What is the difference between an in-stay and post-stay hotel guest survey?

Understanding guest feedback has long been central to hospitality because we rely on it to guide us into making impactful, data-driven decisions. Guest satisfaction surveys are an essential tool for hotels to obtain detailed insights into guest expectations and the guest experience, as well as support service recovery.

When creating a hotel guest survey, you have two different types: a post-stay survey and an in-stay survey. Both surveys are directed at guests but with different objectives.

What is an In-Stay Hotel Guest Survey?

An in-stay survey is a short questionnaire you send to your guests just after they have checked in to see how their stay is going. It’s usually no more than two questions: how would they rate their stay so far and if there is anything that can be done to improve their stay. If the guest raises an issue, the hotel has then the opportunity to step in and fix it while the guest is still on site. By proactively checking in on the guest, the hotel has the opportunity to rectify problems which otherwise would have gone unnoticed.

What is a Post-Stay Survey?

After a guest finishes their stay and leaves the property, the hotel can send a post-stay survey to see how their stay went and where they can improve. A post-stay survey will go into much more detail as the objective is to find out what improvements can be made. The survey goes into each detail of the guest stay with the possibility to dig deeper when a guest gives a low score. A post-stay survey allows hotels to collect detailed guest feedback and better understand their strengths and weaknesses so they can prioritize the right improvements and take quick action.

Both survey types are important tools when it comes to creating better guest experiences, as one allows you to identify improvements and the other to perform service recovery.