Majority Of Travellers Seek Better Services, Timely Issue Resolution: Survey

A majority of Indian travellers surveyed across key cities are seeking better hospitality services, with slow resolution of issues, insufficient compensation and inconsistent communication emerging as critical pain points, according to a survey by US-headquartered Vertex Group released on Friday.

The survey was conducted among 10,000 travellers in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Kolkata recently.

While 45% of travellers reported satisfaction with recent hospitality experiences, a majority, 55%, said their expectations remain unmet.

Timeliness is a significant factor for customer satisfaction. The survey found that just 38% of problems were resolved within an hour, 29% of travellers said their issues were never resolved at all, highlighting the urgent need for faster, more decisive action from brands.

When help was needed most, 42% of those surveyed turned to traditional phone support for the quickest response, compared to 27% for in-person assistance, 18% for mobile apps and only 13% for social media.

Moreover, only 22% of them received generous compensation like refunds, vouchers, or upgrades after service lapses, while 46% said they received little or no compensation, or that their issue was ignored.

Communication emerged as another weak spot in the survey, with just 14% of respondents stating that brands "always" kept them pro-actively informed about delays or disruptions, while nearly half said such outreach was "rarely" or "never" provided.

Gagan Arora, Founder and President of Vertex Group, said, "This survey signals a turning point for India's hospitality and travel brands. While nearly half of customers are satisfied, the other half is sending a clear message: they want faster solutions and honest, proactive communication... The future of this industry lies in how quickly companies can close the gap between expectation and delivery".

Times Square-headquartered Vertex Group is a tech company helping global hospitality and travel enterprises navigate customer experiences across the US, the UK, India, the Philippines, Nepal, the UAE, and Nigeria.