Protecting guest’s information and combating against an online security breach can be achieved by selecting a secure platform

For any IT director, a data breach is a worst-nightmare scenario. And hotels are no stranger to these types of security breaches. IHG Hotels has been the subject of hackers on multiple occasions, most recently in September 2022, and they aren’t alone. Hilton and Marriott have both experienced an online security breach in recent years. But, it’s not just the large industry players that are at risk. Even small brands and boutique hotels can have their systems hacked and customer data stolen. As a hotelier, making a point to protect guest data and keep a guest’s information secure is key.

So, what proactive steps can you take to make sure you protect against an online data breach? Selecting a secure platform service provider is step No. 1. When looking for a provider, here are a few key attributes you must consider.

Get in the Cloud

When selecting a platform service provider, look for those who use a secure, cloud-based system. Cloud-based systems store information in various data centers with redundancy implemented throughout the system, so if one goes down, your property’s data will fail over to another automatically. Another benefit to cloud-based systems? Encryption. While it’s difficult to implement across the entire environment, cloud providers, such as Microsoft and Amazon, offer encryption right off the bat — helping to prevent data exposure thanks to the military-grade AES 256 encryption used by cloud providers.

Be Compliant

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is widely recognized by the hospitality industry, and PCI compliance is the first step for hotels to protect guest data. When selecting a platform service provider, make sure your provider integrates with a PMS provider that is also PCI DSS compliant. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Tokenize Your Data

Using a secure platform service provider that offers data tokenization is also critical. Many platform service providers don’t store any PCI information, but instead tokenize a guest’s sensitive information and send it directly to the property’s payment gateway — ensuring that anything that’s compliant is stored in the hotel’s PMS.

Train Your Employees

Believe it or not, a large majority of online data breaches are a result, not from direct hacker attacks, but from human error. If one of your employees downloads an attachment from an unknown sender, a guest’s information can easily be at risk. Protect guest data by educating employees on how to spot a phishy email. Other important steps to take? Make sure passwords are changed and updated frequently, and impart on your staff the importance of logging out of a system when finished with a task. Also, be sure to enact modern security practices and regularly update your company’s security standards.

 

Looking for more information on choosing a secure platform service provider to keep your guests’ information safe and secure? Request a demo today!

Smart-Room Tablets and Mobile Apps can help hotels anticipate customer needs and target guests when they are most engaged — improving the guest experience in the process

As hoteliers, providing the best guest experience possible is always the Priority No. 1. Fulfilling in-room dining requests in a timely manner, booking spa appointments for weary travelers, and providing extra towels and toiletries as soon as possible are all a must. But what if you could anticipate guest needs before a guest even asks your staff? Enter hotel technology. Solutions such as smart-room tablets and mobile apps can help hotel staff anticipate a guest’s desire, improving their experience and ensuring a return customer in the process.

But, before we go any further, let’s answer the question:

What is silent service?

Put most simply, silent service is anticipating your guests’ needs before they voice them. And embracing hotel technologies can help create this silent guest experience for your customers. Here are a few ways to anticipate a customer’s needs using the latest hotel tech.

Guest Messaging with Mobile Apps

With a smartphone in the pocket or purse of nearly every guest that steps foot on your property, mobile apps allow hotels to send a welcome text that lets guests know how they can easily request items they might need during their stay, such as towels or pillows. Guests no longer need to trek down to the front desk or place a phone call to request an additional luggage rack. A message sent directly to their phone through a mobile app allows them to place service requests from anywhere. Guest messaging is also a great way to share a link to your property’s dining options, so when a guest is ready for dinner, they can simply tap a link and be redirected to the latest in-room dining menu in the mobile app. Guest messaging also allows you to receive instant feedback and resolve escalations quickly.

Streamlining Stays with Smart-Room Tablets

Smart-room tablets located in-room are another easy way to anticipate customer needs. With functionality that includes the ability to cast video to an in-room smart TV or adjust in-room climate controls, smart-room tablets put guests in control of their stay. Similar to mobile apps, in-room tablets allow guests to browse menus that are updated to-the-minute and place dining orders with just a tap while lounging around in their room. They also allow staff to fill orders without interruption and eliminate the chance of human error in orders.

Creating Specially Crafted Offers Using Tech

Using a hotel technology platform, hotel staff are able to create endless opportunities to reach their guests when they’re most captive. For instance, mobile app features, such as push messaging, in-app promotions, and guest messaging, allow staff to create special offers and promotions that guests will love based on their rate code or stated preferences at booking. Did a guest request a room on a quiet floor? Consider sending the guest a message about booking a spa appointment to help them relax even more during their stay. Personalized offers can tell guests what they want before they even know it themselves.

Want to learn more about how hotel technology can help anticipate your guests’ needs? Request a demo today.

