Majority of travellers seek better services, timely issue resolution, says 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 per cent of travellers reported satisfaction with recent hospitality experiences, a majority, 55 per cent, said their expectations remain unmet.

Timeliness is a significant factor for customer satisfaction. The survey found that just 38 per cent of problems were resolved within an hour, 29 per cent 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 per cent of those surveyed turned to traditional phone support for the quickest response, compared to 27 per cent for in-person assistance, 18 per cent for mobile apps and only 13 per cent for social media.

Moreover, only 22 per cent of them received generous compensation like refunds, vouchers, or upgrades after service lapses, while 46 per cent 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 per cent 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.