Monscierge Blog

4 Ways Hotel Apps Fight Commoditization

Over the last few weeks, we have discussed using technology to make the guest experience more comfortable and more personal as well as to generate loyalty. As commoditization becomes an increasing concern for the industry, hospitality leaders are looking for technology that increases brand awareness and loyalty, directly influences and enhances the guest experience, and creates a stand-out impression. Did you know that your hotel’s app can help win the war on commoditization? Here are four major ways it can d0 that: Your app can put trusted local recommendations at the fingertips of your guests. Your own concierge recommendations, available at the push of a button, go a long way to owning the entire guest journey and help ensure that your guests have a great stay on and off your property. Apps offer another channel of communication with guests, especially in the area of requests. Along with branding and personalized services, this can greatly influence loyalty. App usage analytics help hoteliers keep track of guest satisfaction in real time, and make adjustments as needed much earlier than was possible only a few years ago. And finally, mobile apps have a direct positive impact on search results. For an industry already


Case Study: The Benefits of a Staff App

Monscierge has released a case study along with Accor, outlining a deployment of Connect Staff into all U.K. owned and managed ibis properties. This initiative was piloted at the ibis London Euston site, and driven by Accor’s commitment to leading the industry in innovative technology and to improve efficiency and guest satisfaction. “The system has helped us to reduce the time to respond to maintenance requests by up to 50%.” Frederic Le Bras, Assistant General Manager, ibis London Blackfriars Connect Staff’s primary function for a single property is to provide hotel staff the ability to easily communicate, track and prioritize tasks throughout multiple departments. At brand level, the reporting metrics and analytics feature provide significant insight across an entire collection instantly. The case study, released at the beginning of this week, revealed that maintenance request times had gone down by up to 50%. It was also found that room availability was more efficient, and that guests showed increased confidence in staff. You can view and download the entire case study here.


Hotel Technology and Data Reporting

Branded mobile apps have become more of an expectation for guests, and are quickly on the rise for staff members. With all of this comes data – guest preferences, request and maintenance tracking and communications all measured across a property or an entire brand. This information can be used to measure and compare staff performance, time management, guest satisfaction and hosts of other information. Managers have real time access to this information so they can make quick decisions on anything from scheduling to maintenance priorities, and brands have the ability to compare performance across all properties. These data sets can be automatically sorted according to brand needs, eliminating time spent creating mandatory reports and allowing managers to plan and prioritize workload more efficiently. Detailed metrics from guest-impacting issues allow managers to take swift corrective action. If you would like to know more about these methods and how they impact both hotel operations and guest experience, detailed information is available in our case studies.


Hospitality Gives Back – 2014

Hospitality is rooted in empathy; genuine care for others is a key trait of those who love the industry. Perhaps this is why they have a keen focus on giving back and social responsibility. We’ve had the pleasure of getting to know some of the individuals involved in these projects over the years, and being the season for it, I have listed a few below. Hospitality Action has been around for over 170 years. According to the history published on their website, they were originally founded as the “London Coffee House Keepers Association” for the purpose of providing relief to aged members of the trade, and their widows and orphans. They now provide all manner of support for hospitality workers who need it, including financial counseling, grants for essential items, and support for retired workers. The Hospitality Trust, based in Ireland, also aims to support current and previous hospitality and catering workers who find themselves in need of financial assistance. Funds are provided through donations, corporate sponsors, and events, and are distributed to those in need through an application process. The Global Soap Project is working to distribute left over soaps from hotels to populations around the world. This group


Guest Data: Are You Getting the Full Picture?

We know why guest data is important to hoteliers; no matter how streamlined your operations, if the guests aren’t happy, nobody is happy. Information gathering has come a long way since the days hotels relied on comment cards. While those cards are not yet extinct, hoteliers have come to rely on technology for gathering, translating, and reporting guest data. Online booking and behaviors provide insight to guest preferences and satisfaction, but without mobile, are you getting the entire picture? A recent report by Flurry shows that mobile users are spending 86% of mobile time on apps, and only 14% on mobile web.  This means that companies relying solely on web are missing out on a huge piece of the data puzzle. So what could mobile do for you? Here are five things that we’ve found, actionable by hotels into a better experience for all of their guests. Are your guests sharing your hotel information on their social networks? What is grabbing your guests’ attention in your app, and what are they ignoring? Better yet, which aspects of your app are bringing in the most revenue? Are guests using your app more on property or off? Are the guests in your