GENEVA, April 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

P&G Professional European study reveals guests expect a 'spring clean standard' of cleanliness all year round, not just in spring

Spring cleaning is not dead. It is here to stay. Indefinitely! According to a recent study by P&G Professional, the Away-From-Home division of Procter & Gamble (P&G), and world class innovators in professional cleaning solutions, 61 per cent of European customers expect operators to maintain spring cleaning standards all year round - making this standard an essential part of building a memorable guest experience.

P&G Professional, experts in consumer understanding, conducted the study across five European countries and revealed how perceptions about spring cleaning vary across the Continent. The Italians, Germans and French, are almost twice more likely than the British or Spanish to associate spring with cleaning - a quarter of them say it is important for restaurants and hotels to do a deep clean during springtime although most of them agree that year round cleaning is critical.  

High standards = business results

The study also uncovered how cleanliness can prove to be a critical competitive differentiator for hospitality operators. A staggering 97 per cent of guests agreed that cleanliness is the most important factor when choosing a restaurant, café, bar or hotel - more important than cost, service, location and little perks.

Commenting on the study findings, Jayne Clark, P&G Professional Sales Director for UK & Ireland, said: "Though we have always known that cleanliness is critical to driving memorable guest experience, these findings really serve to highlight just how much importance guests place on having a clean and fresh environment when eating or staying away from home. It also serves as a timely reminder to operators that when it comes to cleanliness, there are no room for shortcuts or poor quality cleaning products. Investing in high quality products such as Ariel, Lenor, Deepio, and Fairy really will provide the valuable dividends that operators need."

The study also revealed that when guests are unhappy with the standard of cleanliness in a hospitality establishment, operators should prepare to lose their repeat business. The vast majority of respondents said they are more likely to stop coming to a restaurant or hotel with poor cleanliness standards, than to register a complaint either online or offline. In this instance, actions definitely speak louder than words.

The French seem to be the most impulsive guests - 23% of respondents would simply walk out of the establishment if it is not clean enough. Compare this to the British and Germans who would choose a more straight-forward approach and complain to the staff directly. Notably, one fifth of customers would also complain online either via review websites or social media. Nevertheless, across Europe, if cleanliness standards fell below the expected standard required by guests, 44 per cent of customers would simply never go back.

When it comes to what specifically triggers complaints, here are the statistics:

     (http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130416/607620 )

This table tells us that operators need to ensure they are investing in a high quality cleaning program, with 26 per cent of customers listing it as their number one annoyance. Dirty plates and unclean toilets also score highly so they should be prioritised with investments in products such as Fairy Professional Extra Clean or Flash All Purpose Cleaner.

Cleanliness really pays off

The study also found that if operators want their staff to have the opportunity to receive more tips from guests, then cleanliness is the number one deciding factor. 90 per cent of respondents think cleanliness is important when deciding whether or not to leave a tip with the bill proving cleanliness really does pay.

This is why P&G Professional's emphasis on consumer understanding helps them equip businesses with products that provide good business returns and create memorable guest experiences. For more information on how to efficiently implement a cleaning programme and keep guests happy, visit the new P&G Professional Academy for hospitality operators: http://www.pgpro.co.uk/academy .

About Procter & Gamble Professional

Procter & Gamble Professional® is the away-from-home division of Procter & Gamble, serving the foodservice, building cleaning and maintenance, hospitality and convenience stores industries. P&G Professional offers complete solutions utilising its parent company's scale, trusted brands and strengths in market and consumer understanding. P&G Professional features such brands as Fairy®, Flash®, Ariel®, Febreze®, Lenor® and Deepio®. Please visit http://www.pgpro.co.uk for the latest information about P&G Professional's solutions.

About the study

The study was conducted by Populus Limited between in March 2013 and involved 500 respondents, 100 in each country - UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

For more press information or high resolution photography, please contact:

    Jordan Campbell
    Ketchum
    jordan.campbell@ketchum.com 
    +44-(0)20-7611-3779

    Alina Dimofte  
    Ketchum
    alina.dimofte@ketchum.com 
    +44-(0)20-7611-3882

SOURCE Procter & Gamble Professional