By
Tamara Franjić
November 23, 2025
•
5
min read
The Hidden Cost of “Just One More Question”
The Hidden Cost of “Just One More Question”
Why repetitive guest requests are draining your team - and how to fix it
Every hotelier knows this moment.
A guest approaches the desk or calls reception and says:
“Just one more question…”
On it sown, it sounds harmless:
- “What time is breakfast?”
- “Where can we park?”
- “Until when is the spa open?”
- “Is late check-out possible?”
But when the same questions repeat dozens of times a day, they create a silent operational problem: overloaded front office teams, less time for true hospitality, and missed opportunities to promote services that guests would gladly use - if only they knew about them.
In this article, we’ll look at the hidden cost of repetitive guest questions and how mobile-first guest communication tools, such as Hotel Info App, can help hotels regain time, improve guest experience, and unlock new revenue.
When communication becomes an invisible cost
Most hotels measure the obvious metrics: occupancy, RevPAR, energy costs, food cost.
What often goes unmeasured is the time and attention spent on repeating basic information.
If a front desk agent tracked every question asked in one day, the list might look like this:
- “How do we get from the station to the hotel?”
- “Can we have breakfast earlier tomorrow?”
- “Do we need to book the spa in advance?”
- “Where is the nearest pharmacy?”
- “How much is late check-out?”
Individually, none of these seems like an issue.
But when they are repeated 30–50 times a day, the impact becomes real:
- Less focus on guests who truly need support
- More pressure on the team, especially in peak arrival times
- Less energy for proactive, personalised service
- Higher risk of miscommunication and inconsistent answers
In other words:
repetitive questions are not just a nuisance – they are an operational cost.
What today’s guests really expect
Guests are not impatient because they are “difficult”.
They are simply used to a digital world where:
- Key information is always available on their phone
- Content is short, visual and easy to scan
- They don’t need to download apps or read long PDFs
If information is:
- hidden in paper folders,
- spread across printed materials and an outdated website, or
- only available if they call or walk down to reception, many guests will simply stop searching.
The result is subtle but important:
- They don’t book a spa treatment, even if they were curious.
- They don’t extend their stay, even if they would have liked to.
- They skip the hotel restaurant, because going “somewhere nearby” feels easier.
The problem is not the quality of your services. The problem is that guests do not see the full value of what you offer – at the right time, in the right place.
From answering questions to guiding the stay
To break this pattern, many hotels are shifting from a reactive model:
“We answer every question as it comes”
to a proactive model:
“We guide the guest through the stay”.
In practice, this means giving guests:
- one central place for all key information,
- access directly on their smartphone,
- without installation or registration,
- and the ability to send timely, relevant notifications.
Mobile guest platforms like Hotel Info App are designed exactly for this.
They act as a digital reception on the guest’s phone, while giving hotels a simple admin portal to update content in real time - without changing the PMS or building a complex app.
The result is a smarter division of roles:
- The system answers routine questions.
- The team focuses on real hospitality.
How this looks in real life
1. Spa and wellness that stay busy beyond the weekend
Instead of relying on weekend demand, a hotel uses a guest app to:
- highlight spa offers each morning to in-house guests,
- send a notification when there are last-minute openings,
- promote quieter weekday slots with special packages.
Because guests see these offers directly on their phones, they no longer need to call or pass by reception to find out “what is available today”. With tools like Hotel Info App, these campaigns can be set up in a few clicks and adjusted as demand changes.
2. Late check-out as a standard upsell
Instead of hoping guests remember to ask about late check-out at the end of their stay, hotels can:
- send a gentle message the day before departure:
“Would you like to stay longer tomorrow? Late check-out until 14:00 is available for €25.”
Some guests decline.
But those who accept are generating pure incremental revenue, without putting extra strain on staff.
Because solutions like Hotel Info App can segment messages by departure date, this process can be fully automated and consistent.
3. Local experiences without flyers and guesswork
Print materials date quickly, and guests often ignore leaflet stands at reception.
A mobile-first guest guide makes it easy to present:
- curated restaurant and café recommendations,
- walking routes, viewpoints and cultural highlights,
- partner offers such as wine tastings, excursions or museum tickets.
Guests trust the hotel’s recommendations more than generic search results, and your property becomes not just a place to sleep, but a gateway to the destination.
Because platforms like Hotel Info App are web-based, staff can update these recommendations in minutes. Guests simply refresh the page or reopen the link and see the latest version.
Small changes, big impact
The most powerful improvements often come from small shifts:
- Guests no longer need to call for basic information - they already have it.
- The front desk handles fewer repetitive questions and more meaningful interactions.
- Additional services are visible to every guest, not just the ones who ask.
- Reviews start mentioning “easy communication” and “clear information” instead of confusion.
Hotels that have introduced mobile guest communication tools frequently report:
- fewer calls to reception,
- higher uptake of additional services,
- more relaxed staff,
- and better online ratings on Booking.com and Google.
The technology itself is not complicated. The real value lies in designing a guest journey where information is always one tap away.
You don’t need a large digital transformation project to begin
A practical first step is:
- List the 10 most common questions your team answers every day.
- Check whether these answers are clearly accessible in one mobile-friendly place.
- Add the services you want to promote more in your low and shoulder seasons: spa, F&B, late check-out, local experiences.
- Choose a lightweight tool, such as Hotel Info App, that can publish this content via QR code or link - without requiring guests to register or give personal data.
Final thoughts
“Just one more question” will never disappear completely from hospitality - and that’s a good thing. It means guests still trust your team.
But when a large part of your day is spent repeating the same answers, it’s a sign that your communication channels no longer match guest expectations.
By giving guests a simple, mobile-first way to access information and offers - supported by tools like Hotel Info App - hotels can:
- reduce invisible operational costs,
- unlock new revenue from services they already provide,
- and free their staff to do what they do best: deliver a memorable, human, hospitality experience.
Want to see what this could look like in practice?
Get in touch with us over e-mail hotel@hotelinfoapp.com or reserve your 15 min Demo call to discuss how Hotel Info App can support your guest communication, reduce pressure on your front desk, and help you promote the services you already offer.
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Tamara Franjić
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