How do you map the guest journey from pre-arrival to post-departure?

1 Define your goals and scope

Before you start mapping, you need to have a clear purpose and scope for your guest journey map. What are the objectives and outcomes you want to achieve? Who are the target guests and segments you want to focus on? What are the key stages and channels of the guest journey you want to cover? Having a well-defined goal and scope will help you narrow down your focus, collect relevant data, and align your team and stakeholders.

2 Research your guests and their needs

The next step is to gather and analyze data about your guests and their needs, preferences, expectations, and perceptions. You can use various sources and methods, such as surveys, interviews, reviews, social media, analytics, or observation, to collect qualitative and quantitative data. You can also create guest personas, which are fictional representations of your typical guests, based on the data. The aim is to gain a deeper insight into who your guests are, what they want, and how they feel.

3 Map the touchpoints and actions

A touchpoint is any point of interaction or communication between your guest and your property, staff, or service. An action is what your guest does or thinks at each touchpoint. To map the touchpoints and actions, you need to list and describe all the possible touchpoints and actions that your guest goes through from pre-arrival to post-departure. For example, pre-arrival touchpoints could include booking confirmation, pre-stay email, or online check-in, and pre-arrival actions could include researching your property, packing, or planning activities.

4 Map the emotions and pain points

The next step is to map the emotions and pain points that your guest experiences at each touchpoint and action. Emotions are the feelings and moods that your guest has, such as happy, excited, frustrated, or disappointed. Pain points are the problems or issues that your guest faces, such as confusion, inconvenience, or dissatisfaction. To map the emotions and pain points, you need to use data and feedback from your guests, as well as your own empathy and observation. You can also use symbols, colors, or scales to indicate the intensity or polarity of the emotions and pain points.

5 Map the opportunities and solutions

Once you have mapped the emotions and pain points, you can identify the gaps and opportunities to improve your guest service. Opportunities are the areas where you can enhance or create positive emotions, reduce or eliminate pain points, or exceed guest expectations. Solutions are the actions or initiatives that you can take to address the opportunities, such as improving processes, training staff, or offering incentives. To map the opportunities and solutions, you need to brainstorm ideas, prioritize them based on feasibility and impact, and assign responsibilities and timelines.

6 Test and refine your map

The final step is to test and refine your guest journey map based on feedback and results. You can use various methods, such as prototyping, pilot testing, or A/B testing, to experiment with your solutions and measure their effectiveness. You can also collect and analyze data and feedback from your guests, staff, and stakeholders to evaluate your map and identify areas for improvement. You should also update your map regularly to reflect changes in your guests, market, or service.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?