Revolutionizing the Guest Journey: Stay Experience

An effective hospitality technology stack should focus on the following seven (7) core areas of the guest journey while delivering a “data process flow” to facilitate the required operational capabilities that align with the hospitality provider’s desired guest experience with consideration for future requirements:

Previously, we explored the technologies in the Inspiration, Purchasing, and the Arrival Experience.  Now, let’s look into the “Stay and Departure Experience” of the guest journey.   A significant function technology covers for these stages is automating standard processes between customer service agents and their customers, effectively saving time and resources for businesses and helping customers answer common queries and problems faster.

From a technology perspective, this stage is also the most crowded section of the guest journey.  Due to this, a key consideration must be taken when integrating disparate systems.  Integration in hotel technology is nothing but connecting data, applications, APIs, and devices to the existing technology stack.  Integrations not only connect but also add value to the existing framework.  They make the hotel technology more efficient, productive, and agile with the capabilities.  Poor or improper integration can lead to operational inefficiencies, lost revenues, and unhappy customers.

Technology is essential in the hospitality industry because it improves operations and the customer experience.  Without it, the workplace can be overwhelming.  But when suitable systems are in place, the staff can provide stellar customer service.  An optimized hotel guest technology experience ensures guests feel welcomed, satisfied, enriched, and valued for their money.  It’s essential that the guest experience feels authentic and unique to every individual to create a lasting memory for the customer and encourage them to return once again.  

Some examples of how technology can impact hotels include:

• Check-in and check-out. Technology can speed up these processes, reducing wait times and making things more convenient for guests.
• Automated services.  Automated services, such as room delivery, customer surveys, and feedback systems, can make service delivery more efficient and cost-effective.
• Guest information.  Guests can access relevant information about their stay, like room amenities, local attractions, and service hours, digitally.
• Customer service.  Hotels can use artificial intelligence (AI) to perform customer service tasks.  AI can also help hotels learn more about travelers to tailor their experience to meet specific needs.
• Marketing.  Hotels can use digital marketing strategies to reach potential guests online and optimize their marketing efforts.
• Sustainability.  Modern consumers often want hotels to be as energy-efficient as possible.

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Useful technology tools for the Hotels at the Stay stage:

• A connected Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to your Property Management System and every other system in the technology stack containing a customer profile to deliver personalization, communications, and consistent service to loyal customers.
• Hotel apps, either mobile or web-based, are an extension of your front desk, concierge staff, booking agents, housekeeping, transportation, and food and beverage teams.  The app should feature the ability to request services, order room service, and reserve hotel amenities such as restaurants, golf, spas, and other events and activities available at the property.  The app should also feature Guest and Staff Communications, which allows guests to communicate with staff and staff to communicate with other staff.
• The Property Management System (PMS) facilitates a hotel's reservation management and administrative tasks.  Critical functions include front-desk operations, reservations, channel management, housekeeping, rate and occupancy management, and payment processing.  If the PMS does not feature enhanced Housekeeping Management or Maintenance capabilities, these systems provide features including process management, room attendant assignment, work order management, and preventative maintenance.
• An Event Management System (or event management software) that streamlines the planning, organization, and execution of events.  It encompasses a range of features such as event registration, banquet event orders, scheduling, attendee engagement, and post-event analysis.
• A Point-of-Sale (POS) system handles the ordering and payments for food and beverage operations and for selling other retail goods or services.
• In-room technology such as smart TVs, Wi-Fi access, and charging stations enhance guests’ comfort and convenience.  These technologies also enable guests to access entertainment options, stay connected, and charge their devices easily.  Guests can use voice commands or intuitive interfaces to control room amenities, lighting, and temperature.  Rather than the guest contacting the front desk for service, a voice-enabled bot reached via an in-room tablet or mobile app can send an alert automatically to summon help faster.  The data collected and stored in the CRM by these technologies can also help improve the guest experience during future visits.

Are you interested in learning more?  This article is the fifth in a series on the technology components in each of the guest journey's seven (7) phases.  Follow Get Hoppy Consulting on LinkedIn for updates, or email me at gregg@gregghopkins.com to discuss your organization’s tech.