When do they start boiling, or How many minutes tourists can tolerate at hotel registration desks?
Fifteen minutes, half an hour or even longer — what is your point of no return for the hotel lobby wait? Filling once again forms and questionnaires, answering boring question and in the same time fighting jet lag.
Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research ran an interesting study which lasted for two years and covered travellers from eight countries. It came as no surprise that colour of your passport has something to do with your patience, i.e. different nationalities have their own limits for registration queues and delays. The study determined “critical time” for the guest to run out of patience and start the buzz:
Canadians: 7 minutes
Visitors from France, Germany, Italy and Spain: 15 minutes max
Imperturbable Brits: 17 minutes
Guest from Japan: 30 minutes
Guess who has the shortest trigger in this list? People of the USA crack after 5 minutes, on average, and once this limit is broken, they report a decrease in a service satisfaction of 47%.
The research paper has more to offer in terms of analyzing hotel consumers behaviour. One thing is certain: registration time needs to be reduced if you’re trying to ensure high level of client loyalty. This is why WDIA has set its priorities for touristic services. We are currently working with our Turkish partners to make registration process faster and more comfortable.
