The question of how to get guests to use your tech puzzles most hoteliers… However, the key is already in their hands

During the pandemic, hoteliers worldwide implemented new technology to provide guests and staff with contactless capabilities, while also responding to consumer demand for a more personalized and digital guest journey.

As the pandemic continues to drift further in the rear-view mirror, hoteliers are seeing the benefits hotel technology has had on their businesses, and most importantly, on the guest experience. But marketing these technologies, especially with a trimmed-down staff, could be deemed a hurdle.

How to Get Guests to Use Your Tech at your Property?

Luckily, hoteliers don’t have to shell out thousands of dollars on marketing to get guests to use their technology, but they do need to be strategic. When it comes to getting guests to use branded mobile apps or smart-room tablets, there’s one mistake you don’t want to make, and one secret weapon you should use. Consider the following:

DON’T Leave Guests to Fend For Themselves

Guests want the convenience of technology, but they aren’t going to go out looking for it. They won’t be searching The App Store for your mobile app unless you prompt them. They might wait on hold to order food instead of ordering room service with just a few taps of their mobile phone or smart-room tablet. Why? Because they don’t realize what’s at their fingertips.

Too often hotels and resorts assume guests know about their technology offerings and understand how to use them. Even if guests know an app exists, they most likely won’t download it unless they’re shown the ways it will improve the quality of their stay. Don’t leave your guests waiting in unnecessary lines, on hold, or altogether unsure of how to get the things they want or need. Let them know what tech you have, how easy it is to use, and how it will make their stay better.

How can you do that? In a previous post, we discussed how confirmation emails and welcome emails are a perfect opportunity to direct guests to a branded mobile app through deep links and outline the benefits of using an app. However, there’s another way to get your guests to adopt your app. If a guest has made it to a property without downloading the app, it might be too late for mobile check-in — but they can still securely access their rooms using keyless entry on their mobile device or order in-room dining via the mobile app. But hotels must utilize their best resource: their staff. When a guest checks in, displaying a QR code at the front desk for guests to be easily directed to the app is a must.

DO Make Sure Staff Know What’s Going On

Whether the staff is one person or 100, they need to know what tech is available to guests and understand its features and benefits. This doesn’t mean your staff need to become tech wizards or IT experts. But they should be briefed on the basic capabilities and given a rundown of how the app’s features can assist the guest journey.

For instance, staff should be able to show guests how to make a digital service request, how to book a spa treatment, or how to view the room service menu via the hotel’s mobile app. If the front desk is busy helping other guests, guest-facing staff should be able to help guests use the hotel’s mobile check-in function. If a guest calls the front desk to request more towels or extra pillows, staff should be able to direct them to the app or their smart-room tablet for their next request. A friendly and knowledgeable staff can be your best drivers on app and tech adoption.

To learn more about how to get guests to use your tech and how to easily market your property’s technology, request a demo today.

Using hotel technology to execute targeted promotions and upgrade opportunities can give guests a more personalized experience, while setting hoteliers up for a substantial increase in revenue

In the world of online gaming, “microtransactions” are available in-game purchases that only cost a small amount of money. They can range from buying a new outfit for a character, to purchasing extra lives, to additional levels or upgrades. The hospitality industry can take a digital page out of the online gaming playbook and utilize a similar strategy to allow guests to customize their stay while opening new avenues to drive non-room revenue. Here are a few ways:

Seize Every Opportunity to Upgrade

With the rise of mobile check-in and mobile key, offering guests upgrades is now easier than ever. When guests opens a hotel’s branded mobile app to check-in, why not provide them with an opportunity to upgrade to a room with a better view or a larger suite? They might not even realize they want the upgrade until the option pops up on their screen.

Similarly, an easy place to drive non-room revenue is through in-room dining. When a guest places an in-room dining order via a smart-room tablet or mobile app, forced modifiers can easily be integrated to increase the dining check. See a guest ordering a steak? Why not suggest a glass of Cabernet? Did a guest order the cheeseburger? Why not offer them the chance to upgrade their free side of fries to truffle fries? Don’t miss out on these tiny upgrades. Mobile delivery companies like DoorDash and Uber Eats already have this integrated into their ordering strategy — hotels with digital dining should, too.

