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.
Written by Monscierge Software Engineer, Matt Owens. Amazon’s Alexa is a cloud-based voice service that allows software developers to build natural voice experiences that offer customers a more intuitive way to interact with the technology they use every day. The Alexa voice service raises interesting questions about the future of artificial intelligence technology in the hospitality industry. Monscierge makes connecting hotels with guests easy. Our Connect platform enables guests to make a request directly to hotel staff with the touch of a button on their smartphone. Alexa presents the opportunity to innovate the Connect platform in ways that have not been possible in the past. The development team here at Monscierge recently developed a proof-of-concept which allowed us to submit a staff request via an Amazon Echo, using only our voices. The program we wrote allowed our Echo to handle much of the communication that would normally require human input to interact. Here’s an example of requesting pillows: Us: Alexa, tell the front desk I’d like some more pillows. Alexa: Do you prefer soft or firm pillows? Us: Firm. Alexa: How many firm pillows would you like? Us: Two. Alexa: Your request for two, firm pillows has been submitted to …
As those of us in the States head into Labor Day, hotel workers are gearing up for a busy three-day weekend and some of the hardest-working days of the year. We want to take some time on this day to appreciate them. Passion for the industry is a vital trait for hospitality workers. Driving this passion is a true concern for guests and a desire to see a job well done at the end of the day. For many, the qualities that go into great hospitality are inherent and working with them is a joy. For those of you working hard to make the long weekend great for others, may your Labor Day weekend be fruitful!
Over the last few months, we’ve been talking a lot about “killing the cheeseplate”. This phrase came from the early days of Monscierge as we were working with staff at a local hotel. When asked how he would change hotel operations, one staff member said he would kill the cheeseplate. He explained that he delivered a cheeseplate as a welcome gift to guests, but he was also discarding most of them untouched at the end of the day. He expressed a desire to tailor these gifts to guests in order to provide more personalized and valued services. Killing the cheeseplate means redefining the guest journey through personalization. That is the attitude we took to heart during the creation of Monscierge Connect. Rather than using technology to decrease the need for human interaction, we have embraced the notion of using technology to create more opportunities for unique interactions with guests. We can do this through personalization of the entire guest journey, providing means of communication that guests prefer, and eliminating common guest frustrations such as waiting in lines. Specifically, hotels now have means to identify guests as they walk through the door, greet them by name, and have their favorite treats …
The latest J.D Power study measuring guest satisfaction across hotel segments had a major focus on mobility this year. The study uses seven factors to determine guest satisfaction, including reservation, check-in/check-out, rooms, F&B, services, facilities, and fees. Concerning mobile, Rick Garlick (J.D. Power Practice Lead – travel and hospitality) had this to say, “As mobile usage becomes increasingly ubiquitous for guests, the challenge for hotels becomes twofold: First, they must persuade guests to book directly with them, and second, they must encourage easy utilization of this technology. By forging direct relationships, hotels can become guardians of the guest experience, but at the center of these relationships is an establishment’s mobile strategy.” Other key findings of this study included higher satisfaction rates with direct booking, use of a hotel’s app, and among those who both read and write reviews.