How All-In-One PMS Technology is Helping Hotels Utilize Guest Feedback in Real Time and Improve Satisfaction Scores

Hoteliers leverage property-management system preference and sentiment data to boost guest satisfaction when the industry needs it most

“In 2025, nearly half of the hotel guests say they prefer to check out using their smartphones, and 58% believe AI can enhance their hotel stay experience. Hotels that fail to meet these digital expectations risk falling behind,” according to Hotel Tech Report.

Improving guest satisfaction is at the top of hoteliers’ priority lists in 2025, but only properties that have the technology in place to track, manage, and respond to guest feedback are in a position to actually move the needle on the guest experience. Operators need the ability to track and manage guest feedback while quickly adjusting their operations to respond to their guest’s needs. They need to be aware of long waits at the front desk, missing amenities, or guestrooms in need of extra attention prior to the guests’ check-out. With the right property-management system powering their reputation-management strategy, operators will have everything they need to hold their property to the highest standard.

After the last five years of delayed or canceled flights, missed connections, understaffed hotels, and suspended expectations, travelers are once again demanding more out of their service experience. The value of customer sentiment and loyalty can be difficult to track, but it is no mystery what travelers think of the hotel experience today and its impact on each hotelier’s success. They need a guarantee that their stay will be consistent and enjoyable regardless of a hotel’s location or chain scale, and operators–particularly independents, must find ways to leverage guest feedback to improve satisfaction scores and even generate ongoing loyalty. A 2020 study found that well-executed loyalty programs remain a “crucial strategy for customer loyalty and help develop competitive loyalty programs for success,” and independents should be a part of hospitality’s loyalty growth story.

The future of hospitality hinges on anticipating guest needs before they voice them. By integrating feedback into the core PMS, operators can act instantly, creating five-star experiences that guests remember and return for.

However, without clear context, guest feedback is not always seen as constructive, valuable, or actionable. If hoteliers want to rely on technology to develop new strategies, adapt to guests’ needs mid-stay, and target guest needs more effectively, they must begin trusting the insights technology provides. Perhaps most importantly, feedback should be collected and accessible in the hotel PMS, next to the levers and controls, allowing operators to impact the stay experience in real time without having to access it through third-party platforms.

What Will You Learn?

What you don’t know can hurt your bottom line. In today’s operating environment, where hoteliers have limited time to walk each floor of their property and visit each guestroom, traveler feedback is invaluable for improving your property’s operating stature. Guest feedback can help keep hotels informed on everything from musty odors in the hallway near the hotel pool to Wi-Fi dead zones preventing guests from enjoying complimentary internet in the guestroom.

“[Having a guest experience management platform] made a huge difference with our guests, reviews, and, honestly, our maintenance, because it gives us the ability to get instant feedback from the guest. It puts all the reviews in one place. We also can use it to make sure we’re addressing issues before guests arrive. We noticed within three months of implementing, our online reviews increased by 1.5 points, a significant difference on platforms like Google reviews.” — Venita Yelley, Operations manager for MCM Elegante Hotel and Suites

When operators can easily view feedback from post check-in/out reviews, direct and two-way text messaging and more from directly within the hotel PMS in realtime, they can nimbly react to issues they would not typically see until multiple guests have been impacted. Studies show that a hotel utilizing real-time feedback mechanisms identified frequent complaints about slow check-ins. By addressing this promptly, they reduced wait times by 40%, leading to a notable increase in guest satisfaction.

For front desk associates, it should be as easy as checking a box to inform housekeeping or maintenance of an intervention. When viewed on the PMS, operators will be in the right place to see, adjust, and improve the guest experience based on real-time feedback. Smart hoteliers are already introducing data analytics to uncover patterns in guest complaints and proactively improve service.

Over time, hotels can embrace learnings from guest feedback to benefit loyal customers without tapping into their loyalty program, even driving more guests to sign up for these programs.

What’s the Message?

Lastly, hotels can also leverage guest feedback to learn how travelers prefer hotels to interact with them. Between email, SMS communication, voicemail, and your app of choice, everyone wants to be reached on their own terms today. Your hotel needs to embrace an effective guest messaging strategy powered by your hotel’s PMS, such as SMS, which can push messages directly to and from guests and operators equally.

Simplifying your property’s messaging and delivery process is of the utmost importance today. Operators don’t have time to cross-reference offerings, capabilities, amenities, room availability, and more across three or more tools, and then use a separate app to message guests. All of these features should be available directly on the hotel PMS platform, and an all-in-one PMS could easily manage the above processes without any integrations or breaking a sweat.

Operators with access to two-way SMS delivery can help create a chain of communication between hotel workers, leaders, and guests, which can be used to maintain consistency and reduce the introduction of errors into your property’s workflow. Most importantly, it helps the hotel operations team feel empowered to make these decisions and solve problems, rather than being proud of themselves for successfully navigating a complex technology infrastructure to deliver the basics to guests.

How Does It Impact Loyalty/Satisfaction Scores?

Every hotel today is chasing consistency. From operations and daily rates to guest satisfaction scores and room turnover times, listening to guest feedback helps hotels understand where their properties are thriving and need a little extra attention. And while not all consumer feedback is valuable or constructive, knowing where you could improve is better than believing ignorance is bliss.

Hotels are physical assets that age and degrade over time. They experience significant foot traffic and undergo fantastic levels of wear and tear each year. This is true regardless of location, chain scale, and clientele. However, today’s greatest differentiator is who is and isn’t listening to their guests. Hotel leaders have the opportunity today to differentiate their properties from competitors by dialing in on the details, greasing the wheels, and smoothing out their imperfections to deliver the experiences guests demand.

Guests know what makes for a standout hotel stay. If your team has traveler feedback in front of them, baked into the PMS where they are equipped to make a difference during their stay, guests will never know what served them.

About the Author

Audrey MacRae is the Vice President of Maestro, the preferred cloud and on-premises PMS solution for independent hotels, luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups. Maestro was first to market with a fully integrated Windows PMS and Sales & Catering solution and is continuing that trend with leading edge web and mobile based solutions encompassing all aspects of the operation. Platform and deployment independence present Maestro as an investment that will continue to grow and adapt as innovative technologies emerge.