With the advent of smart technology, your hotel has the potential to create positive guest experiences like never before. By leveraging real-time location data along with guest preferences and behavioral data, the delivery of highly-personalized information can be created to arrive at just the right moment in every step of the guest journey. A hotel can now automate the cultivation of a custom stream of messages that is unique to each guest—from personalized greetings and activity recommendations to loyalty program rewards and operational alerts.
Hotels already have implemented traditional guest experience programs that include on-site signage, maps, event schedules and information on local attractions—all in support of creating positive guest experiences that differentiate their brands and support customer loyalty. Hotels typically solicit guest feedback and make process improvements to address common pain points discovered, like dinner reservations, roomservice and spa appointments. However, traditional tactics are limited in their ability to personalize content and deliver just the right message to the right guest at the right time.
Right now, most hotels are beginning to explore the potential of mobile technology in their business, taking baby steps with a static mobile app across many properties. However well intentioned, these businesses are missing out on the potential impact mobile can have on a guest experience program when combined with location and other data for delivery of highly customized messages throughout a stay. Modern hotel operators already have access to customer data reflecting loyalty and preferences; augmenting that with location data can easily be accomplished using beacons which are easy and cost effective to install.
Hotel Propery = Internet of Things
Let’s start by exploring the idea that today’s hotel is not so much a physical property as an Internet of Things (IoT). Booking information, guest preferences, rewards, restaurant and in-room orders and security information provide terabytes of data each year that can be used quite easily to delight guests. Once you look at the property in that way, you can start to use mobile to deliver compelling, relevant experiences to guests both on and off property.
However, just having all that customer data does not ensure success. Your organization will need a game plan for the planning, creation, management and measurement of a guest experience program that utilizes the data. Various business units must unite and work toward common goals. Through many critical steps—preparation of your physical venue, alignment of resources, setting of goals, creation of high priority experience categories and the measurement and optimization of results—your organization will realign itself around the customer experience, and in doing so, will see increased loyalty and revenue.
