Ever feel like tech has moved on years in just a few months? With all of us using our phones for pretty much everything, and a new preference for touchless technology, we decided to compile a list of 10 things hotel guests can do with their phones.
1) Check in and check out
An ‘express’ arrival and departure experience helps avoid queues and gives the front desk staff more time to focus on assisting guests and creating special experiences. Before even arriving at the property guests can fill in their details and also request a room upgrade or add-on.
2) Order food
Whether it is for room service or pre-ordering breakfast, being able to view the menu and order food from wherever the guest may be, enables the team to prepare and manage the operations of food service delivery and clearance better. This request can be sent via the guest’s preferred messaging service (Whatsapp, WeChat, SMS).
3) Book an amenity
To promote and upsell other offerings within the hotel guests should have the option to book certain amenities by using their mobile, such as spa treatments, dry cleaning services, and bike hire. A digital self-service environment where you can use conversation flows to increment ‘conversational commerce‘ allow guests to request information and book treatments or services at their own pace.
4) Find out about your policies
A recent Pew study found that by April, over 90% of the world’s population – a staggering 7.1 billion people – lived in countries with some measure of restriction for arriving travelers.
To avoid any guest anxiety it’s good to have your policies readily available and communicate them before arrival. For example, if a guest has a query on your COVID-19 procedures, you could have a dedicated landing page with the policies that can be sent to guests in an email or ping them the link by chat when they contact your property pre-stay or during stay.
5) Add extra nights to their stay
We all want our guests to book an extra night and we need to make it as easy as possible for them to do so. Allowing guests to book additional nights by mobile makes the process more relaxed for them as they don’t have to walk to the reception or make a phone call.
‘According to Hospitality Technology’s 2019 Customer Engagement Technology Study, 72% of guests are more likely to return to a property when technology is part of the experience. The tech they want is mobile, personalized and convenient.’
6) Control the room lighting and TV
It’s old news that the dirtiest thing in a hotel room is the remote control, so why touch it? Having the ability to control the lighting and television in the room by mobile phone lets guests control the technology and fixtures without having to touch those switches or buttons.
7) Make a payment
Using contactless payment technology is pretty standard now, but doing it from your mobile and from your room is the next level. The technology should be totally PCI secure and simple to use, and helps avoid queues in reception, spa or restaurant.
8) Request transport
Avoid the build up of guests in reception in the morning rush to order taxis to work by giving them the option to order their transport by mobile. This can be set up with a preferred taxi company and enables you to track how many trips are made in conjunction with the hotel.
9) Ask for room cleaning
Whether the guest has had a spill or the guest is staying all week and would just like a room freshen-up, it is convenient to request a room clean by mobile. The guest can ask for this whilst they are out and about or while they are on property, enabling them to have more flexibility.
10) Find out local knowledge
Nowadays travellers require more than just a map from the front office team. Many guests look for recommendations for restaurants, train and bus timetables and the best walking routes. Preparing some local information allows you to help complete the guests full experience, not just on property but the whole journey they are on. Guest Experience Automation™ allows you to add tailor made content to help your guest find the best local spots.
Remember that the guest experience is much more than just a stay. It’s really everything that goes into a single guest’s journey: finding your property, choosing to book it, staying there, sharing his or her experiences and, hopefully, making a return visit.
The Guest Experience Automation solution from ReviewPro uses these new AI-driven technologies to enrich the guest experience by automating processes and offering fast and accurate responses then and there when the guest needs it.
