How a hotel satisfaction promise has led to more discontent

Customer satisfaction rates in the hotel industry worldwide has fallen, mainly because of staffing issues. — Unsplash

In the 1990s and early 2000s, the “100% Satisfaction Guarantee” was all the rage among many hotels. The gist was simple: Encounter a problem and receive your money back.

In theory, this approach addressed fairly serious issues such as early-morning pool renovations that made the jackhammer an unwelcome alarm clock. Bed bugs. No hot water.