Create Intentional Promotions

With events and conferences continuing to ramp back up, a great way to capitalize on larger groups staying at your property is to center promotions around upcoming events. Banners, information pages, videos, and even interactive chats can assist in promoting your unique amenities and engage your guests. If a business traveler comes back to their room after attending a full-day conference, send them a customized message with a discount to a spa treatment or a cocktail at the bar. When groups of guests come to town for a concert or sporting event, tie your promotions to that specific event. Intentional promotions encourage smaller purchases and provide added revenue.

Consider the Future of Incremental Transactions

Speaking of customization, when thinking about “microtransactions” in hospitality it’s important to take into account the future of incremental transaction technology. Specifically, data. With smart-room tablets and branded mobile apps, data can be collected from each guest. Maintaining historical data on guests can also help hoteliers customize offers and upgrades to guests who have requested special services or upgrades in previous visits.

Whether it’s a bigger room or a cup of soup, smaller transactions can add up to huge revenue increases. Something as simple as a fun promotion themed around a big sporting event or a convention can have an ROI far higher than expected. Seek out opportunities for smaller transactions, be intentional, and look to the future. “Microtransactions” are here to stay — and here to make you more money.

Want to learn more about how hotel technology can increase non-room revenue now and in the future? Request a demo today.

3 key reasons your hotel marketing plan should include your new guest technology

There are several functions of a successful hotel marketing plan, and a lot of them revolve around your property’s digital footprint. Active, updated social media accounts, such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok, along with an effective website that markets your property’s offerings, are all a must. But what about promoting the guest technology featured on your property — especially new technology offerings?

In today’s digital age, hotel guests are no strangers to new tech integrations and offerings. In fact, many Millennial and Gen Z travelers have come to expect it. Here are 3 reasons why including your latest guest technology offerings in your hotel marketing plan is critical:

Meet Guests’ Tech Expectations

For many of today’s hotel guests, technology is not just a preference, it’s an expectation. Meeting guests where they’re at — on their mobile device — is key to staying relevant and operating a modern hotel. Use your property’s social media platforms and email marketing blasts to promote the latest guest technology at your hotel. Showcasing your in-room tablets, branded mobile apps, keyless entry, or even your robot concierge in your marketing can help not only improve a guest’s stay but it can also improve the way they view your brand.

Fill to Guests’ Need

In today’s digital world, almost anything consumers need is a literal tap away. From ordering a three-course dinner to their front door to hitching a quick ride to the airport, mobile devices provide the streamlined convenience today’s consumers require. Fill that need for instant gratification by providing your guests with in-room technology, such as smart-room tablets, where they can easily order room service or extra towels like they would a meal from DoorDash. Branded mobile apps provide the same ordering convenience that tablets do, as well as allow guests to check-in and check out remotely and securely access their hotel room by using their phone as a room key.

Using these technologies in marketing strategies for hotels is key as it shows guests that your property’s team will be able to meet any need they’ll have while staying at your hotel.

Not to mention, smart-room tablets and branded mobile apps can be used to market directly to guests while they’re on your property. Target guests when they’re most attentive through push notifications to alert them about special on-site events, gift shop sales, or restaurant promotions.

Highlight Sustainability

With more and more customers making purchasing decisions based on a company’s impact on the planet, showcasing the steps your hotel takes to focus on sustainability should be a key part of your hotel marketing plan. Smart in-room thermostats and smart water-saving showers are two key features worth highlighting in guest-facing marketing materials.

Branded mobile apps can also help a hotel “go green” by providing guests with keyless entry, which reduces plastic key card waste, and viewing hotel compendiums and menus digitally, which reduces paper waste.

Looking for additional hotel technology marketing strategies to attract customers to your property? Request a demo today.

Four key reasons an integrated hotel technology stack is critical when selecting a tech platform

When it comes to choosing the correct technology platforms and solutions for your hotel, many features should be taken into account. Ask yourself: Is the solution cloud-based? This means it’ll add an extra layer of security. Is the platform PCI compliant? This will protect your guests’ data and ensure it’s safe. But another key question to ask yourself is: Does the solution easily integrate into your existing hotel technology stack?

Selecting a software provider that already integrates with platforms and solutions that your property is currently using will streamline your operations, and, in turn, provide a better experience for both your guests and your staff. But, before we dive deeper into some of the advantages of a modern hotel technology stack, let’s first answer the question: What is a tech stack?

