Digital Solutions During The Hotel Stay
In our first part of our article about the digitization of hotels, we provided you with information about digital hotel solutions during the Pre-Stay phase of the Guest Journey. Additionally, the first article should have made clear, that the digitization in hotels can not be stopped and that there are several smart and digital solutions for hotels by now. In our second article, we primarily address digital solutions for hotels during your guest’s stay – which starts with the arrival of your guests.
Mobile Check-In – Quick And Easy
Finally, your guest arrives. But before he can enjoy his desired well-earned vacation, he will be kept by formalities regarding the check-in. This is neither relaxing nor necessary. Thanks to mobile check-in solutions for hotels via an app or website, the check-in process at the reception desk is reduced to a minimum. Only the guest’s signature is required at the front desk. The check-in is, thanks to digital solutions, easily and quickly done.
But not only leisure guests appreciate the digital hotel check-in, business guests do, too. 91 percent of business travelers attach high importance on a quick check-in in hotels. Next to apps, the Beacon technology in hotels offers new approaches. Each guest usually gets an own digital profile, where even special requests are listed. This not only benefits the guest, but also you as the hotelier. The Beacon technology provides you with information about your guests, so you are always perfectly prepared and create trust in your hotel.
Open Doors With Smartphones – „Smart Lock“ Or „Open Sesame“
Now you must be thinking: only the signature and what about the key? That is water under the bridge! Of course today, there is the possibility to open a hotel room with a smartphone. Eight out of ten Germans own a smartphone, and the number is constantly increasing. The situation in Germany is no different than the global situation. Digital solutions for hotels via smartphones are not longer a dream of the future or a trend, but are becoming the standard.
Back to the Smart Lock and Mobile Key in hotels. Guests receive the virtual key to their hotel room online. The transmission is secure and highly encrypted. Guests are therefore independent of the hotel’s business hours and check-in easily and comfortably. You as a hotelier eliminate costs for lost hotel room keys and the associated effort. Opening the hotel room with a smartphone is a classic win-win situation for you and your guests.
Digital Guest Directories
Back to your guest who just checked-in with his smartphone. He is happily entering his hotel room and now wants to gather more information about your hotel than he had researched at home. Every time a question comes to his mind he can, of course, take the old telephone and call the front desk or talk to your reception staff face-to-face. But that is not really in your interest, as he keeps your employees from doing their work and probably gets annoyed and unsatisfied.
Let a digital concierge, the digital guest directory, that always has the right answer, help you out. Besides, with a digital guest directory, the turnover can be increased due an easier booking process and an attractive design. The smart room directories in hotels are no longer only serving as an information source, but have also become digital sales managers and marketing tools for hotels. Digital guest directories relieve your staff from repeating questions and complicated booking processes.
Information Displays In Hotels – The Digital Concierge For Your Hotel Lobby
Digital solutions for hotel rooms are certainly capital expenditures at the beginning. However, the systems often refinance themselves and these information displays in hotels generate additional revenue. The smart lobby information screens for hotels are an interesting alternative for everyone who thinks the acquisition costs for digital guest directories and TV solutions are too high. The interactive information displays in hotels function as digital concierges and are positioned in the hotel lobby to attract attention. Similar to the digital guest directory, an information display provides your guests with all information about the hotel, its surroundings and special offers.
Thanks to additional features for the information display, such as the booking assistant for the iQ Display, guests are able to book wellness treatments, a table in the hotel restaurant or call a cab, directly and without help. This way the smart displays in the lobby can relieve the reception staff, reduce costs for printed materials and promote the hotel’s offers – noticeable and visible for all guests.
Smart TV For Smart Hotels
Similar to the digital guest directory for hotel rooms, Smart TV solutions for hotels are modern channels to communicate with your guests. Smart TVs usually integrate dynamic web content, video on demand and multimedia content. The Smart TV in hotels becomes a marketing instrument and point of sale. In addition to hotel information, you can also provide your guests with information about special offers or even send them messages to their TVs. Thanks to Smart TV in hotels, you can supplement traditional television with everything the Internet hast to offer, whether it is YouTube, Amazon or Netflix.
Wearables – The next Generation
The so-called wearables, which look like bracelets or watches, are aiming for the internal connection of your employees. Thanks to the smart technology of the wearables, you can flexibly dispose arising tasks in real time. The house keeping reports malfunctions and repair works to technicians easily and quickly. They can provide the best service to early arriving guests, thanks to wearables and individual wishes can quickly be fulfilled. The smart accessory saves your employee’s time and grants a better service for your guests.
Mobile Payment And Check-Out In Hotels
Your hotel guest’s stay and the everyday routine in hotels is becoming more digital. The check-out process is not excluded. Thanks to the mobile payment and digital check-out, your guests are able to both pay their invoice and check-out via their smartphone at once. The guests do not have to leave the keys at the reception desk, as there are no keys anymore. Mobile Payment and Mobile Check-Out save time and relieve your staff. Especially for business guests, who are always pressed for time, this is a worthwhile investment.
Conclusion On The Digital Hotel Solutions During The Hotel Stay
Regarding digitization in hotels “close your eyes and hope for the best” will not get you far. You need an appropriate strategy and planned investments need to be thought through. To opt for the next best alternative or the cheapest solution is not the right way to set up your hotel digitally. Consider the needs and particularities of the guest structure and consider which digital solutions make your everyday work as an hotelier easier.
Your service itself can not be digitized so easily. Be aware, that your greatest strength as a hotelier lies withing the creation of an emotional bond to your guests. No machine, no terminal and no robot can do that. So, you do not have to fear to lose jobs due to digitization of your hotel, but you will have more time to concentrate on your core competence! Be the perfect host, who listens to his guests and understands his wishes!
In the third and last part of our series “Digitization of the hotel industy – Time is running out” you will learn about which digital solutions for your hotel should be used during the Post-Stay phase. In addition, you will get nine short tips on how to master the digitization of your hotel and what you should pay attention to.