The czars of the hospitality industry are constantly changing dynamics using new-age solutions to woo guests. You can take insights from these trendsetters to up your service and unlock the power of technology to satisfy your customers consistently.
Return on Experience (ROE) instead of Return on Investment (ROI)
Focusing on Return on Experience rather than Return on Investment is a strategy adopted by a popular luxury hotel chain. This initiative aims to make the guests feel at home as soon as they enter the hotel. Imagine not having front desk staff when your guest checks in! That is exactly what they did – they replaced the traditional method of using front desk staffers, with a host holding a tablet that allowed instant mobile check-in. This gave the host a chance to receive the guest at the entrance, offer a welcome drink, carry their bags and guide them to their room. Their guests loved this whole new personalized experience, as it made them feel special, while the hotel benefited by saving time and cutting on the cost of hiring multiple resources. Cutting-edge hotel management systems are playing a key role in offering accessibility to hoteliers via smartphones and tablets.
Customizing For Young Travelers
Hotel guru Robert Rauch predicts, “Millennial or Generation Y will become the core customer within the hospitality and travel industries over the next five to ten years. They will look for fast booking, fast check-in, fast Wi-Fi and fast responses to customer service.”
To appeal to a growing number of young, smart and value seeking travelers, luxury hotels are creating a brand of urbane 3-star hotels that are economical. Everything about these affordable hotels revolves around the youth. Designed after a lot of consumer research, the interiors and ambience spell style and technology. Free Wi-Fi and computers are being offered, built-in USB ports and large 42” TVs are available in every room, spacious areas are provided to interact, and wall to ceiling art that embody the local flavors have been added in each room. Guests can also check-in on their mobile devices. This has provided them a competitive advantage and attracted a younger clientele.
Harnessing the Power of Big Data
If you can anticipate what your guests prefer and provide them just that even before they ask, wouldn’t the experience become ‘wow’? Big data lets you analyze available data and plan your guest’s next experience. Every hotelier has existing profiles of customers along with an insight into their personal preferences. E.g. If a guest had preferred milk instead of tea the last time, serve him milk on his next visit or if a business executive is inclined towards a certain meeting space, make that readily available for him. Big data can not only be used for customer satisfaction but to also make important revenue management decisions and calculating certain risks before launching new projects or facilities.
Services Go Mobile
Inspired by the well-traveled, tech savvy customers, hotels have started providing mobile services. Whether it is check-in and out, asking for towels or requesting wake-up alarms from hotel rooms, it is now being done via the guest’s smartphone. Select hotels have upgraded their mobile app and have started offering not just 2 hours prior check-in feature but also mobile checkout option. Before the guest’s departure, the app pushes a reminder on their smartphone to avail the mobile checkout option. Guests can provide an email address, payment happens via the stored credit card information and the final bill gets emailed to the guest. The app also offers tips and city guides, option to browse hotel maps, as well as make and cancel future reservations.
Be it intuitive property management systems or innovation through customer insights, technology and customer satisfaction are at the core of the trends being followed by big brands. You can make technology work for your brand too. Plan a unique strategy that fits your hotel, keeping customer needs in mind. Investing in an easy-to-use and intelligent hotel management system helps increase guest satisfaction, adds to operational efficiency and generates revenues.