Here are some of the best questions for a hotel guest survey about pre arrival communication, plus tips on how to create them. You can quickly generate this kind of survey with Specific in seconds, making the process effortless.
Best open-ended questions for pre arrival communication surveys
Open-ended questions help us gather rich, detailed feedback from hotel guests. They’re perfect when we want to uncover specific thoughts, stories, and context—not just quick, pre-set answers. This leads to more actionable insights, especially about topics as nuanced as pre-arrival communication.
The benefits are clear: open-ended questions allow guests to express what mattered most to them, including experiences we might not have anticipated. Especially when 69% of guests actively desire pre-arrival communication to prepare for their stay, capturing details in their own words matters more than ever. [2]
What information did you find most helpful in the communication you received before your arrival?
Was there anything missing from our pre-arrival messages that would have improved your planning or experience? Please describe.
How did our communication make you feel about your upcoming stay? Why?
Did you have any questions or concerns before arriving that were not addressed? If so, what were they?
Can you share an example of a pre-arrival message or detail that exceeded your expectations?
If you received personalized communication, how did it impact your readiness or excitement for your visit?
Was there anything confusing or unclear in our pre-arrival communication? If yes, what would you change?
How did our pre-arrival communication compare to your experiences with other hotels?
What is one suggestion you have to improve our pre-arrival communication in the future?
Describe how pre-arrival communication influenced your decision to use our services or amenities during your stay.
Best multiple-choice questions for pre arrival communication feedback
Single-select multiple-choice questions help when we need data we can quantify—essential for seeing patterns quickly, without overwhelming guests. For many, it’s easier to choose from a few short options. This can kick-start the conversation, opening the door for follow-ups that gather deeper context through open-ended questions or AI-powered probing.
Question: Which channel do you prefer for pre-arrival communication?
SMS/Text message
Phone call
Mobile app notification
Other
Question: How satisfied were you with the clarity of our pre-arrival information?
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Question: Did our pre-arrival communication answer all your questions before your stay?
Yes, all questions answered
Most questions answered
Some questions answered
No, my questions were not answered
When to followup with "why?" Asking “why?” works wonders after a multiple-choice answer when we want to dig deeper into reasons behind someone’s choice. For example, if a guest selects “Dissatisfied,” we can ask, “What made you dissatisfied with our pre-arrival information?” This uncovers the real drivers of satisfaction or frustration.
When and why to add the "Other" choice? “Other” lets guests surface needs or preferences we didn’t anticipate. With automated follow-up, we can invite them to describe their answer, discovering unexpected insights that formulaic questions might miss.
Should you use NPS in a pre-arrival communication survey?
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a globally trusted metric for loyalty and guest sentiment. For pre-arrival communication, it lets us quickly assess how likely our communication alone is to inspire guests to recommend us—even before they complete their stay. That’s a powerful signal. You can create an NPS survey about pre-arrival communication with a single click using Specific, aligning industry best practice with the smart automation of AI.
It’s especially useful considering that 92% of hotel guests are more likely to return if they received a personalized experience—including tailored, timely communication. [4]
The power of follow-up questions
Follow-up questions unlock depth that even well-crafted survey questions can’t always reach. Automated, AI-driven follow-ups (like those explained here) carry the conversation just like a skilled interviewer: clarifying ambiguous replies, probing for context, and surfacing stories.
With Specific, the AI asks smart follow-ups in real time based on each answer’s context. Instead of a static form, the survey flows like a conversation—making it engaging for the guest and far more valuable for us. This is key: it delivers the kind of context-rich feedback that 80% of travelers expect after booking, especially since they prefer hotels to take initiative via convenient channels like email or mobile.[1][5]
Hotel Guest: “It was okay, but I would have liked more details.”
AI follow-up: “Which details do you wish you’d received before your arrival?”
How many followups to ask? Generally, 2–3 follow-ups per question is ideal. This strikes a balance: deep enough to get clarity, without overwhelming the guest. When the information is clear or the respondent starts repeating themselves, the survey can automatically skip to the next question. Specific includes flexible settings for this.
This makes it a conversational survey: follow-up questions create a natural back-and-forth—so guests feel like they’re chatting with a helpful host, not filling out a cold form.
AI-driven analysis, summaries, and insight extraction: Using AI, we can analyze even complex unstructured responses at scale. You can have a look at how AI survey analysis works—it’s clear why teams find this invaluable when working with qualitative feedback.
Automated, AI-powered followup questions are a breakthrough—it’s never been this easy (or fast) to generate a survey, launch it, and experience the difference. Try building one to see for yourself.
How to prompt ChatGPT and other GPTs to write better survey questions
Here’s one way to start: simply ask the AI for a list of open-ended questions about your survey’s purpose.
Suggest 10 open-ended questions for hotel guest survey about pre arrival communication.
But if you want better quality, add context about your hotel, guest profile, communication channels, and what you’re aiming to improve.
We are a boutique hotel in a major city. Our guests book online, often for business stays of 2–5 nights. We want to know how our pre-arrival emails help guests prepare, what information they value, and where our messages could be clearer or more useful. Please generate 10 detailed open-ended questions designed for this context.
Once you have questions, have the AI sort them into topics.
Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.
From there, pick categories most important to your goals and drill down:
Generate 10 questions for categories such as personalization, clarity of information, and booking process.
What is a conversational survey?
Traditional survey forms are static: they don’t adapt, they don’t probe, and they rarely feel personal. Conversational surveys—like those you create with Specific—use AI to have a real dialogue. The AI listens, clarifies, and keeps the guest engaged. This is game-changing for hotels aiming to impress before guests even walk in the door.
Manual survey creation | AI-generated conversational survey |
|---|---|
Manual question writing—slow, often generic | Instant survey creation using AI’s best practices |
No follow-up or clarification | AI asks smart follow-ups in real time |
Boring, form-like user experience | Chat-style, engaging experience for guests |
Time-consuming analysis | AI summarizes responses and themes instantly |
Why use AI for hotel guest surveys? AI doesn’t just make surveys easy—it makes them dramatically more effective. We’re able to ask better questions, capture richer answers, and quickly translate qualitative feedback into action. Tools like the AI survey generator from Specific let anyone build a conversational survey tailored to hospitality needs.
If you want step-by-step guidance, our article on how to create a hotel guest survey about pre-arrival communication covers the process—from brainstorming prompts to customizing logic and follow-up settings.
With Specific, we offer the best-in-class UX for conversational surveys—ensuring guests enjoy the feedback process as much as we appreciate their insights.
See this pre arrival communication survey example now
Get inspired and take action—see what a truly modern, conversational survey feels like. Specific brings rich guest feedback to your fingertips instantly, with smart AI followups and deep analysis for every response. Don’t just guess—know exactly what your guests want.