finished the audit on August 15, 2024, by preparing individual reports. Each of the 14 owners received a document from us averaging 22 pages, which instead of general advice contained charts, photos of shortcomings, and guest quotes. We don't write about improving quality – we write about the need to replace 12 light bulbs in the corridors of the third floor because it is too dark there, which causes concern for families with children. This approach allows for the implementation of changes within 48 hours of receiving the results.
We also noticed a dangerous trend: 85% of hotels in our study ignored negative reviews regarding balcony cleanliness, considering it the 'charm of the mountain area'. Meanwhile, for 42% of the surveyed guests, a dirty table on the balcony was the main reason they didn't rate 10/10 on Booking.com. We see the whole picture: a small neglect lowers the average rating, which in turn forces the hotel to lower prices by an average of 35 PLN per night to maintain occupancy. On an annual scale, this is a loss of 120,000 PLN for a facility with 50 rooms.
Tatra Business Insight proved that a quick reputation audit in peak season is the only way to know the truth about your business. Data collected in August allow owners to prepare for the winter season and avoid the same mistakes in much more difficult weather conditions. Our team is already planning the next round of research for December 2024, this time focusing on facilities in the Kuźnice area and near the ski jump. No sugarcoating, only hard facts from the Tatras.
A small neglect on the balcony lowers the average rating, forcing the hotel to lower prices by 35 PLN per night. That's a loss of 120,000 PLN per year.
