Booking hotel rooms and additional optional services online isn’t exactly a new concept. We’ve long since reached a stage where most hotels now take the vast majority of their bookings via the internet. Even so, the speed at which mobile technology is transforming the face of the industry is no less than remarkable.
An accomplished hotel mobile app can make your experience as a hotel guest even more convenient and enjoyable. From reservation and through to departure, the entire experience can be simplified and enhanced using mobile technology.
According to technology experts at Nonius, the future of the industry lies in the untapped potential of mobile devices.
But, what are the most significant benefits of an intelligent hotel mobile app for you as a guest? How can something as simple as a bespoke mobile app transform your next hotel stay?
Contents
Easier and Faster Reservations
Source: YouTube
For one thing, mobile technology has simplified all aspects of the reservation process from start to finish. Booking a room is now so easy. You need to make a few screen-touches from any connected device. Particularly when a hotel has its own dedicated mobile-optimized reservation system, it really couldn’t be easier to make both planned and urgent bookings from any location worldwide.
Convenient F&B Reservations
Source: istayapp.com
A custom mobile app can be used to simplify the process of making restaurant bookings, or even communicate your requests directly with the hotel’s F&B department. That could include accessing menus, special offers, and recommendations from the F&B department at any time of day or night.
Convenient Communication
Source: Hotel Management
High-quality communication lies at the heart of every enjoyable hotel experience. It’s just that sometimes, you’d prefer to access the information you need without having to contact a member of staff directly. Frequently asked questions answered at the touch of a button, with the option of contacting reception with text queries directly from your mobile device – all entirely possible with an advanced hotel mobile app.
Feedback and Suggestions
Source: Enuke Software
Chances are, you’ll have opinions to voice and ideas to share at the end of your stay. Or perhaps, at various junctures throughout your stay at the hotel. Rather than the usual end-of-stay comment card, a smart hotel mobile app makes it quick and easy to submit feedback, leave comments, and make suggestions at any time.
Mobile Check-In and Mobile Key
Source: Skift
Checking in via a mobile device is exponentially more convenient than queuing at a reception desk in an old-fashioned way. You enter your details via the app, confirm your arrival, and receive the information you need to access your room. That can be particularly useful where keycodes are used instead of traditional door locks, or smart locking systems that can be activated directly via the app.
City Guides and Information
Source: Compare and Choose The Best One
Anyone visiting a new town or city for the first time will naturally have questions in the surrounding area. From tourist attractions to local amenities to transport maps and weather forecasts, this is all the kind of information that can and should be provided for easy access. Whether traveling for leisure or business, a smart app packed with information about the hotel and its surroundings really could make all the difference.
Loyalty Perks and Privileges
Source: Twitter
If you’re a regular guest with one or more hotel brands, it’s only right that you expect certain perks and privileges. The days of the classic loyalty plastic card are long gone, having been replaced with more convenient digital alternatives. The ultimate example of which being a bespoke mobile app, allowing guests to view their status, exchange their points for perks, and make the most of their stay. Not to mention, communicate special requests directly with hotel staff to make the most of your VIP status.
Room Control and TV Remote
Source: mc3 AG
There’s even the option of controlling a variety of in-room functions and features directly from your mobile device. Examples of which include lighting, air conditioning TV channels, and access to on-demand content – all at the touch of a button. It’s even possible for your preferred settings to be stored for future stays, ensuring your room is as you like it to be the moment you walk through the door.
Trends in hotel digital marketing
The hotel industry is expanding at a dizzying pace. With millions of hotel rooms (and other types of accommodation) available worldwide, having a unique brand image and exceptional service are ‘sine qua non’ conditions to stand out.
Mobile applications allow you to create a very personalized experience. Thanks to them, customers can request different services just when they want. It works very well when, for example, ordering food service in the room. Also to be able to pay directly with the mobile.
Source: Hotel News Resource
Also, using instant messaging tools such as various mobile apps, you can interact with the guest throughout the stay, not only to listen to their demands but to propose things that may be interesting.
Finally, you can also link our ‘extras’ as spa, restaurant reservation, wellness services, swimming pool… on our Facebook and Instagram pages, so that if a potential customer sees our services, you can book them at the moment.
A lot is being talked about chatbots lately. Are they growing or decreasing? What is clear is that with the impulse of artificial intelligence, chatbots will gain presence. They are handy to solve specific doubts of our clients and will give freedom to our call centers or receptionists to meet other more personalized demands.
In the end, the advance of artificial intelligence and machine learning will turn these chatbots into a kind of intelligent humanoid.
It is something that, as we say, will give more room to our receptionists, who will be able to customize their dealings with clients more efficiently. In such a digitized world, some guests arrive at the hotel looking for a total digital disconnection. Therefore, being able to serve them in a personalized way, with more exceptional care and better treatment, will also be essential to be able to retain them.
Conclusion
Source: Travel Tripper
Hotel mobile applications are rapidly changing the face of leisure and business travel worldwide. Convenience, communication, service quality, and so on – are all taken to an entirely new level through something as simple as a custom hotel app.
Whether it’s checking in before your arrival or booking your place at the hotel spa at the touch of a button, you’re bound to benefit from the latest advances in mobile technology for hotel guests. Most of which are expected to become the new norm for quality hotels worldwide within the next few years.
