There aren’t a lot of businesses these days that don’t have some form of automation; from airline ticket counters, to self-checkouts at the grocery store, automation can be considered a blessing and a curse. However, while full automation may reduce operational and staffing costs, in the hotel industry it also eliminates the ability to utilize your best assets- human interaction.

Guests love interacting with staff at your property, and while they may also love some automated features at your property, they feel valued when your staff interacts with them as well. In fact, when a hotelier can equip their staff to provide a more well-rounded, pleasurable guest experience everyone wins!

While we’re in a time where hotels around the world have had to make massive adjustments and going contactless wherever they can, guests will eventually want human interaction when things return to normal.

However, pandemic or not, there are some ways that automation can not only help your guest experience, but help your staff complete tasks more efficiently.

So, while you consider incorporating automation into your property’s everyday life, here are some ways in which you can improve your guest experience to keep them coming back for more. 

Chatbot

Given the fact that most people in today’s society conduct the majority of their lives online, and most hoteliers have an online presence with bookings, having a chatbot can help your guests before they even step foot on property and it could give you an advantage over your competitors. In addition, chatbots can answer thousands of questions at once streamlining your guest questions like never before.

Think of it like this; chatbots are capable of answering thousands of guests at once, compared to a single reservation agent answering questions one guest at a time. Think of that reservation agent’s morale after weeks, months or years of doing the same thing. Wouldn’t your guests be happier if they had access to all their common questions at their fingertips during the booking process?  Something else to think about- when a guest can get their questions answered immediately during the booking process, your property’s upsells and conversion rates will likely increase. One of InnQuest Premier Partners, Triptease offers this solution as part of their direct booking platform.

Mobile Concierge

With more and more travelers turning to digital solutions for convenience, it stands to reason that the addition of a mobile concierge feature to your property would be an asset to your guests. In fact, hoteliers can better engage their guests by offering a mobile concierge service to their guests prior to and during their stays. Cendyn’s Guestfolio is a great option to market your property’s best features. Guests can request items, make reservations at onsite restaurants, and secure activities during their visit with a few clicks. The hotel staff then approves or suggests alternatives to the guests via email eliminating the need to employ an actual in-person concierge. While this may go against the traditional face-to-face interaction your property may be accustomed to, it creates a unique guest experience that guests appreciate. 

Smart Room Technology

Enhancing a guest experience doesn’t necessarily mean interacting with the guest at every turn, it sometimes means providing all the comforts of home away from home, and that’s where smart room technology comes in handy. Hoteliers that have implemented smart room technology allow their guests to customize their room to suite their own preferences. Lights, temperature and televisions can all be controlled by smart room apps sometimes even directly from the guests’ wireless devices. It’s these little conveniences that could potentially create a positive guest experience that keeps your guests returning year after year. Like roomMaster, a modern PMS software will connect to these service providers.

Wrapping up

Let’s face it, travelers today are not only looking for the best bargain, they are also looking for an experience they won’t soon forget. By implementing these small technology changes, you’re not only providing guests with the ability to create their dream vacations, but chances are you’re giving your guests an experience they won’t forget.

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InnQuest Hotel Software is a leading technology provider for the hospitality industry. For over 25 years, innQuest has combined hotelier experience with innovative technology to deliver an all-in-one solution that empowers hotels to attract guests, drive customer loyalty, and increase profits. Our flagship hotel management software, roomMaster, helps manage over 5,500 properties across 100 countries. InnQuest develops scalable solutions ranging from a Hotel PMS, Cloud PMS, Channel Manager, Hotel CRM and helps properties enable guests to Book Direct. We believe that everyone deserves a great guest experience, whether they’re staying at a small B&B, a thousand-room resort, or anywhere in between.

Call us today at 1.813.288.4900, or email us at sales@innquest.com. We will be happy to walk you through innQuest’s solutions.