Guest experience plays a central role in the success of aparthotel businesses. As the market becomes more crowded and professionalized, operators need to focus not only on occupancy rates and revenue, but also on the quality of each stay.
With the increased regulation of the short-term rental industry, aparthotel and serviced apartment operators today are navigating how to meet the expectations of a ‘home-away-from-home’ for guests who are more informed and more vocal than ever.
In 2025, guests compare options quickly, read reviews closely, and share their own feedback widely. Expectations are rising around speed, personalization, and comfort — and when those expectations aren’t met, the impact shows up quickly in online ratings and booking volume.
According to a global hospitality study by Deloitte, 60% of guests are more likely to leave a positive review when they feel the experience was personalized and attentive. This applies to traditional hotels and newer models like serviced apartments and aparthotels, where digital communication is replacing in-person service.
In this guide, we’ll explore how to deliver consistently great stays in aparthotel environments, where operators often juggle multiple units, buildings, and communication channels. We cover the key pillars of guest satisfaction, highlight common mistakes to avoid, and offer practical strategies to improve operations at scale.
Remember: The goal isn’t perfection. It’s consistency. The most successful operators treat every guest interaction as a chance to build confidence and loyalty (because who doesn’t love repeat guests?).
Guest experience has become one of the most powerful differentiators in the aparthotel industry. In a market where travelers have more choices than ever, you need to provide more than just a place to stay, you should be creating a stay guests what to share, talk about and post about.
Reviews play a major role in how your property is ranked on online travel agencies, and even a slight increase in your average rating can will boost your visibility and conversion rate. In other words, when you invest in the guest experience, you’re also investing in your bottom line.
Unlike traditional hotels, aparthotels walk a fine line between hospitality and short-term rental management.
Guests expect the same level of service and responsiveness as they’d find in a hotel, but they also want the privacy, independence, and comfort of a home.
This hybrid model creates unique challenges:
These factors definitely make it harder to deliver consistently great stays at scale, but they also create a huge opportunity for operators who can master it.
In 2025, aparthotel guests are tech-savvy, review-conscious, and time-poor. They want flexibility, comfort, and instant service, and they expect all of that to be delivered effortlessly.
Here’s what matters most to them:
These aren’t ‘nice-to-haves’ they’re the baseline. And if you fall short, guests are more likely than ever to share that experience in a review.
Delivering exceptional guest experience in an aparthotel isn’t about grand gestures. Instead, it’s about always getting the fundamentals right.
Here are the five pillars top-performing operators focus on to drive better reviews and repeat stays.
Guest communication is the thread that connects every part of the guest journey. Done well, it builds trust, removes uncertainty, and turns first-time visitors into loyal advocates.
Face-to-face interaction is reduced in aparthotels, so communication is your frontline. Misunderstandings about check-in, Wi-Fi, or house rules can quickly spiral into frustration and bad reviews. However, well-timed, thoughtful messaging signals professionalism and reliability.
Use automation tools like Guesty, Hostaway, or Enso Connect to schedule your messages, but write them like a human. Here’s how:
💡 Struggling to start? Take a look at our blog on must-have communication templates for aparthotels and serviced apartments.
You cannot deliver a five-star guest experience on top of a disorganized operation. Guests may never see your backend systems, but they feel the results. In aparthotels, using tools to streamline your operations isn’t optional.
Most guest complaints can be traced back to a breakdown in operational flow:
These aren’t “big” problems in isolation, but they’re the exact kinds of details that lead to negative reviews and lost bookings.
Tools like Flexkeeping or Breezeway can automatically assign cleaning or maintenance tasks when a booking is confirmed or check-out occurs, no manual follow-ups needed. This is how you reduce miscommunication and increase accountability.
Using a unified Property Management System means your guest communications, booking calendar, housekeeping schedule, and access codes all work from the same source of truth. That removes errors, duplicate work, and costly oversights.
Look for platforms that integrate easily with your booking channels and IoT devices—especially if you're managing 10+ units.
Manual check-ins are resource-heavy and error-prone. Contactless systems (like smart locks and dynamic key codes) allow guests to arrive on their schedule without needing a staff member on-site. This will help improve the guest experience, and free up your team to focus on higher-value tasks.
Guests are less forgiving of small issues like leaky taps or flickering lights, especially if they’re in mid- or long-stay accommodation and go unresolved. A system that logs and schedules maintenance tasks ensures nothing slips through, no matter how small.
The most memorable experiences come from people who feel cared for, and that’s impossible when your team is constantly reacting to issues. When your operations run smoothly behind the scenes, your team can show up calm, responsive, and prepared—and that’s what your guests will remember.
In the aparthotel space, where guests expect the comfort of home and the service of a hotel, smart tech bridges the gap. Done right, it makes stays more convenient, more secure, and more enjoyable, all while reducing your team’s workload.
Guests don’t care what tech you’re using. They care how it makes their life easier.
If they can’t get into their unit, can’t adjust the temperature, or don’t feel safe, that’s what they’ll remember, and it will be mentioned in their review.
Smart tech in aparthotels needs to remove friction It should quietly solve problems before they arise and create a more seamless, human experience (even when no one’s physically present).
Manual key exchanges or unreliable lockboxes create unnecessary hassle. Smart locks and dynamic key codes let guests check in at their convenience — no waiting, no lost keys, no need for staff to be on-site.
Benefits:
💡 Bonus: Keyless entry integrates well with PMS platforms and smart sensors for full visibility.
Smart thermostats, lighting, and climate controls give guests more comfort, and you more control over energy costs. Pre-set units to a comfortable temperature before arrival, or automate settings during vacant periods.
