Digital adoption in the hotel industry is on the rise. Guests no longer want to wait at the reception desk to complete their check-in process. They want quick self-service and a better customer experience. Contactless technology can help hotels overcome this issue.
Hotels can attract customers and provide them with a remarkable experience using contactless solutions. These solutions can also play a vital role in driving more customer reviews.
Let’s discuss how hotel businesses can leverage contactless solutions to improve the guest experience, make more money, and drive customer reviews.
Importance of Positive Guest Reviews
Guest reviews are critical for a hotel. 82% of consumers read online reviews of local businesses, and hotels are no different. Too many negative reviews can simply fend off potential customers. Positive reviews, on the other hand, can help your hotel business in the following ways:
· Increased credibility
· Confirmation of reliability
· Easy decision-making for customers
· Increased online visibility
· Free marketing
Now, how can you get more positive guest reviews? One way is to simply ask for them, through personalized guest surveys You can also use QR codes to drive customer reviews. Put up a QR code on the reception, linking to a feedback page. When checking out, guests can scan the code and provide feedback.
Secondly, you can encourage your guests to rate your services by providing an exceptional customer experience. The following points discuss how you can increase customer experience and get more positive reviews.
Contactless Check-In
Imagine a guest entering through the sliding door. They’ll be greeted by the gatekeeper before walking to the reception and completing the check-in process. This process is time-consuming.
Now, imagine a guest walking in through the sliding door, pulling out their smartphone, and using NFC or scanning a QR code with a logo to complete the check-in process. No need to contact the gatekeeper or the desk clerk.
Keyless Entry
Eliminating room keys can benefit hotels in many ways. They can be tedious to handle, and guests will always need to be conscious about where they kept them. Keyless entry capabilities allow guests to unlock their doors from their phones. Melia Hotels International, a Spanish Hotels chain, provides keyless entry by providing NFC-enabled bracelets.
Digital Travel Information
Pamphlets and paper brochures with travel information are things of the past. They’re bulky and difficult to handle. On the other hand, accessing digital information on mobile devices is faster and easier to handle.
Hotels can replace travel and tourism brochures with digital travel guides. One way to do so is by sending a URL to a web page that lists all the attractions and cool things to do. You can also put up QR codes on the reception and link them to static pages listing nearby attractions and activities.
Digital Menus
Each hotel has a restaurant and a unique kind of food to offer. When guests stay at a hotel, they always want to visit the restaurant and try the food. Most hotels allow guests to order food in their rooms. They keep a menu card in each room, allowing guests to check the dishes available.
However, physical menu boards have a drawback. They don’t provide real-time information. Guests can’t figure out if a dish mentioned in the menu is available. They make up their mind to order a dish and call the kitchen to place an order, only to find out that their order can’t be fulfilled. This can adversely affect the customer experience.
Hotels can overcome this hurdle by providing a contactless restaurant menu. You can put up a QR code menu on each hotel room’s wall and on restaurant tables. Guests can scan the code to get real-time visibility into the menu, along with the dishes that are available and out of stock. This can go a long way in boosting customer experience.
Post-Stay Communication
Engaging with guests after their stay provides hotels an opportunity to understand the guest experience, obtain feedback, and engage with relevant communication. Incorporating post-stay surveys in email marketing campaigns, sending relevant offers, coupons, or referral incentives will improve customer satisfaction, and provide actionable data for hotels to improve operations.
Wrapping Up
COVID-19 has slowed down the hotel sector. But there’s no denying that it has also catalyzed the adoption of touch-free technologies. As the world enters the post-pandemic era, hotels are making efforts to bounce back and bring their business back on track. Contactless solutions can help hotels ensure customer safety, improve customer experience, and drive more reviews.