2018-19 Winter Survey Results

Last December we sent out a comprehensive survey asking for feedback about your most recent Capon stay.  Here are some high-level take-aways from the survey:

Who responded?
The majority of respondents were long-time guests versus first-time attendees, or newer attendees.  We have now just begun a post-visit survey in hopes of gathering feedback from the full sweep of Capon guests immediately after their stay.

What was the overall rating?
As noted above, we were heartened by the very high ratings we received overall. We received very high marks for the overall experience, our grounds, our activities and our co-workers.

What is a summary of the findings?

At the highest level, we found that the survey respondents were passionate advocates for Capon.  They love it for the family connections, a place to truly escape, and its intangible “Capon spirit.”  The grounds, food, water and activities are all important to you.  There was an overwhelming desire to keep traditions and improve those parts of Capon that these guests feel should be improved.  The primary areas of focus for improvement were the rooms and beds, the food, and the Wifi.

Where did the survey suggest we need to improve?

-Rooms and Beds: This area warranted the greatest amount of your focus. We recognize that in some cases, the rooms and the beds/bedding can be improved, and this survey reinforced what we had already observed and heard anecdotally.

-Food: Your comments included a desire to bring back cherished items from the past, concerns about the overall quality of the food, and an interest in more options for a variety of dietary requirements.

-Wifi: There were concerns that the WiFi in the Meeting House is not reliable, as well as concerns that while there was an interest in improving the WiFi in a contained area, there was equal concern that WiFi not become pervasive on the grounds.

What actions are you taking as a result of the survey?

We take your responses very seriously.  As with any survey, we received a variety of responses and ultimately are focusing first on those items with the highest frequency.

Enhancements in Rooms and Bedding:

This winter, maintenance went through every building and did an extensive check, especially on all the room furnishings, window screens and electrical conditions.  The results of this effort was some major improvements to the Main House rooms as well as a variety of other needed areas.

-We replaced all the bedspreads in the Main House in 2019, and plan to roll this out to other areas in coming seasons. We also added pillow top mattress covers to all the Main House rooms as well as a number of beds in other buildings.

-While we have a longer-term plan to revisit bedding holistically, we have already begun a shorter-term effort by replacing about 20 mattresses and box springs in a variety of locations.

-We replaced carpeting in over 2 dozen rooms.

Enhancements in Food:

-By popular demand, the “Thanksgiving” turkey dinner has returned on Saturday night, with a delicious, tender turkey preparation that is already getting rave reviews by guests this season.

-Farmer Sam Brill continues to increase his supply of eggs, pork and beef products to the Capon kitchen.  That means even better tasting hamburgers, meatloaf, spaghetti sauce and zucchini casserole!

-Pies: While consistently one of the favorites desserts, Chef Ken has figured out a way to make them even yummier!

Wifi:

In 2018, we made a significant upgrade to the WiFi in the Meeting House.  Last season, we heard from guests that the WiFi situation was greatly improved.  If you find this season that the WiFi is still not to your satisfaction, please let us know so we can better understand your concern.

On the topic of more pervasive WiFi, our plan is to continue to only offer WiFi in the Meeting House.  This is consistent with most survey respondents.

Historic Preservation Fee:

In advance of the survey, the management team had already made the decision to add a 5% Historic Preservation Fee on room and board only charges to help with maintenance and improvement of our historic buildings.  As your survey responses showed, some of the buildings and rooms are in need of upgrades, and the Historic Preservation Fee will help us accelerate our ability to address this upkeep.  Taking a pro-active approach, all the railings and spindles on all three floors of the Main House porches were completely rebuilt and replaced in 2019.

Guest Council:

Another outcome of the survey was our decision to create our first ever Capon Springs Guest Council.  This is a group of 16 guests who meet on a regular basis to provide direct guest feedback to management and serve as a sounding board for questions and ideas.  You can learn more about the Guest Council here.  All summer weeks have a Guest Council representative and there are several others from the spring and fall seasons.