Mobile apps and smart room tablets automate upselling in hotels — driving additional revenue without overwhelming staff

There are many benefits of upselling to the customers who stay at your property. But when a manager thinks of the benefits of upselling in hotels, they might also stumble over the workload increase for their staff. Enter hotel technology. Offerings such as mobile apps and in-room smart tablets automate the upsell process — providing guests with what they want, when they want it, while not overwhelming back-of-house staff.

To get a better idea of how upselling can be automated, we’ve broken down some best practices below.

What are examples of upselling in hotels?

There are many ways to upsell to a customer. Before a customer arrives on your property, emails reminding guests to make on-site dinner reservations or book spa appointments are easy ways to drive extra revenue to your property. Once checked in, in-room dining and hotel-branded merchandise are two simple on-site ways to upsell to hotel guests.

How can hotel technology streamline the upselling process for guests?

Using hotel technology, such as mobile apps and smart room tablets, hoteliers can easily showcase add-ons to guests. Here’s how.

A branded mobile app can do a lot of the heavy lifting for your property — including checking-in and checking-out guests and providing them with keyless entry to their rooms. Additionally, it offers guests a way to review a hotel’s offerings, order room service, and browse gift shop offerings from wherever they are on the property.

Similar to a mobile app, in-room smart tablets offer guests a seamless way to browse up-to-date in-room dining menus and place orders all with the tap of their finger. Smart-room tablets eliminate the need for guests to pick up a phone and wait on hold to place their order. Shopping from a hotel’s gift shop is also just as seamless. While lounging in their room, a guest can browse in-stock selections and shop virtually on the tablet. Additionally, personalized promotions and marketing can be displayed on the smart-room tablet, enticing guests to purchase hotel services and add-ons to truly complete their experience at your property.

How can hotel technology streamline back-of-house operations?

While providing additional offerings to customers might seem like additional work for staff, mobile apps and in-room smart tablets can actually automate the process, freeing up back-of-house operations.

As mentioned before, mobile apps allow hotel guests to check-in and check-out of their rooms without stopping at the front desk. Keyless entry lets guests access their rooms directly from their mobile devices, freeing up a front desk employee’s time to handle other tasks. Both mobile apps and in-room tablets enable guests to browse and order room service, saving your staff from having to answer phone calls and allowing them to process and deliver orders in real-time. Plus, digital ordering reduces the chance of human error. When it comes to shopping hotel-branded merchandise, a customized storefront on a mobile app or smart-room tablet makes it easy to manage inventory and product availability. Additionally, staff can easily manage and track guests’ orders through a staff-facing content management system, reducing the need to place a staff member at the gift shop and cutting down on gift shop traffic at the front desk.

Want to learn more about the benefits of upselling in hotels and how to use hotel technology to streamline the upsell process? Request a demo today.

Simple ways to elevate the holiday season traveler’s guest experience using hotel technology

It’s (almost) the most wonderful time of the year — and that means holiday season travelers will soon descend upon your property. According to a recent article from Business Insider, Expedia has reported searches for holiday travel are up 25% for Thanksgiving and 35% for Christmas through New Year versus 2021, indicating that the time to start prepping to elevate your guests’ experience is now.

While the holidays are often dubbed the “most wonderful time of the year,” conversely they can also be one of the most stressful times, especially for guests who traveled cross-country and faced busy airports and flight delays. So, how can you elevate their experience once they step onto your property? Here are a few ways that also streamline back-of-house operations.

Enhance the Check-in/Check-Out Process

After waiting in long airport security lines and battling flight delays, the last thing weary holiday travelers want is to wait in a long queue in your hotel lobby. A customizable mobile app for your property allows for contactless hotel check-in. Guests can skip the front desk by using their reservation information to head straight to their room, cutting down on your front desk staff’s workload in the process. Once arriving to their room, customers can use their mobile device as a room key, giving them control over their stay and cutting down on the amount of plastic key cards front desk staff have to reprogram or replace. At the end of the stay, the check-out process on a mobile app is just as simple as it was at check-in, allowing holiday season travelers to be on their way home without delay.

Streamline In-Room Dining

In-room smart tablets can take the guest’s dining experience at your property a step further by allowing them to peruse the most current, up-to-date menu offerings from the comfort of their room. With just a tap, guests can go ahead and place their in-room dining order directly on the smart room tablet without having to make a phone call. This also eliminates the amount of phone calls the back-of-house team receives, allowing them to more quickly process orders. In-room smart tablets are also a convenient way for guests to easily adjust in-room temperature controls or browse property compendiums.

Create a Digital Gift Shop

During the holidays, consumers are in a spending mindset, so why not increase your property’s revenue by creating a digital storefront that’s featured on your mobile app or in-room tablet? From branded towels and T-shirts to local artisanal goods that represent your hotel’s locale, guests can shop from the comfort of their rooms. Their orders can be easily managed and tracked through your staff-facing operations hub. In-room tablets and mobile apps are also the perfect way to drive additional revenue by offering guests ways to enhance their stay, such as spa treatments and local excursions.

 

To learn more about how hotel tech can help improve the guest experience for your holiday season travelers, request a demo today.