The most common complaints hotels receive are noise complaints. A survey conducted by the WPS found that out of 47,634 travelers, the top complaint among them was noise. The most common source of these complaints has noisy neighbors. If noise complaints do not seem like a big deal, think about it. Your guests have spent several hours in meetings, airports, or exploring the area. Whatever the reason – they are exhausted. All they want to do is go up to their hotel room and rest. Then, suddenly, their neighbor is blasting House of Dragon on TV. Not only can your guest not sleep. They’ve been given spoilers. Every guest has a right to rest and relax. However, when guests can hear everything that goes on in other rooms, it becomes a problem. Noisy guests are not the fault of the hotel. Still, it is the responsibility of the hotel to deal with them. You may be wondering how to best deal with hotel noise complaints. So, let’s dive in and see how you can minimize noise complaints and find solutions for internal and external noise.
Insulate your flooring and walls to limit noise complaints
One way that limits the transfer of sound between rooms is ensuring that your walls and floors are well insulated. Insulation is an excellent tool to utilize when working to prevent noise from transferring between rooms. Insulation is essentially just putting more mass between the two rooms. That makes it more difficult for noise to come through between rooms. Acoustic insulation is the best to block out as much noise as possible. Acoustic insulation is better than standard insulation because it complies with more mass between the walls. Using various materials, acoustic insulation is better able to soundproof rooms than other types of insulation. Acoustic insulation can go a long way in keeping noise from individual hotel rooms and noise generated in hallways from being a bother to your guests.
Install soundproofing windows and curtains
Soundproofing windows and curtains are good ways to limit external noise from entering the room, which is very important if your hotel is along the main street or in a busy area surrounded by many restaurants or active nightlife. Soundproofing curtains are made of thicker, more porous materials such as polyester or velvet. As the materials are denser, they help to absorb more sound waves before they come through. In addition to soundproof curtains, soundproof windows are an excellent way to limit external noise that may come through to the hotel room and allow your guests a more peaceful night’s sleep. Soundproof windows are better at keeping noise out than regular windows because the added window panes provide extra insulation.
Don’t be afraid to screen your guests
Guest screenings are a tool that is being used more and more within vacation stays. Some guests perceive screenings as unnecessary and intrusive. Most guests understand that it is simply a security tool to ensure that no guests arrive at the hotel with malicious intentions or noisy senses. A good question to ask when conducting guest screenings is, “what is the purpose of your stay.” You will be able to understand if your guests are coming for business, pleasure, or a specific trip that could result in a rowdy and loud night like a bachelor party or birthday celebration—screening your guests before their arrival allows you to decide if you should require a deposit from their stay or if they should be allowed to stay at all. Positive reviews are critical in the hotel industry. Even a few bad reviews regarding noise complaints can seriously threaten your business. In the long run, it is worth screening your guests ahead of time to minimize noise complaints in your hotel.
Install Alertify, a privacy safe noise monitoring device
Alertify is a noise monitoring device that can plug into a wall and wirelessly keep track of noise decibel levels, temperature changes, crowd control, and whether someone has been smoking inside the room. Using sensor technology, Alertify maintains 100% of the guests’ privacy as it only registers decibel levels. If any of the activities listed above occur for five minutes or longer, you are notified in real-time. You will be continuously notified until the actions have stopped. This allows you to intervene and call a noisy guest or visit their room before the complaints start. On Alertify’s online portal, you can see and track exactly when and how often any infractions occurred. This provides you with the proof you need to ask for compensation if any damages to hotel property occur.
Don’t just pick one way to solve noise complaints in your hotel
Insulation and soundproofing are great ways to minimize noise, but they can only do so much alone. With a combination of acoustic insulation, soundproof curtains or windows, and Alertify, you should be able to keep your hotel safe from external and internal noise complaints.
