An overview of hotel information from Monscierge.
Something interesting happened a couple of weeks ago when our partner Jamf was visiting our hotel experience lab. We were working on simplifying the story of how efficient customers become when technologies they use daily truly fit like puzzle pieces in a “better together” scenario. At one point, Jamf stopped us and said, “All this time, when I’ve heard you use the word ‘customize’ I assumed that you offered professional custom development as an option alongside your experience platform. Only now do I see that it’s all originating from this source, the ‘one platform’, and THAT is configurable to customers’ preferences. Configurable customization. Nice.” This happens quite often. Because of how we architected development back in 2009 and continued to build since, all of our technologies ARE customized to each property and yet powered by this same platform – the design and features can be turned off, on, up, down, sideways or however the hotelier wishes it to be. After walking through this with him, we concluded that saying configurable features (even if they really are highly customized to each property) resonates quicker. My point with this story: We’ve spent the last year working with many different technology experts such as Jamf to “up …
Good customer service skills are practically inherent for people who love the hospitality industry, but brand standards exist to turn a good guest experience into a remarkable one. Often these are seemingly minute touches, but they have the potential to make a huge impact on the guest. I have found all-staff training to be one of the biggest tells for a culture of service. This typically includes eye contact and some form of communication from every staff member when they are in contact with a guest, even if they are not in a guest-facing role. It’s about being gracious and accommodating through absolutely every phase of the guest journey and includes every staff member who is in uniform, even if they are off the clock. Management makes a big impact here as well. Experience scores go up when management is engaged with the guests, even if they’re not doing anything different than the staff. It’s a little thing that nudges the general culture in the right direction. Any growth in service development should be sustained with recognition. Both immediate praise and a tangible reward in the form of a comped meal or an extra long lunch can go a long …
You’ve probably noticed the significant changes Facebook made to the newsfeed algorithm earlier this month. The main idea is to increase person-to-person engagement and reduce posts shared from company pages. Content shared by friends will have priority which means that creators need to focus on shareable content over clicks and likes to retain and increase visibility. Another important change is the preference of live video over prerecorded video. These are big changes that should have an impact on your social media strategy going into 2018, especially in terms of content type. Here are some practical applications that may up your Facebook engagement this year: Live video is the most obvious way to keep ahead of these changes. Hotels can use this tool to create interactive real-time content. Your focus should be on topics that are relevant to many viewers, not just potential future guests. This could include how-to videos such as housekeeping tips and drink or food prep demos. Meaningful conversations in the comments tell Facebook that more fans will want to see your post. Use your text and photo posts to inspire dialogue and ask questions. The key is to avoid “comment bait” and go for real discussion. Try …
2017 has seen Apple TV steadily gaining a foothold in guest rooms around the world. This technology combines some of the most useful standbys in hotel technology with innovations that make sense to the guest experience and impact it in a positive way. Hotels today are using Apple TV in guest rooms for: Entertainment – Travelers are no longer limited to watching whatever is actively playing on TV while they’re at home, and enjoy bringing their own content and streaming from sites like Netflix and Hulu even when they’re away. Smart TVs in guest rooms make this easy and scalable for the hotel. (See this article on Content Streaming and Data Security.) Messaging – This can serve as signage within the room and be as personalized you wish. Use this space for everything from a welcome message when guests enter the room, to real time hotel information, and even event promotions. F&B – Menus are enhanced with gorgeous photos and navigation while sales are boosted through in-the-moment messaging and easy access to information and ordering. Housekeeping – Apple TV can be combined with beacon technology to alert housekeeping that a room needs attention, play the housekeeper’s favorite song while they’re …
The EU GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a significant change aimed at safeguarding data privacy for EU citizens. It was approved on April 14, 2016, and came into effect on May 25, 2018. The regulation applies to any organization that collects data on EU citizens, regardless of the organization’s location. Compliance is mandatory for any entity that processes data on EU citizens to sell goods or services, make it especially relevant to the travel industry. Hotels, in particular, are significantly impacted by this regulation as they often store consumer data in multiple locations and receive it from various sources, such as OTA bookings. As a result, compliance will involve implementing stringent protections for all technology used to collect data within a hotel, conducting staff training on privacy protection, and establishing protocols in the event of a security breach. Our Monscierge team has plans to ensure a smooth transition for our clients. In the coming weeks, we will provide more information about what this entails and how to comply.