Unreliable elevators, noisy and faulty air conditioning, insufficient seating for breakfast and queues at check-in.
That was the kind of complaints guests made at the Royal Lancaster London hotel when it was ranked 272 on Tripadvisor in 2013.
But then that year, Sally Beck took over as manager and everything changed. It now ranks fifth in the UK capital, with almost universally enthusiastic reviews: of the 2,226 posted on Tripadvisor, 90 per cent (2,015) are five stars, 160 are four stars and only 16 (0.72 per percent) rate the hotel as a one-star experience.
So we asked Sally, what changed? Turns out, a lot.
Here, Sally reveals some of the secrets behind the Hyde Park hotel’s meteoric rise in Tripadvisor rankings, from its “no-fault” staff culture to an unwavering commitment to listening to and reading complaints.
But without a doubt, Sally herself is one of the main reasons for the change in the Royal Lancaster London’s Tripadvisor fortunes.
The 58-year-old explains that she has worked in hospitality all her life and was born in Wells, Somerset, where her parents ran the Red Lion Pub.
She continues: ‘I am the daughter of a publican and come from a long line of publicans and hoteliers. I didn’t live in a house until I was 15.
Royal Lancaster London general manager Sally Beck (above) revealed how she managed to boost the hotel’s Tripadvisor ranking from 272nd to fifth.
Royal Lancaster London has almost universally glowing reviews on Tripadvisor
‘When I was 18 months old we moved to Caenby Corner in Lincolnshire, where we ran the Moncks Arms before moving, when I was seven, to the Berkeley Hotel in Scunthorpe. We then stayed in Scunthorpe running various pubs, hotels and restaurants until I went to university at nearby Grimsby – Grimsby Tech College, where I studied hotels, catering and institutional management. I then started my first job as a trainee manager at The Dormy in Ferndown, Dorset.’
Fast forward to 2013 and Sally found herself in charge of the 411-room Royal Lancaster London and its reputation as a not-bad five-star property.
The main problem? The product.
Sally explains: ‘When we were at 272, we were glad we didn’t have more than 300. We were about to start a long-awaited renovation – new lifts, air conditioning, plumbing etc – and the hotel was very tired. However, the feedback from our staff was always good. Our product disappointed us.’
Has a strategy been implemented specifically to improve the hotel’s rating on Tripadvisor?
“Yes,” says Sally. “We firmly believe that guest feedback is the lifeblood of our business.”
Sally reveals that renovations were completed in 2018, and the hotel had risen to around 60 in the rankings at that time thanks to “guest service efforts” and a new work culture.
First, “opportunities for surprise and delight” were introduced: additional touches were added to the guest experience on special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and graduations.
Sally says: “We firmly believe that guest feedback is the lifeblood of our business.”
Sally runs a “blame-free culture” system with her staff
In the “guest of the day” concept, team members chose a guest and “pampered beyond expectations,” and public mentions of the staff’s endearing behavior began to be “publicly shared and celebrated.”
Sally explains: “Staff get reward points for any mention, but the biggest impact is the good done in person and our congratulations.”
The ‘failure culture’ was also reinforced, so that any ‘failures’ by guests in their experience, where expectations had not been met, began to be ‘recorded and discussed’.
Sally reveals: ‘Any constructive feedback is treated seriously, learning or training opportunities are highlighted, discussed and followed up in a non-threatening way. Our only goal is to improve, never punish anyone.’
This ban on “blame culture” has borne fruit.
Sally explains: ‘We prefer confident team members who can look guests in the eye and solve (problems) for them. By not having a blame culture, they trust that they will be supported in their decision to make their guests happy.
‘Our team is trained and motivated to spot the difference between an acceptable stay and a wonderful stay, and know how to ask open-ended questions with genuine care and attention to proactively dig deeper where things haven’t lived up to guests’ expectations . And they are trained to correct it: a small problem, a generous recovery.”
Other initiatives included small gifts on departure, at the team’s discretion, and an “overall culture of treating each other and our guests as we would like to be treated ourselves.”
“We prefer confident team members who can look guests in the eye and solve (problems) for them,” Sally says. ‘By not having a blame culture, they trust that they will be supported in their decision to make guests happy’
Have customers noticed changes over the years?
Sally says: ‘Definitely. Our number of returning clients has increased exponentially and we have managed to gain more and more corporate clients as well as leisure guests.
‘Our suite business has grown and our entire team is committed to our results and feels proud and involved when they have turned a guest’s problem into a great review.
“It’s a big part of our daily business to see our reviews, where we sit and how well we do at making our guests happy.”
Sally guesses that not paying attention to reviews is a common mistake among less successful hotels.
She believes these properties “underestimate how many people look at reviews before making a decision about the hotel,” adding that another mistake is “not responding to reviews, whether good or bad.”
“The public can clearly see which hotels really care about their stay and experience versus those that clearly don’t,” says Sally.
The hotel company highlights, however, how important its employees are.
She says: ‘The dedication and passion of our team members is at the heart of everything we do. At Royal Lancaster London, we value every interaction with our guests, from pre-stay to during the stay and even after guests have checked out. We treat our guests like family, from the bottom of our hearts, ensuring that our hotel becomes a true home away from home.
The staff at the Royal Lancaster London are “trained and encouraged to spot the difference between a pleasant stay and a wonderful stay.”
Tripadvisor said: “The increase in Royal Lancaster London’s rating is testament to the excellent customer experience they have provided over the years.”
Of the 2,226 reviews of the Royal Lancaster London on Tripadvisor, 90 percent (2015) are five stars.
Above is a recent guest review of the Royal Lancaster London, in which the reviewer reveals that the staff made her feel like royalty.
‘One of my key missions is to make our hotel the happiest in London and I believe we have made significant progress towards achieving this goal. A testament to our success is our outstanding retention rate of 23 per cent in the last financial year, a true reflection of the happiness and loyalty we cultivate among our team and our guests.
‘Our team turnover is very low and I know that our entire team is committed to our commitment to making guests happy.
“I think guests are surprised by the personalized attention they receive, when our team greets them and strives to surprise and delight them in every interaction during their stay.”
Was Sally surprised by the joy of the hotel’s ranking?
She says: “We didn’t really think we were going to keep going beyond the top 50, then we got to the top 30, then the top 20, then the top 10 and we traded all last year in the top five.”
Tripadvisor has also noted the hotel’s success, telling MailOnline: ‘Tripadvisor’s popularity index It is based on real traveler feedback and takes into account factors such as recency, quantity and quality of reviews, as well as consistency of ratings over time. Royal Lancaster London’s rise in the rankings is testament to the excellent customer experience they have provided over the years.
“This year, the hotel was named one of the best hotels in the world by Tripadvisor critics as part of our Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Hotel Awards, placing it in the top one percent of properties. listed on the site globally. Guests were particularly wowed by the lovely staff, great location and views of Hyde Park, and the property was named 17th on our 2024 list. The best of the best pet-friendly hotels.’