Guests appreciate:
Solutions like Minut allow you to monitor noise levels, smoking, occupancy changes, and environmental data without invading privacy. This protects your property, your neighbors in busy urban areas, and it also protects guest peace.
Why it matters:
For most guests, Wi-Fi is more important than water pressure. Slow or spotty internet is an instant mood killer, and it’s a fast track to negative feedback.
Top-performing operators are also offering:
The more intuitive and hassle-free your tech is, the less your guest has to think–and the more likely they are to leave a great review.
Guest behavior directly affects the quality of each stay, the well-being of neighbors, and your long-term reputation.
In aparthotels, the ability to anticipate and manage issues should be a core part of delivering great service.
Noise is the most frequent and disruptive problem. It’s also one of the fastest ways to damage relationships with other residents, landlords, or local partners. Addressing this early protects both your brand and your business operations.
In mixed-use or residential buildings, guest satisfaction alone isn't enough. Neighbor complaints, property damage, or late-night disruptions can lead to formal restrictions, strained landlord agreements, or even termination of leases. Managing behavior effectively is essential for maintaining long-term viability.
These issues will increase your poor reviews and directly impact your aparthotel’s reputation
House rules should be visible at every stage of the guest journey.
Include them in:
The tone should be friendly but firm.
“To ensure a great experience for all guests and residents, we kindly ask you to keep noise to a minimum after 10pm.”
Minut allows you to monitor sound levels in real time, without recording or invading privacy. The sensor provides a reliable method to detect elevated noise and prevent parties before they escalate.
Key benefits:
Most guests aren’t trying to be disruptive. A quick, short message is usually enough to resolve the issue. You can set up integrations with Minut that automatically send alerts via text or email when noise becomes a concern.
Your messages should be polite and assume good intent:
“Hi [Guest], we’ve noticed the volume is getting quite high in your apartment. Please lower it to avoid any complaints.”
If specific units or buildings tend to attract problematic stays, review your setup.
You may need to adjust your policies where needed:
Use incident reports and data to spot patterns and make targeted improvements.
Great guest experiences only drive growth if they’re visible. Reviews are the single most powerful form of social proof in hospitality. They influence booking decisions, build trust with new guests, and offer direct insights into what’s working and what’s not.
Operators who treat reviews as part of the guest journey, rather than an afterthought, consistently outperform those who don’t.
The best moment to request a review is shortly after check-out, once the guest has left and the experience is still fresh.
Use automation to send a brief, polite follow-up message thanking them for staying and inviting honest feedback.
Make it easy:
💡 If possible, have the request come from a named person on your team, not a system.
If a guest hasn’t responded, a second, more casual message a few days later can help:
“Just checking in! We’d love to know how your stay went. Your feedback helps us improve and helps future guests know what to expect.”
Avoid being pushy. The goal is to invite feedback, not pressure someone into giving it.
Use review data to identify recurring issues. Reviews are a free source of R&D. Use them to fine-tune your service. If multiple guests mention unclear check-in instructions or slow Wi-Fi, prioritize those areas.
Good operators:
Responding to reviews, yes even negative ones, shows you care. But avoid defensive or overly scripted replies.
Instead:
Small missteps will have a big impact on guest satisfaction.
Here are the key mistakes to avoid in order to maintain a smooth, positive guest experience.
Automation streamlines operations, but it shouldn’t replace the personal touch that guests appreciate.
Mistake: Sending generic, automated messages that feel impersonal.
What to do instead: Personalize automated messages, especially for key interactions (e.g., check-in details, stay updates). Keep human interaction when needed.
Communication is key to a seamless experience. Confusion or delays lead to frustration.
Mistake: Failing to provide clear instructions or respond promptly to guest queries.
What to do instead: Ensure clear, concise communication at every stage: before, during, and after the stay. Respond to messages within a few hours.
Ignoring feedback means missing the chance to improve and show guests you care.
Mistake: Not responding to reviews or guest suggestions.
What to do instead: Regularly monitor and respond to reviews, especially negative ones. Use feedback to improve operations and enhance the guest experience.
Unresolved behavioral issues can escalate quickly and damage the guest experience.
Mistake: Letting noise or other guest behavior problems go unaddressed.
What to do instead: Address issues immediately, using tools like smart noise monitoring. Set clear expectations for behavior upfront.
Minut keeps aparthotels one step ahead of disruptions that can damage guest satisfaction.
By detecting noise disturbances, detecting cigarette and marijuana smoke, tracking occupancy, and flagging environmental risks in real time, it allows operators to maintain high standards across every unit without being physically present.
When a noise threshold is breached, the system can notify staff or send a message directly to the guest. Most of the time, that single message is enough to resolve the issue before it escalates. In fact, when Bob W installed Minut, the team found that 83% of noise-related issues were solved after one text message.
The result is a quieter, safer, and more consistent experience across every location. Because Minut’s system integrates into your tech stack and scales across properties, it works whether you’re running a boutique site or managing hundreds of units.
Improving the guest experience is an ongoing process, and the best results come from strategic, step-by-step improvements.
Take a close look at each touchpoint of your guest experience, from booking to check-out. Identify areas that are working well and those that need improvement.
Instead of tackling everything at once, focus on one or two key areas that will have the biggest impact, whether it’s improving communication, streamlining check-in, or reducing noise complaints.
Invest in tools like Minut to help your team manage operations more efficiently. A multiple-solution technology can automate routine tasks, monitor guest behavior, and provide real-time insights to improve service.
Track how your changes impact guest satisfaction and operational efficiency. Once you find what’s working, scale it across your properties for consistent results.
Explore more in-depth articles to help you enhance every stage of your aparthotel operations:
