If you think guest messaging is the way of the future when it comes to hotel communications, you’d be wrong. It’s already here. As more and more people rely on their smartphones for daily tasks, the way they communicate has shifted as well. Approximately 8.4 trillion text messages were sent globally in 2022. That factors out to be about 690 billion a month, 23 billion a day and 16 million per second.
NB: This is an article from Intelity
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So, if you want to meet your guests where they’re at — your best bet is through their smartphone.
It’s estimated that 90% of consumers open a text within 3 minutes of receiving it, making guest messaging an even more appealing communication option for your hotel. So, what is guest messaging? Just like sending a regular SMS message, hotels can seamlessly guide guests through their stay by communicating via text message. This is a great way to improve guest satisfaction, while lowering the chances of guest recovery.
Here are 3 reasons why adding a guest messaging platform to your hotel communication strategy is now a must:
Enhance Your Guest Experience
When it comes to improving the guest experience, immediate access to and immediate response from hotel staff is key, and guest messaging helps your property achieve just this. According to a 2022 study by Hotel Tech Report, 70% of today’s travelers prefer to communicate with hotels via digital channels, such as live chat or SMS. Hotels need to include guest messaging as part of their communication plan in order to engage with guests in a way that’s important to them.
By utilizing guest messaging, hotel staff can check in on guests once they arrive to their room and ask if there’s anything additional they need. Conversely, guests can message hotel staff to request extra towels or a forgotten toiletry item, allowing staff the opportunity to fill requests in a timely manner. Guests can even request and place room service orders via guest messaging, eliminating the need for staff to answer room service phone calls and allowing them to focus their attention on more timely tasks.
Improve Operations Through Automation
How do hotels communicate with guests in a way that improves both the guest experience and staff operations? By using automated guest messaging. When a property automates its guest messaging, the manual toll on the front desk staff can be significantly reduced as their time is no longer tied up with guests asking questions about onsite activities or local dining options.
Front desk staff can focus on more immediate and timely tasks, while automated guest messaging can act like a virtual concierge — answering all their questions about the property and beyond. Bottom line: By adding guest messaging to your hotel communication strategy, it saves staff time and increases guest satisfaction.
Receive Instant Feedback
By using automated guest messaging, properties can receive instantaneous guest feedback. This also lets a hotel catch and fix a negative guest experience while the guest is still on the property, lowering the chances of guest recovery. Guest messaging can also engage more reviews from satisfied guests by sending automated review requests.
Hotel communication through guest messaging isn’t just a novel concept — it’s a necessity. By seamlessly intertwining technology with traditional hospitality, hotels can offer a more personalized, efficient, and proactive guest experience.
So, how do hotels communicate with guests in a way that improves both the guest experience and staff operations? Through guest messaging!
