An overview of technology for hospitality.
In some ways, loyalty from your guests begins with loyalty to your guests. A good effort to show guests that you are committed to a positive experience with them is the first step. Sometimes we get caught up in day to day operations and everything seems to be going smoothly, but the view from the other side of the desk is different. Checking your hotel’s reviews is a good way to find out where improvement is needed. Recent surveys have found that millennials see recommendations as a key aspect of loyalty, second only to frequenting the business themselves. So any extra steps you take to secure that loyalty can easily mean generating positive buzz for your hotel. In the hospitality world, this has always included efficiency, cleanliness, friendly staff, and met expectations. In today’s world, you can increase that positive buzz by exceeding expectations in shareable ways. Social sharing tends to be image-heavy lately, so shareable moments could include beautifying a corner of your lobby for photos, surprising guests with in-room personalizations, or hand-written welcome or thank you cards. Spiffy technology, unique amenities, and interesting personalities also have a high share potential. Be sure to track mentions of your …
Today’s post is written by our own UX Design expert, Andy Hale. Design and experience shape our everyday life. At Monscierge, we take great pride and care in crafting experiences that are user-centric, beautiful and most important meaningful. It’s our job to distill the purpose and create reasons to not only download an app or touch a screen but to also help drive people with a reason to use them. The process of creating highly functional and very usable software is a challenge to say the least. It ultimately relies on a careful balance of multiple people and teams around the world, each have a critical hand in helping to create, develop and support the product. With technology and accessibility exploding around us – guests’ demand great experiences and amazing content. On a personal level, beyond simply a shift into an ever-increasing mobile-first world one of my key challenges has been a push for greater awareness in a worldwide market and being cognizant of cultural cues. Over the years, I’ve latched onto numerous ideas, trends and gained immutable experiences from every angle of the spectrum. A few key points have emerged which I take with me into every aspect of …
We were all excited to welcome our team home from HITEC and hear about their experience. Here is a short recap of what stood out to them. Biggest Takeaway: “Mobile technology will be the dominant platform in guest-to-staff communications over the next few years as hotels begin implementing the next stage of the mobile strategy.” (Christy Doherty) “I think, for me, it was seeing how ahead of the curve we were and how our framework, scalability and price have put us as one of the top software companies for the industry. I learned how powerful it is to have a team to depend on and bring in to help and it was awesome to see how we all had each other’s backs.” (Elizabeth Robinson) “That whoever can figure out TRUE mobile check in will be king.” (Kristen Tsitoukis) Favorite Moment “Putting a prospective client’s app in their hands, built and ready to go, and it being a near exact fit to what they are looking for.” (Christy) “My favorite moment was when I looked up from a conversation and every Monscierge employee on deck was engaged with potential clients. This was extremely encouraging.” (Klent Luschen) New Trends “Remote check-in via …
We believe in using tech to enhance the human connection, not replace it. But many people today so rarely look up from their phone, it’s nearly impossible to make eye contact with them, let alone make a meaningful connection. So how can the hands-on people of hospitality reach out to these hyper-connected guests? Meet them where they are. Of course I’m talking about mobile (isn’t everyone?). This tech-savvy bunch needs information on the fly, a great user experience, and no wasted space on their phone. Tap into the subcultures. It seems that we spend a lot of time talking about the millennial generation. As a whole, reaching this group is a daunting task. They are busy, savvy, and well-informed, along with being buried in information and entertainment on an almost constant basis. So think in terms of reaching to this generation through the smaller groups to which they belong. For a great example of this, I highly recommend reading this article by Larry Mogelonsky on cross-generational word of mouth. Maintain an active and engaging social media presence. There are two fast food brands that I would use as an example. One, a certain burger joint, is often ridiculed for unhealthy …
There is no reason for any hotel to have a sub-par mobile app, but lacking time, money, or a development team, that’s exactly what’s happening. It’s frustrating as someone who looks at these every day to see that people are still being sold on technology that serves little to no purpose for the hotel or its guests. But how can you pinpoint what kind of technology to provide? Work backward. What do your guests want? Do they want to be able to open curtains with their iPhone? Check your reviews, is that what people are saying? “I had a great stay, the room was gorgeous and the staff was gracious and attentive, but I’m taking off one star because I had to physically use my own hands to change the position of the curtains and that’s just so 2013.” Your reviews could tell you exactly what your hotel needs to up the ante, so get creative and consider how your app can work for you. I chose three highly rated hotels, and looked at their most common complaints. Here is what I found: No room service. Many hotels are finding that room service is a drain on their budget, and …