When your guest arrives at your hotel, use these touchpoints to encourage them to download your app!
The moment your guest walks through the front door of your hotel, you can begin to encourage them to download your hotel mobile app. From a subtle to an obvious approach, there are a few creative ways you can convince guests to add this beneficial app to their personal device.
As always, make sure you offer them something in return for downloading your app. As for what to offer them, you know your guests the best so think about what would entice them most to download your app. Maybe it’s a faster check-out process, a free Starbucks coffee or bar drink, or maybe even a free dessert treat delivered to their room? Whatever you decide, make it an irresistible offer in return for their download.
Here are just a few places you can grab guests’ attention and let them know how downloading your hotel mobile app can benefit their stay.
QR Code
Before we dive into the best locations to display your hotel mobile app, make sure you have a QR code link to prompt guests to the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. With a QR code, your hotel guests can quickly download and install the app on the spot. There are a few free QR code websites available with a simple Google search. Here is one of the popular sites for creating QR codes for your business, beaconstac. Simply paste the link to download your app.
The Front Desk
The front desk is often known as the heart of the hotel, greeting travelers with a friendly smile, helping them with the check-in/check-out process, and acting as a complete resource center for guests. It’s at this check-in moment where you can inform guests about your hotel app in two approaches.
The first is more subtle, by displaying a branded image about your hotel app with the QR code for an easy download and a compelling reason as to why the guest should download the app. From a digital device, such as a TV or tablet, to an acrylic sign, utilize this location to display an image to offer guests digital access to your hotel’s amenities and services.
The second approach is to give your hotel staff some talking points and train them to notify guests about the app, its benefits to the guest experience, and suggest using it for mobile key entry into their room.
The Key Card
As you know, many hotels use the key card as a marketing tool to promote the hotel or any associated partners. So why not let guests know about your mobile app here?
Here are some examples of clever messaging to get your guest to ditch the plastic key card for a mobile one:
- It’s Time to Let Me Go
- If Lost, Download Our App
- Go Green, Lose the Plastic
- Your New Room Key … Your Phone
- This Key Card is So Last Year
Then make sure to include either a QR code or instructions on how to download the hotel app.
The Common Areas
Anywhere your guest can go on the hotel property, chances are you can find a great placement for promoting your hotel app. In the lobby, dining area, in the elevator, or by the poolside, think about where your hotel is already displaying information or advertising.
A great marketing strategy with the common areas is to lean into guest FOMO (fear of missing out). An easy way to accomplish this would be to display images of the hotel app and what guests could get or see if they had the app on their phone at that exact location. For example, you could place an advertisement in the pool area showing how easy and quick it would be to order a drink with the mobile app, without leaving their pool chair.
In-Room
Once your guest has arrived in their room and is settled, what is typically their next stop on their journey of enjoying their stay? We would bet it’s connecting their devices to Wifi. What better place to prompt guests to download your hotel app than in the Wifi connection window on their device?
Also, most hotel rooms are stocked with collateral, table tents, or in-room tablets to provide the guest with more information about the hotel’s amenities or local attractions. From paper to digital, you can add in more marketing materials about downloading the app.
Although the ultimate goal is to encourage and prompt guests to download your hotel mobile app during their stay, making sure the app provides a positive experience to your guests is what will keep them using it during their stay. A great way to accomplish this is by selecting technology with a focus on elevating your guest experience. The INTELITY Mobile App is a flexible, digital guest experience solution for properties and brands of all types. With features like contactless mobile check-in, mobile key, contactless service requests, push notifications, and in-room dining, the INTELITY app gives your guests full access to amenities and services in only a few taps.
To see how to help guests get your hotel app before they arrive, read our blog How to Prompt Guests to Download Your Hotel App Pre-Arrival. For a personalized look at our mobile app or the full INTELITY Platform, schedule a demo.
