The experience of traveling to a new destination can be exciting and stressful. For travelers, the stress usually comes with all the items they must do to reach their destination: everything from boarding a plane (or multiple), to checking in at the hotel. However, the hotel check-in process can be simplified with the help of new technology, resulting in happier guests and more bookings.
Downsides of the Traditional Hotel Check-In Process
The traditional hotel check-in process can leave guests feeling stressed and staff feeling overwhelmed and uncomfortable. ‘Manual’ check-in, the traditional way for guests to check in to the hotel, takes time and effort from the guests and the staff. When all check-ins need to be manually done by a staff member, this can lead to long lines at the front desk of other guests trying to check in. It can also lead your staff to feel overwhelmed, resulting in employee dissatisfaction.
The slow process of a manual check-in can leave a bad taste in a guest’s mouth. After traveling all day, whether it be by train, car, or plane – the last thing your guests want to do is wait in another long line to finally get to a comfortable bed. If guests do encounter a long line or an overly confusing manual check-in process, it can lead to them reviewing your hotel poorly or spreading bad word of mouth about your hotel. Overall, the outdated process of hotel check-in is often negative for everyone involved.
What if there was a different way? With technology – there is. Mobile check-in technology and integrated PMS software can change the game for hoteliers, making check-in easier and quicker than ever.
Measures to Quicken Hotel Check-in Procedures
It’s important to ensure your guests have a flawless first impression of your hotel. The hotel check-in is your chance to make a great first impression. Technology has given new tools to hotels that allow them to optimize their check-in processes, and better satisfy their guests.
The use of a PMS (property management system) software can change the check-in experience for guests and staff members. PMS software easily integrates important information about the hotel, in real-time. Items such as which rooms are available, which rooms are cleaned, what guests are set to arrive that day and when, and key metrics about the hotel are easily accessible.
Accommodate Complicated Requests from Guests with More Ease
To understand how helpful PMS software is at a hotel, consider this situation: A guest arrives for their hotel check-in. They approach your front desk staff and make a request. They tell the front desk staff that although their room is currently booked for the 20th floor, they have a child with them who is afraid of heights and want the lowest floor possible now. What do you do?
Without PMS software, you may have had to tell this guest no. Or maybe you go up and check the lower floors of the hotel one by one to see which rooms are vacant today, while the guest anxiously awaits downstairs. If the guest can’t get the room they desire, you may offer them a free meal or money off their next room to keep the guest satisfied – losing the hotel money.
With integrated hotel PMS software, this situation is easy. The staff member simply opens their computer, logs into the system, and checks the index of which rooms are vacant today. Since this software updates in real-time, it will show the staff all vacancies, including recent check-outs and cancellations. Then, your staff can easily find a vacant room on the lower floors.
Remember Your Guests
With the help of cloud-based PMS software, you can check in guests faster than ever before, because you remember them. Well – your software remembers them. Business travelers and other frequent flyers often choose the same hotel (or chain of hotels) repeatedly. Guests will appreciate the experience of not having to re-enter their information every time, and your staff will appreciate the easy hotel check-in process this provides.
Make Billing a Breeze
When a guest’s stay is over, an integrated cloud-based PMS software can make check-out a breeze. Human errors, like staff forgetting to get guests billing information or accidentally entering the wrong billing information, are a thing of the past.
PMS software can automate this process, so the guest gets billed seamlessly upon check-out. Plus, PMS has other benefits such as accessing bills easily for corporate accounts, splitting bills between those who are sharing a room, and cumulating bills from your different counters within the property (such as on-site food or beverages) to the final hotel bill all with a single click of a button!
Mobile and Self-Check-In Benefits
Self-check-in methods have grown increasingly popular with consumers over the past few years. Without cloud-based PMS software, contactless hotel check-in would be impossible. However, with the power of cloud-based hospitality management software, this convenience is at the fingertips of your guests.
When considering the benefits of digital hotel check-in, there are numerous upsides to consider. When guests can check in right on their mobile devices, they no longer form a long queue at the front desk, making check-in more enjoyable for guests but also reducing the workload for your front desk.
You can employ digital check-in kiosks in your lobby if your PMS will not support cloud-based functions like access from a mobile device. With digital self-check-in kiosks, guests can check themselves in at their own pace, and still have staff nearby should they have questions or concerns. This also limits face-to-face contact between staff and travelers, making it safer than ever. Using a central reservation system for hotels, your staff can focus on making guests feel welcome and catering to their needs as they check themselves in. Checking in at a hotel should be the easiest portion of your guest’s long journey, and now it can be.
Conclusion
The experience your guest has during check-in is their first impression of your hotel. Using PMS software that allows online hotel check-in, you can make a better first impression on your guests with ease. Plus, the benefits go beyond the guest experience, as this technology will help your staff run daily operations with more ease and enable them to better cater to your guest’s needs. Hotel management software can help optimize every facet of your hotel business!