It’d be fair to say that hotels have largely lost the booking battle to OTAs, but there’s one area they are trying to fight back to capture customer data and that’s in the in-stay experience.
After all, that’s when they have the captive audience from the moment of check-in to check-out; and advancements in technology are enabling some hotels to “map the customer experience”, said Tejveer Bedi, group director revenue management of Singapore-based Park Hotel Group.
Tejveer Bedi: Opportunity for hotels to regain the hotel experience.
The group, which currently has 16 properties in 11 cities in Asia Pacific (APAC), has launched a proprietary app at its Grand Park City Hall property. With this app, the hotel says guests can spend less time waiting in line when they use digital check-in; unlock their key-less access to their guest floor and room; provide feedback and request for assistance; and control in-room lighting and climate temperature.
Grand Park City Hall is the first test bed in the group because it is currently in the midst of a multi-million dollar renovation to give it a fresher, more modern look that will sit well with a younger audience who’s clearly the key target of this app, which has been co-developed with Singapore-based startup GTRIIP.
The idea is guests get a pre-arrival email to download the app and when they arrive, a staff member will explain its use. For guests who do not wish to download the app – yes, we can hear eyes roll, who wants another app – the hotel has prepared 120 mobiles on standby and for “Luddites” – (someone who opposes technological progress) – there’s always the fallback physical room key.
Hotel staff demonstrating the app
The catch is though, they will have to use a panel (a mobile device stuck to a wall) to control in-room lighting and other services. So the thinking is, customers will find this too fiddly – which it is because I tried it – and use the app.
Which has turned out to be the case, said the staff who showed me the room and demonstrated the app. “We find that the next day, they usually come down to reception and ask for the mobile phone because they realise it’s easier and more convenient to use the app,” she said.
Since its launch last August, the app has seen 5,000 downloads across both IOS and Android. Generally younger guests have been quicker to use it. “The app is less about booking, but more about enhancing customer experience and increasing engagement time with our guests,” said Bedi.
“We’ve seen an increase in our ability to capture customer feedback before they get onto TripAdvisor. It gives us opportunities to have that one-on-one communication with our inhouse guests.
“One of the things people like about Airbnb is that one-on-one chat with the host, this app allows us to have that.”
To ensure operations is aligned with the service promise, the general manager and the operations team were involved with the project from the beginning. It’s taken roughly 18 months of development work and the biggest challenge was, not surprisingly, integration with existing tech systems like the OPERA property management system.
With the heavy lifting done, and a template developed, the plan is to roll the app out across its properties.
The other challenge is in the communication with guests, and orientating them in the use of the app. So while check-in time has been reduced for the actual check-in process, whatever time that’s been saved now goes into orientation. “But once guests get it, we can see a definite uplift in their customer satisfaction,” said Bedi.
Phone panel in the guestroom
As more hotels develop their own apps, a big question is, what happens to in-room devices such as Handy (run by Hong Kong-based Tink Labs) because one thing is clear, guests can’t use too many apps for a short hotel stay. During my last stay in Hong Kong, I realised the Handy device I was given did not act as a hot spot, which rather limited its usefulness to me.
Back to the Grand Park City Hall app – Bedi said the data collected through the app is integrated into the hotel’s CRM which then helps the property enhance current stays as well as future stays.
The hotel is also conducting a pilot test for guests to check in anytime, anywhere using facial recognition technology. What this means is guests can be at Changi Airport and checked into the hotel before their arrival at the lobby.
Said Bedi, “This is an opportunity for hotels to regain the hotel experience. We’ve lost a lot of ground capturing customer data with more bookings going through OTAs but now this gives us a chance to get to know our guests better and build stickiness with our brand.”
