Smart Hotel Technology Enhances Guest Satisfaction
Smart hotel technology is a growing trend in the hospitality industry for good reason. It not only makes it easier to connect with your guests but it plays a significant role in increasing guest satisfaction as well.
Smart hotel tech leverages internet connectivity, an advanced hotel application, and guests’ personal devices (today’s favorite travel companion!) in ways that improve service and create a more enjoyable experience. Let’s take a closer look at specific benefits guest enjoy when staying in hotels using smart technology.
More Control
Today’s guests now expect to have more control over their travel experience, and smart hotel tech delivers the self-service options they prefer.
At smart hotels, guests are no longer frustrated by being stuck at check-in lines to fill out paperwork and get their room key. Instead, they can check-in remotely and then head directly to their guest room upon arrival, unlocking their door with mobile key on their smartphone.
Through in-app features, automated concierge functionality handles requests, letting guests do things like book golf tee times, making dining reservations and order a ride-share service at their convenience. Interactive maps can provide curated tips about local attractions. And customized restaurant menus incorporated into mobile ordering functionality mean that guests can place F&B orders for pick-up or delivery at whatever time is most convenient for them. In addition, location-based tech uses a guest’s smartphone GPS technology to allow hotel staff to deliver cocktails, snacks, or meals to guests lounging poolside, sitting in the lobby, or wherever they are on property.
Greater Personalization
A key advantage of smart hotel tech is that it delivers the hyper-personalized experiences your guests crave, with 8 in 10 customers willing to switch their loyalty for a more personalized experience.
The right hotel application can connect with standard room features and appliances via the Internet of Things (IoT), giving them the ability to “talk” with each other and allowing guests to customize specific room features to their personal preferences using their smartphone. With a few taps on their device, your guests can control room aspects such as the lighting and thermostat. They can also control the in-room TV and stream shows from their preferred third-party entertainment services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. This is especially beneficial considering that the average American household now subscribes to four streaming video-on-demand services.
Another benefit, you can capitalize on the first-party data provided by your hotel app analytics – increasingly important as third-party data access disappears. You can use that data to make personalized recommendations that speak to guests’ specific interests. And you can further delight them by anticipating their needs on future visits, such as having those extra blankets and favorite minibar items they always ask for ready and waiting in their room when they arrive.
Better Communication
Not surprising in the wake of the pandemic, but now over half of your guests favor contactless, digital service encounters with hotel staff rather than in-person interactions.
Smart hotel apps that offer two-way messaging via SMS and chat allow hotels to “get personal” with guests in a contactless way. Guests can chat directly with staff and get fast, personal responses when they want to learn about specific hotel features, make special requests or receive local recommendations. And when your app offers auto-translate functionality, you can be confident that your guests will be even happier knowing that nothing is getting lost in translation.
Because smart hotel tech manages simple and repetitive tasks, it frees up your team members to spend more time on value-added services that help build genuine relationships with your guests, for those times when they actually are seeking in-person connections.
Smart Hotels: The Future is Now
Smart hotel room technology is the future of the hospitality industry, with IoT devices accounting for 50 percent of all global networked devices by 2023. Hoteliers striving to be successful in today’s economy must consider incorporating new smart technology with an advanced hotel application. By making this transition, you’ll be rewarded with enhanced guest engagement, increased satisfaction, and greater loyalty.
Would you like to boost guest satisfaction with smart hotel technology at your hotel?
Sources:
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[2] “Cornell Research Recap: How Contactless Technology Is Transforming the Hospitality Industry Forever.” Hospitality Net, 19 Apr. 2021, https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4103976.html.
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[4] Westcott, Kevin, et al. “Streaming Video on Demand, Social Media, and Gaming Trends.” Deloitte Insights, Deloitte, 19 Oct. 2021, https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/svod-social-media-gaming-trends.html.
[5] Newman, Daniel. The Move Away from Third-Party Data Is Imminent: Are You Ready? Forbes Magazine, 8 Dec. 2021, https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2021/12/08/the-move-away-from-third-party-data-is-imminent-are-you-ready/?sh=1d8a87fe2093.
[6] “2022 Lodging Technology Study: Redefining the Guest Experience.” Hospitality Technology, 12 Jan. 2022, https://hospitalitytech.com/2022-lodging-technology-study.