Strategies for Satisfying
Walked Hotel Guests
IndustryView | 2014

Strategies for Satisfying Walked Hotel Guests
The practice of hotel overbooking seems to be here to stay. Even though reservation
software and real-time inventory can help reduce or even prevent these incidents, hoteliers
will always assume a few guests won’t show up each night.
But how does this affect the guests in particular? We wanted to find out how overbooked—
or “walked”—guests react. How likely are they to return for another visit? Are they more
likely to leave a negative review online? How can managers alleviate the damage done after
walking a guest?
To find out, we performed a survey of 1,939 randomly selected U.S. consumers to find out
just how they react to overbooking, and what hotels can do to prevent its negative impact.

Over 75 Percent of Guests Unlikely to Return After Overbooking
5%
9%
9%
78%
Much less likely
Moderately less likely
Minimally less likely
Wouldn't impact my decision
Almost 80 percent of guests say they would be “much less likely to return”
following an overbooking incident in which they were turned away from a hotel.

Almost Half of Walked Guests Will Likely Leave Negative Review
24%
11%
20%
44% Extremely likely
Moderately likely
Minimally likely
Not likely at all
Nearly half of respondents (44 percent) say they would be “extremely likely” to
leave a negative review, and 20 percent said they would be “moderately likely.”

Older Males Most Likely to Leave Negative Online Review
33%
67%
Male
Female
43%
57%
Likely to leave negative review
Dissatisfied with industry standard
Males were more likely to leave a negative review following an overbooking
situation, with 57 percent of those who chose “extremely likely” being men.

Walked Guests Likely to Leave Negative Review (by Age Group)
18%
21%
14%
16%
15%
15%
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
Though only slightly, older guests—ages 55 and up—are the most likely to leave a
negative review (reporting they were “extremely likely” to do so).

For Most Guests, “Industry Standard” Is the Bare Minimum
9%
34%
27%
30%
Would completely satisfy me
I'd appreciate more
It’s the bare minimum I'd expect
That wouldn't even come close
More than 70 percent of respondents say they would not be completely satisfied
with the hotel paying for the night’s stay in a comparable room at a nearby hotel.

Half of Guests Would Return for Free Stay After Being Walked
Would return to hotel
Wouldn’t negatively review
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Free return stay $100 compensation
$100 dining credit Loyalty program points
Fifty percent say the offer that would convince them to return to the hotel and
dissuade them from leaving a negative review after being walked is a free stay.

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