What is a Tech Stack?

In its simplest form, a tech stack is a series of software subsystems that create a complete platform so no additional software is needed to support applications. In hospitality, a hotel technology stack is made up of a piecemeal set of solutions aimed at optimizing the hotel’s functions, including its operations, revenue management, marketing, and guest services. These can include front-end tools, back-end tools, and APIs.

So, what are the benefits of a modern hotel technology stack? Here are a few:

Streamline Operations

Probably the most obvious benefit is the streamlining of hotel operations. Take for example the process of updating room rates. Imagine a hotel has to update 30 room rates for 10 different room types over 12 months. Not only does this hotel’s staff have to do this in their Property Management System (PMS), but they also have to update it on 10 different online travel agencies, as well. That’s a nearly impossible task that could be rife with human error. Using platforms that “talk” to each other streamlines this process while eliminating the possibility of human error at the same time.

Manage Technology Increases

With more technology applications and systems available to hotels than ever before, tech connectivity is most important to hotel operations. Without seamless integrations, business operations can come to a standstill and result in guest service issues, which can, in turn, lead to a negative guest experience and revenue loss.

Resolve Siloed Data

When systems aren’t talking to each other, hotels end up with ineffective copy-and-paste methods for tracking information and duplicating records in the numerous systems they’re using. This results in an operational mess, and the guest experience suffers in the process.

Fulfill Guests Expectations

Today’s guests expect personalization and customization. Guests who share personal information with hotel staff — such as allergies or toiletries requests — expect that information to be retained with staff across the property. With interconnected technology now a norm in everyday life, hotels now have to answer the question, “Why aren’t your systems talking to each other?” from more than just data architects. The average hotel guest expects this as well.

Interested in learning more about how you can integrate our software with your modern hotel technology stack? Request a demo today.

Analyzing hotel data is a significant way to offer guests customized, revenue-driving recommendations

If you aren’t tracking guest behaviors and using this hotel data to provide your guests with personalized, revenue-driving recommendations, you’re missing out on a major upsell opportunity. There are many benefits of data collection at hotels, but the No. 1 benefit might be the ability to personalize the guest experience while driving non-room revenue.

Whether it’s recommending a specific bottle of wine at your on-site restaurant or upselling a service at your spa, using guests’ data to personalize the guest journey while increasing revenue is essential to your business. The following are a few ways this can be achieved.

Review Individual Guest Data for Upselling Opportunities

Using a staff operations platform, hotels can receive ​​comprehensive data on everything from service request frequency to the average dining check size, providing them with valuable insight into who’s staying at their hotel and what their guests’ digital activities are during their stay.

Notice a guest has ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc the last two nights with their in-room dining order? The on-site restaurant now has the opportunity to recommend their best bottle when they dine in the restaurant the following night. This interaction makes the guest feel noticed, while also increasing non-room revenue.

See that a guest is staying at your property for a work function? Allow them to destress by offering them 10% off your most popular massage at your on-site spa. Chances are they’ll stay for a facial, too.

Review Hotel Data for Upselling Opportunities

One of the many benefits of data collection at a hotel is being able to see bigger picture revenue trends and adapting your processes to meet these trends. For instance, a staff operations platform can track digital revenue streams to tell when guests are spending money and where. Notice an uptick in sales of beer around 5 p.m. in the hotel bar? Consider starting a happy hour menu with half-priced snacks to go along with those beers. See an influx of customers purchasing your hotel-branded yoga mat at the gift shop? If it’s popular with most guests, make sure you market it to all guests by creating materials to promote this specific item in your elevator, lobby bar or on your smart-room tablet.

Predict Guests Needs & Improve the Guest Journey

Every hotelier’s goal is to anticipate their customer’s needs before they have to voice them. One of the benefits of data collection is its ability to help hoteliers predict those needs. If a guest is requesting additional towels or pillows each night, a staff operations platform with a guest preference portfolio provides staff with a place to track this information to inform housekeeping of this preference. Housekeeping can now continue to provide the guest with their additional requested items without the guest needing to call down and place the request themselves. This improves the guest experience, while helping secure a lifelong customer in the process.

Interested in learning how a staff operations platform can provide hospitality data analytics that drive revenue and create life-long customers? Request a demo today.