By nature, hotels deal in some of the biggest events in human life. They gracefully handle hundreds of guests traveling for business, leisure, weddings, funerals and more every single day. The most common types of travelers are business and leisure, and managing their differing needs and frustrations is quite an accomplishment.
Technology has come a long way in easing the burden on travel companies and balancing the needs of the individual guests. Airlines allow travelers to check in well in advance, choose their seats, and select an option for speedy board, thereby supporting the busy work traveler and allowing him to get as much work done as possible during his journey. Historically, the travel phase of the guest journey is the most frustrating, but this kind of personalization has done much to temper the annoyances.
Some travelers now consider the front desk queue to be the most trying stage of their journey. Fortunately, this same type of tech has found its way to hotels. Guests can check in via mobile before they arrive thus reducing the time needed at the desk by up to 80%. Mobile room keys further reduce the pressure on the front desk. A recent Monscierge survey found that 55% of people feel that five minutes is too long to wait at the front desk, and only 12% were willing to wait ten.
Consider a business traveler arriving just behind a tour bus full of guests. In the past, he would have been in line for much longer than ten minutes. Now, he can check in via mobile app and skip the wait. For that matter, the entire tour bus could check in on the way, eliminating the line altogether. Further, they can personalize their stay within a hotel app using room selection, pre-stay requests, and planning with local recommendations provided by mobile concierge. Visit our site to learn more about the features available to your guests.
Attribution: Christy Doherty, VP Global Sales