An overview of technology for hospitality.
We have been talking a lot about the various enhancements Apple TV can bring to the guest experience over the last few months. One of the major hurdles we dealt with to bring this solution to an enterprise scale was data security. More specifically, what happens when a guest logs into their own accounts on a hotel room device, then checks out of the room? That’s how we ended up meeting our friends at Jamf. Jamf offers multiple solutions across industries for data security. The Jamf Nation User Conference held this week highlighted the ways they support various industries including health care, hospitality, and retail. If you’d like to find out more about their 2018 Conference, check out their YouTube channel. Utilizing the technology from Jamf, Monscierge has been able to provide access to our range of guest technology via Apple TV while keeping guest data secure. For more information, this article by Bradley Chambers at 9to5Mac is a step by step look at this as it is currently in action at some Red Lion Hotels properties.
Over the last nine years, we have worked to connect hotels and guests using various means of technology. When I first started this job seven years ago, we were building software for lobby screens and just starting to branch into mobile apps. I remember conversations with the marketing team that felt like delving into the future while we tried to navigate new territory and guess what would come next. More recently we’ve delved into the realm of smart TV. Our hotel clients are finding that guests more and more want access to their own entertainment while they travel. This means that guests can utilize the same means of relaxation away as they do at home, with the same personalized features and the same recommendations that companies like Netflix and Amazon bring to them daily. Those words – personalization and recommendation – go right back to day one at Monscierge. That is where we started and it’s where we are still working today. New screens are involved, new means of delivery, more features and better access, but the core remains the same. We are making it easy to bring personalized recommendations to guests on the devices they are already using via …
We’ve talked often about hotels using technology to enhance the guest experience through personalization. I wanted to highlight a few restaurant apps who are using their apps to delight guests with custom offers, drive sales with tailored menu items, and remove pain points with increased efficiency and precision. Can you talk about restaurant apps without mentioning Dominos? The pizza chain has been on the forefront of innovation in marketing and technology since their “we’re sorry for making bad pizza” campaign in 2009. They also came up with ordering via Tweet and emoji. Unlimited pizza customization aside, one of the best features of their app is the “Dominos Tracker”, which allows customers to know exactly what their pizza is up to every moment from being ordered to being placed in their hands. Nobody likes to wait, but it’s easier when you know where your pizza is. The Starbucks app took awhile to work its way into a permanent spot on my phone. They had a few security issues in the beginning but quickly caught up to the technology by being one of the first to offer phone payments and location-based services. My favorite feature of their app is that it remembers …
We surveyed travelers around the world to discover how they use technology to enhance their travel experience. Some of the most surprising information came from the queries surrounding mobile use during the stay. As expected, use of a hotel’s mobile app to decrease standing in line for check in and check out was a top-rated feature, but we also found that the majority of today’s travelers prefer to use SMS text to make requests such as to maintenance, housekeeping, and room service. Text was named as the number one preferred method of communication by travelers. Considering that text also requires less time than a phone or in person conversation and is easily translated into automated task delegation and follow up, using SMS to communicate with guests is a win-win. What I found most telling was that 94% of people surveyed said they are more likely to choose the same hotel again if technology was used to personalize the stay. This would include location-based offers by means of beacon technology, calling guests by name in communications, and recording and recalling personalization from previous stays such as favorite wine or dining preferences. This recalls to mind a familiar refrain – technology should …
The J.D. Power’s North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index study showed scores improving across the board, but not as much in the areas of check in and check out. While up overall, guests aren’t quite as happy with the process as they are with the rest of the stay. It makes sense. One of the top annoyances in any experience is standing in line, and a busy front desk often means guests are doing just that. In an early Monscierge survey, we found that 49% of travelers feel that 1-5 minutes is too long to stand in line while visiting a hotel. Moreover, 66% prefer to use mobile check-out over visiting the front desk, and 79% prefer mobile for check-out. Billing accuracy and speed were found to be the biggest factors in guest satisfaction during check-out. Another point touched on by the J.D. Power study is direct booking. Jennifer Corwin, Associate Practice Lead for the Global Travel and Hospitality Practice at J.D. Power, had this to say, “Years of capital investment in offerings such as higher-end televisions and in-room tablets have left their mark. Now, as hotels look to push customer satisfaction levels higher, their focus should turn to service …