Updated: October 9, 2024

Boarded up windows were the first thing I saw when I arrived at the hotel.

I tried opening the lobby door. It wouldn’t budge. Confusion and concern set in. Is this the right hotel? Am I too weak from travel to open the door? Are they even open?

An employee saw me pulling on the door and let me in.

The hotel was open, but undergoing renovations. Ditto the hotel’s restaurant. The door was locked for security reasons because the hotel had recently experienced some vandalism.

None of this was disclosed on the website, where glossy photos painted the picture of a vibrant hotel. I would have stayed somewhere else if I had known ahead of time.

I hoped things would get better. They didn’t.

Three more promises were broken inside of the first 30 minutes on property. Each one negatively impacted my customer experience, and sowed distrust with the hotel:

Mobile check-in didn't work.
In-room wifi didn't work.
I didn't get an expected room upgrade.

That third promise comes with being a "Gold" member of the hotel chain's loyalty program. Gold members get various perks in exchange for staying 25-49 nights per year. An upgraded room, when available, is one of those perks.

Would you stay at this hotel again?

Bigger question: do customers ever have a similar experience with your business? The type of experience where promise after promise is broken, and they question whether to ever do business with you again.

You can avoid this scenario with a promise audit.

What is a customer experience promise audit?

Companies make a lot of promises to customers. A promise audit evaluates whether those promises are kept and identifies ones that are broken.

Identify promises made to customers.
Determine whether each promise is being kept.
Fix broken promises.

You can audit all the promises made along a customer's journey or focus on one specific area. For example, the hotel chain might audit how often Gold guests get the elite benefits they are promised in exchange for their loyalty.

The top three benefits are highlighted on the chain’s website:

Room upgrades are called out as a top benefit.

I go out of my way to stay with this hotel chain in part to get a nicer room. A promise audit would reveal that Gold members like me haven't been getting those upgrades.

Why should you do a promise audit?

A promise audit can help you identify opportunities to make the customer experience more consistent, avoid unpleasant surprises, and prevent chronic service failures.

This helps reduce customer churn, improve your product or service, and improve operational efficiency.

I'm searching for a new hotel chain despite achieving lifetime elite status with my current one. My guest experience is inconsistent because I don't regularly receive all the loyalty benefits I'm promised.

Many travelers have reported similar frustrations with the chain in online forums. It's costing the chain a lot:

Loyal customers are switching to other brands.
Service costs are going up (the labor cost of handling complaints).
Goodwill costs are going up (extra points, comped meals, etc.)
Word-of-mouth advertising has turned negative.
Guests are reducing their overall spend with the chain.

Promise audits aren’t just about saving customers. They can also help you increase revenue.

I've seen the impact in my own business. My wife, Sally, and I once owned a vacation rental cabin called The Overlook in the Southern California mountain village of Idyllwild.

Revenue increased 145% in the five years we owned in. Part of our growth came from offering a consistently great guest experience. Promise audits helped us stay consistent:

Monthly: maintenance inspections.
Quarterly: review guests' journey (i.e. stay at the cabin).

How do you conduct a customer experience promise audit?

Most promise audits are quickly conducted by following a few steps.

Identify the scope of the audit
Identify where promises are made
Identify how often promises are kept

Step 1: Identify the scope of the audit.

Decide what particular set of promises you want to focus on. It could be a specific marketing campaign, an aspect of your operation, or the entire customer journey.

The hotel chain could audit the benefits that are promised to loyalty program members.

Step 2: Identify where these promises are made to customers.

Promises are communicated to customers in many ways. This includes advertising, from employees, and digitally. Try to identify all the places where promises are made and make sure they're consistent.

The hotel chain communicates it's loyalty benefits in a few places:

Website
App
Hotel associates
Mail (welcome and renewal letters mailed to members)
Email
Brochures

Part of the audit includes making sure these benefits are consistently described.

Step 3: Identify how often the promises are kept.

Gather data to determine how frequently promises are kept, and which promises are broken. There are a few ways to gather this data:

Review reports if the data is already collected.
Test the various systems in question to see if they're working.
View customer complaint data to identify broken promises.
Follow the customer journey by being your own customer.

The hotel chain tracks extensive data about its guests. It could easily access data to determine whether its guests are getting their benefits.

My last 10 stays with the hotel chain provide a snapshot of what the audit might reveal. Here’s a breakdown of the eight benefits I’m promised as a Gold member:

Promises Kept 100%:

Member rates
25% bonus points
Welcome gift of points
Late checkout

Not applicable:

Ultimate reservation guarantee

Broken promises:

Complimentary in-room enhanced internet: 90% (10% not kept)
Mobile check-in: 0% (100% not kept)
Enhanced room upgrade: 0% (100% not kept)

In-room wifi works most of the team. Mobile check-in and room upgrades are a huge red flag.

Mobile check-in allows you to bypass the front desk and check-in via the hotel’s app. You can then use your phone to access your room. That feature never worked in the past 10 stays.

Enhanced room upgrades are clearly promised "based on availability." While it would be unfair to expect an upgrade on every visit, I haven't gotten upgraded on any of my last ten visits. I used to receive regular upgrades, so something has changed.

Promise audits can also uncover unexpected problems.

For instance, the hotel chain's loyalty members earn points that can be redeemed for free stays. Unfortunately, those points aren't redeemable at many hotels. I've only been able to use points to book the hotel I wanted 40% of the time over the past two years.

Broken promises cause customers to distrust a brand.

I once stayed at this brand automatically. Now, I’m shopping other hotels when I make a reservation. I’m also talking to other travelers about their experience with other chains in case I want to switch loyalty programs.