6.5 The Role of Transportation in Guest Experience
Transportation is the first and the last experience a guest has while on vacation or business travel. If transportation systems break down, guests will not arrive at their destinations. Hotels, restaurants, shops, event venues, and event hosts lose revenue as a result. The lost revenue from a guest who experienced a transportation breakdown has a trickle-down effect across the entire hospitality industry. Easy access to transportation options can improve a guest’s perception of a destination. Guests who experience an easy, convenient, and quick trip to and from their destination will be more likely to become repeat visitors and ambassadors for the area. Additionally, guests prioritize safe and reliable transportation, especially in unfamiliar destinations. For those visiting a destination for the first time, the geography, customs, and, perhaps, even the language might be unfamiliar, amplifying a guest’s need to feel safe.
Case Study
Diego is traveling for the first time to a conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Diego has some mobility issues and needs to use a walker. After parking his car at the airport, a sky cap greets Diego, assists him with his luggage, offers him a free wheelchair, and escorts him through security and to his gate. The flight attendants allow him to board first as he needs extra time getting through the aisle of the plane. After he landed in Atlanta, the flight attendants had already notified airport staff that he needed extra assistance; someone was waiting for him at the gate with another wheelchair. They assisted him at baggage claim and took him straight to the hotel shuttle. The shuttle driver helped him up the steps of the bus and loaded his walker for him. Once at the hotel, the same shuttle driver helped him unload his walker and saw that he was safely inside the hotel.
How do you think these transportation employees made Diego feel? Do you think that Diego would attempt another trip to Atlanta?
