Around the world, consumers are becoming more and more reliant on self-service, leveraging their own smartphone to take care of everything from bank errands to order food. Thus far, the hotel industry has been slow to adopt mobile technology, but the Covid-19 pandemic has become a driving force in the digital transformation.
Increased urgency to reduce lines and streamline the check-in process
In the hotel industry, traditional check-in and checkout are manual processes that are time consuming for both guests and the hotel. Before receiving the room key, guests often have to wait in line to finalize the guest registration and provide a credit card for future room charges. At checkout, guests have to, yet again line up at the front desk to settle the hotel bill. As many guests arrive and leave around at the same time, lines build up during peak hours, causing not only staffing challenges and frustration among guests, but also makes it impossible to keep the current required distance.
Mobile guest app enhances the contact with the hotel staff
Contact-free check-in and checkout allow guests to completely bypass the front desk and instead use their phone for the different steps and they can also use the phone to unlock the hotel room door. This significantly minimizes physical interaction between staff and guests, but give the guest the possibility to at any time – pre-stay, during the stay or post-stay – communicate directly with the staff in the app. The hotel can share promotions, hotel information, local activities, or other important messages to the guest.
Great opportunity for promoting upgrades and guest services
Not only does the use of contact-free mobile check-in improve guest safety, but it is also an excellent opportunity to promote room upgrades and to upsell the hotel’s auxiliary services such as spa treatments, golf packages, and meal plans. It helps boost the hotel’s profitability while guests appreciate the convenient access to additional services that make their stay more enjoyable.
A turnkey contact-free mobile guest journey
Zaplox provides everything your hotel need to deliver a safe and convenient mobile guest journey with contact-free mobile check-in, checkout, and mobile keys—in one seamless, custom branded app that is fully integrated with the leading PMS and lock systems. Guests can skip the lines at the front desk and instead use their phone from the time of reservation to check-in and checkout. With less pressure on the front desk, the hotel can reduce their staff and focus the resources on more value-adding and revenue-generating tasks.
