P&G Professional European study reveals guests expect a 'spring clean standard' of cleanliness all year round, not just in spring.
GENEVA – Spring cleaning is not dead. It is here to stay. Indefinitely! According to a recent study by P&G Professional, the Away-From-Home division of Procter & Gamble (P&G), and world class innovators in professional cleaning solutions, 61 per cent of European customers expect operators to maintain spring cleaning standards all year round – making this standard an essential part of building a memorable guest experience.
P&G Professional, experts in consumer understanding, conducted the study across five European countries and revealed how perceptions about spring cleaning vary across the Continent. The Italians, Germans and French, are almost twice more likely than the British or Spanish to associate spring with cleaning – a quarter of them say it is important for restaurants and hotels to do a deep clean during springtime although most of them agree that year round cleaning is critical.
High standards = business results
The study also uncovered how cleanliness can prove to be a critical competitive differentiator for hospitality operators. A staggering 97 per cent of guests agreed that cleanliness is the most important factor when choosing a restaurant, cafe, bar or hotel – more important than cost, service, location and little perks.
Commenting on the study findings, Jayne Clark, P&G Professional Sales Director for UK & Ireland, said: “Though we have always known that cleanliness is critical to driving memorable guest experience, these findings really serve to highlight just how much importance guests place on having a clean and fresh environment when eating or staying away from home. It also serves as a timely reminder to operators that when it comes to cleanliness, there are no room for shortcuts or poor quality cleaning products. Investing in high quality products such as Ariel, Lenor, Deepio, and Fairy really will provide the valuable dividends that operators need.”
The study also revealed that when guests are unhappy with the standard of cleanliness in a hospitality establishment, operators should prepare to lose their repeat business. The vast majority of respondents said they are more likely to stop coming to a restaurant or hotel with poor cleanliness standards, than to register a complaint either online or offline. In this instance, actions definitely speak louder than words.
The French seem to be the most impulsive guests – 23% of respondents would simply walk out of the establishment if it is not clean enough. Compare this to the British and Germans who would choose a more straight-forward approach and complain to the staff directly. Notably, one fifth of customers would also complain online either via review websites or social media. Nevertheless, across Europe, if cleanliness standards fell below the expected standard required by guests, 44 per cent of customers would simply never go back.
When it comes to what specifically triggers complaints, here are the statistics:
This table tells us that operators need to ensure they are investing in a high quality cleaning program, with 26 per cent of customers listing it as their number one annoyance. Dirty plates and unclean toilets also score highly so they should be prioritised with investments in products such as Fairy Professional Extra Clean or Flash All Purpose Cleaner.
Cleanliness really pays off
The study also found that if operators want their staff to have the opportunity to receive more tips from guests, then cleanliness is the number one deciding factor. 90 per cent of respondents think cleanliness is important when deciding whether or not to leave a tip with the bill proving cleanliness really does pay.
This is why P&G Professional’s emphasis on consumer understanding helps them equip businesses with products that provide good business returns and create memorable guest experiences.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
