What Music is Playing In Your Lobby Right Now (And Why Does It Matter)?

Did you know that one of the most common complaints from guests regarding hotels is slow and unsatisfactory service?

One of the key areas guests get easily frustrated by wait times is in the lobby.

Picture this, you have just gotten off a transatlantic flight. You’re tired. Your legs ache. All you want to do is take a shower and lay down… But there’s a large group of tourists preventing you from checking in…

Perceived Time

Research shows that while 94% of customers (in a retail setting) think waiting five to ten minutes is reasonable, frustration actually starts to set in after two and half minutes of no apparent progress in a queue.

Research also shows that customers will actively avoid the brand in the future if their wait was longer than five minutes.

There are many ways to try and combat this including opening multiple stations, and being proactive, but have you ever thought about how the guest’s surroundings might affect their perception of time?

We’re sure you were wondering…

What does the music playing in my lobby have to do with any of this?

The human brain, research shows, adjusts and re-calibrates how we experience time and how time passes for one another is inherently subjective.

Numerous studies have shown how music actually hijacks our relationship with time.

Check out the following examples

Bars have shown to sell more drinks when slow tempo music is playing, which seemed to make patrons want to stay longer
Similarly, consumers spent 38% more time in a grocery store when the background music was slow
When the music is familiar, customers perceived longer shopping times, but with new novel music, customers actually spent more time within the establishment
Novel music is actually perceived to be more pleasurable and makes time seem to pass quicker.

So What Kind Of Music Is Best?

So what kind of music is best for your hotel lobby?

Well, in addition to carefully selecting the right type of music to fit your brand image, you should take into consideration the tempo, genre, and whether it is instrumental or with lyrics.

Structure is also key. Having structured predictable patterns help us feel comfortable and decreases stress levels.

As for your lobby, we would recommend slow tempo music which we have found to significantly enhance satisfaction and relaxation for guests.

On genres, you should consider the target audience, the younger generation do enjoy pop-music but this might come at the disadvantage of putting off your older guests, who would probably appreciate classical or jazz music.

At Play Hotel Music, we know music. Every track within our library is carefully selected by our curators to make sure that the music being played in your lobby (or any other space) fits both the image you wish to portray and suits the needs and purpose of the space.

So here’s the deal:

Let us handle what your music is saying about you and how it is impacting your guests, so that you have one less thing to worry about.