Net Promoter Score (NPS) is the most important guest satisfaction metric used by Loopon. It represents the balance between loyal promoters of your hotel and dissatisfied detractors. If your NPS is positive, you have more promoters than detractors; if it's negative, you have more detractors than promoters.
While other factors measured by Loopon help explain why you receive a certain NPS and how you can improve it, NPS itself—and especially changes in NPS—is a valuable tool for tracking guest loyalty.
Questions and Categorization
The first question on a Loopon questionnaire is always:
"How likely is it that you would recommend Hotel ABC to a friend or a colleague?"
This question, referred to as The Ultimate Question by Fred Reichheld, allows guests to select a score from 0 (Extremely unlikely) to 10 (Extremely likely). Based on their response, they are categorized into one of three groups:
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Promoters (9-10): Loyal guests who are likely to recommend your hotel.
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Passives (7-8): Satisfied but unenthusiastic guests who are unlikely to actively promote your hotel.
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Detractors (0-6): Unhappy guests who may discourage others from staying at your hotel.
NPS Calculation
To calculate NPS, subtract the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters:
NPS = (% Promoters) - (% Detractors)
Example Calculation:
If 100 guests respond to the "How likely to recommend..." question:
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65 guests respond with a 9 or 10 (Promoters)
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20 guests respond with a 7 or 8 (Passives)
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15 guests respond with a 6 or lower (Detractors)
The NPS would be 65% - 15% = +50. The score ranges from -100 to +100, indicating overall guest sentiment and loyalty.
Purpose of the Net Promoter Score
In the age of online reviews and word-of-mouth marketing, guest satisfaction is more critical than ever. NPS provides insight into how effective this channel is for your hotel. Fred Reichheld’s research found a strong correlation between increasing NPS and future revenue growth.
Regardless of your hotel's current NPS—whether it’s negative or highly positive—there are always ways to improve it, which can lead to increased revenue. For example, when a group of travelers chooses a hotel, those with a strong reputation (reflected in NPS) are more likely to be selected.
Unlike a traditional Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), which only measures past satisfaction, NPS incorporates loyalty, word of mouth, online reviews, and brand perception—key indicators of future business growth.
Avoiding Bias in NPS Surveys
An issue that sometimes arises with NPS surveys is unintentional bias caused by how the question is presented. As highlighted in this article, color-coding the response scale can influence how guests answer.
Common Mistakes in NPS Surveys:
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Color-Coding Response Scales – Using green for Promoters, yellow for Passives, and red for Detractors signals to respondents which numbers are "good" or "bad," potentially biasing their responses. Instead, respondents should focus on the concept of recommendation and use the full scale naturally.
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Using a 1-10 Scale Instead of 0-10 – This inflates the NPS by shifting scores upward.
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Lack of a Neutral Midpoint – A proper 0-10 scale ensures that 5 is a neutral midpoint.
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Incorrect Text Labels – The wording should be precise, using more extreme language at the endpoints.
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Including a 'Don't Know' Option – If a respondent cannot answer, they should not receive the question at all.
While color-coded visualization is useful for analyzing and reporting NPS results, it should never be shown to survey respondents. The goal of NPS is to accurately measure customer satisfaction, and any bias in the survey design undermines its effectiveness.
Scientific Basis
Fred Reichheld introduced the Net Promoter Score in his book The Ultimate Question, where he presents research on customer loyalty and actual consumer behavior compared to survey responses.
Integration in Loopon
The Net Promoter System is fully integrated into Loopon. One of the most useful features is that, when browsing feedback in the Feedback Tab, you can immediately see the categorization of each guest who has left feedback. This allows you to quickly assess guest sentiment and take action based on insights.
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By avoiding survey biases and using NPS effectively, you can gain a clear picture of guest loyalty and continuously improve the guest experience.