How to capture guest preferences before arrival

By Logan Gatch, Co-founder and CEO, Nown. Last updated October 2026.

The best time to learn what a guest prefers is before they arrive. A short, optional message sent three to seven days ahead, asking about likes, dislikes and the reason for the trip, gives each team time to prepare. Combined with what the hotel already knows from past stays, it means the guest is recognised at the door instead of questioned at the desk.

In short

Start with what the hotel already knows, and confirm it instead of asking again.

Ask two or three short, optional questions, and let guests answer in their own words.

Ask what guests dislike as well as what they like.

Send the answers to the team that acts on them, and brief teams before arrival.

Why capture preferences before arrival?

Once a guest is in the lobby, the team is already catching up. A dietary requirement learned at check-in may not reach the kitchen before dinner. A request for a quiet room is harder to meet when the hotel is full.

Asking in advance means the room can be prepared and the restaurant told before the guest reaches the desk.

Guests are generally willing to share. In a 2025 survey of travellers who regularly stay at independent hotels, 95% said personalised offers or recommendations would make them more likely to book (TakeUp).

What should you check before asking anything?

Before sending a single question, look at what the hotel already holds:

Notes from previous stays
Special requests on the booking
Correspondence with reservations or the concierge
Anything a travel advisor or assistant shared on the guest's behalf

Asking a returning guest something they told you last year suggests nobody was listening. Confirming it instead does the opposite: "Would you like the same quiet room, away from the lift?"

Check how old the information is. A preference recorded five years ago may no longer hold, and some teams reconfirm anything older than two years.

What questions should you ask guests before arrival?

Keep the questions short, optional and easy to answer in a sentence. Most guests will answer two or three. Few will complete a long form on their phone.

Useful areas to cover:

Area	A good question
Food and drink	"Is there anything you can't eat or prefer to avoid?"
Arrival	"Is there anything you'd like waiting in your room, or anything you'd rather we didn't leave?"
Room	"How do you like your room: quiet, high floor, cooler, particular pillows?"
The occasion	"Are you celebrating anything during your stay?"
Accessibility	"Is there anything that would make your stay easier?"
Arrival time	"When do you expect to arrive, and do you need transport?"

Let guests answer in their own words. "Somewhere quiet, away from the lift" tells you more than a tick box.

Why should you ask what guests dislike?

Hoteliers with long experience often say that dislikes matter more than likes. A guest may forgive a missing extra. They notice when the hotel repeats something they dislike.

The welcome amenity shows why. Champagne and chocolates on arrival are a standard luxury gesture, but for a guest who does not drink or would rather have fruit and water, they go untouched every stay. One simple question before arrival avoids the waste and tells the guest the hotel is paying attention.

Record how strongly a guest feels, too. "Would rather not" and "never, under any circumstances" lead to different decisions in the kitchen and in housekeeping.

When is the best time to ask?

A message three to seven days before arrival works well for most stays. It is close enough that the guest is thinking about the trip, and early enough for the hotel to prepare.

Type of stay	When and how to ask
Standard leisure stay	One message three to seven days before arrival
Booked at short notice	One question in the booking confirmation
Long or complex stay	A short call or message from the concierge
Returning guest	Confirm what you know; ask only what is new

How do you make sure the answers reach the right team?

Capturing a preference is the easy part. Most failures happen afterwards, when the answer sits in an inbox or a note that the relevant team never sees.

Send each answer to the team that acts on it. Dietary needs go to the kitchen and restaurants. Room and bedding preferences go to housekeeping and the front office. Occasions go to the concierge.
Brief teams before the guest arrives. A short summary at the start of the day is more useful than a full profile nobody has time to read.
Show housekeeping only what it needs. Room attendants usually need the room number and room preferences, not the guest's contact details or history.
Confirm on arrival without asking again. "We have your room away from the lift" beats "Do you have any preferences?"
Record what you learn during the stay. What staff notice, such as a guest always taking the corner table at breakfast, is often as valuable as what the guest wrote down.

How should hotels handle sensitive information?

Allergies, dietary requirements linked to health or religion, and accessibility needs can be special category data under GDPR. Ask for them with clear wording, explain why you are asking, and collect explicit consent. Share them only with the teams that need them.

Write every note as if the guest might read it. Guests who understand why a question is asked are more likely to answer it accurately.

How do you know if it is working?

Two simple measures tell you a lot:

How many arrivals have at least one useful preference recorded before they check in
How often those preferences are acted on during the stay

If the first number is low, the questions may be too long or sent at the wrong time. If the second is low, the answers are not reaching the teams who need them.

Frequently asked questions

How many pre-arrival questions should a hotel ask?

Two or three short, optional questions get far more answers than a long form. Ask about food and drink, the room and the occasion, and let guests add anything else in their own words.

Should hotels ask about dislikes as well as preferences?

Yes. Dislikes are often more stable and more useful than likes, and they prevent mistakes such as an unwanted welcome amenity or the wrong pillows.

Can hotels store guest allergies under GDPR?

Yes, with care. Health-related information is special category data, so hotels need explicit consent, a clear reason for collecting it, and access limited to the teams that need it.