“Marketing may get them in the door, but customer service keeps them coming back.” — Shep Hyken, Customer Service Expert

A friend recently picked up a great mid-week deal is a coastal hotel. The website was glowing and the word ‘’award winning’’ was used more than once.

The experience of the trip didn’t match the expectations created on the website, and she was particularly disappointed in lack of customer care across all the staff.

This was compounded by the fact that there was no evident management or supervisory presence – the staff were fumbling along.

In NPS (Net Promoter Score) there are two main categories of customer – Promoters, people who are fans and promote your business, or Detractors, who are not fans and post or circulate negative comments about your business.

After her trip, my friend has now become a Detractor and has posted a number of negative comments about her experience.

She is a seasoned businessperson, with a good social media presence, so her comments have generated some attention.

She has labelled her experience as ‘’miss-marketing’’ because the brand promise was not fulfilled.

A recent survey by GuestRadar revealed that 65% of holiday planners find hotel marketing materials confusing or misleading, with 24% experiencing stays that differed significantly from expectations.

A recent Guardian report highlights how the UK government has taken steps to protect consumers from misleading marketing practices. Starting April 6, 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act 2024 bans hidden mandatory fees and fake online reviews, aiming to enhance transparency and consumer trust in online transactions.

Similarly, in January 2025, the Italian government introduced a draft law to combat fake and paid-for online reviews in the hospitality sector. The proposed legislation requires reviewers to provide verifiable identification and proof of visit, aiming to ensure the authenticity of reviews and protect consumer interests.

These developments underscore the growing importance of authenticity and transparency in marketing within the hospitality industry across the UK and Europe.​

All this information ties in with our recent blog about how people have lost their faith in gimmicky and overstated mass marketing campaigns and place more stock today in what they experience directly with a company, on personal recommendations, and on trusted on-line platforms.

“Customer service is the new marketing. It’s what differentiates one business from another in an age where products and prices are increasingly similar.”
— Jay Baer, Marketing & Customer Experience Expert

While Governments are now beginning to focus on the authenticity of marketing in the hospitality industry, the consumer is approaching this from a personal point of view – they see your marketing as a brand promise – and they want you to keep your promise.

Maybe it’s time for you to do an audit of your brand promises.

Call Frank on 087 206 1934 or frank@customer.ie to look at how Customer Journey Mapping can help you identify any breaks in your brand promise.

‘’Great customer service is a powerful marketing tool because happy customers are your best marketers.”
— Dharmesh Shah, Co-founder of HubSpot