Is a hotels "100% guarantee guest satisfaction" creating brand equity? What really is accomplished through this campaign or is this program designed by an extremely over paid sales guru with the attempt to capitalize on something that is unwritten but a standard business practice anyway?

It is the assertion of this writer that the 100%guest satisfaction guarantee programs do very little to please the customer thereby, not creating brand loyalty.

As an individual in hotel and restaurant management, more often then not, I have found when a customer complains, they want a resolution i.e. solve my problem, maybe compensate me for my time and hassle, but solve my problem.  The companies that advertise this ideology do little to rectify the complaining customer's objection. 

For a preceding example, my family and I stayed at a 100% guaranteed hotel.  It was a Holiday Inn Convention Center.  Mr. Wilson, founder of the Holiday Inn Chain, created these properties for parents with children.  As a parent himself, he found it very difficult to locate a hotel that was child friendly at that period in history.  For this and other reasons, we stayed at this particular property. 

On our second day, I had meetings to attend leaving dad and the children behind at the hotel.  To entertain the kids, dad took them swimming, until a problem occurred.  Approximately 15 minutes into their swim, a supervisor requested dad to not allow our toddler into the pool.  The reason given was that the diaper on the toddler revealed that the toddler was not potty trained.  Due to an "accident" that occurred ten years prior; the hotel established the policy that would not allow any child into the pool that was not potty-trained for health reasons. 

Yet, in the pool, were three elderly people that unfortunately could have similar experiences, but weren't asked to leave.  Dad being a hotel manager himself spoke to the hotel manager.  The manager only apologized giving no other alternatives for the child.  Dad suggested that the company invests in a portable wading pool designed for toddlers so to remain family friendly and no one would be left out of the fun.  This solution would only cost maybe $100.00 a year to maintain.  The manager only said it was a thought.  My husband didn't request a refund, nor did the manager offer it. 

This was a very upsetting situation.  However, even had the manager offered a refund, it would not have solved the problem.  The child was restricted from the pool, who got very upset, which left dad with no alternative, but to pull the rest of the kids out and spoil the event. To this day, this situation and possible reoccurring problems have not been rectified.  Where's the customer satisfaction? This is only one example out of several.

The best program to build brand equity and operational efficiencies is to listen to the customer, address each problem, think of creative solutions, and above all, follow through.  If a business continuously tries to improve its operations, invests in its management to reach 
those goals and remains detailed, problems would decrease.  By doing this, the business will have an excellent product to present to customers which will increase a customer's loyalty and brand equity.