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Phone screens: The latest, greatest way to personalize guest stays

A business traveler’s hotel stay is nothing like a vacationer’s stay, so why is new technology always aimed at one and not the other? This conundrum is behind the recent excitement about beacons, which offer hoteliers amazing ways to expand customer service for all types of travelers. 

Small, low-energy beacons use Apple technology to communicate with Bluetooth-enabled devices like smartphones. If a guest has downloaded a pass into Passbook or has downloaded the hotel’s mobile app (links sent in the reservation-confirmation email), beacons can recognize the individual’s smartphone and interface with back-end systems to send messages to the phone’s lock screen. 

For hotels, the number of potential uses are staggering, ranging from streamlining check-in and check-out to facilitating concierge services, easing transportation worries and enhancing meeting experiences. 

Many hotels use check-in kiosks, and some allow guests to scan a QR code on their phone screen rather then keying in a registration code. Beacons eliminate that step. Imagine a business traveler whose phone screen displays a personalized welcome message the moment he enters the lobby for his stay: “Welcome back to ABC Hotel, Mr. Connolly. Please swipe to check in.”

After confirming his stay, Mr. Connolly is given a room number and directed to an area where he can quickly pick up his key card. Over the next few years, many hotels will change their door locks to remove even that step. Check in while sitting in a lobby chair, proceed directly to the room, swipe a lock-screen message while standing at the door to the room and it will unlock.

This type of quick check-in is ideal for business travelers but not for vacationers or VIPs. Instead of contacting the guest via lock screen, the system can be set up to notify front-desk personnel that a group leader, family or VIP has entered the lobby. Armed with an iPad, the front-desk clerk locates the guest/group, checks them in, distributes key cards and answers questions about amenities, special arrangements, area activities and upcoming events.

Beacons can also help expedite a large influx of guests, such as a shuttle bus arriving from the airport. Travelers receive a lock-screen message notifying them the beacon-enabled shuttle has arrived at their terminal, and the front desk can be notified when the bus passes through the property gate — a signal to deploy check-in personnel with iPads and key cards to the lobby.

Check-out is a different story — all categories of travelers want the quickest process. With beacons, instead of a paper bill slid under the door, your guests will see “Thanks for staying with us! Slide to view your bill” on their lock screen. Tap a button, and they’re checked out — no need to call or stop by the front desk. 

From martinis to pool towels

Hotels have a rare opportunity to get creative when it comes to beacon-enabling everything from lobby displays to amenities. They can start by placing a beacon outside the door of a restaurant or café so guests walking by see a message about that day’s food or drink specials. Similarly, a guest walking by the spa might be offered a discount on a service they received last time they stayed at the property.

With slightly more work on the back end, hotels can set up drink or snack ordering by phone in the bar or lobby. The guest receives a message (“Welcome to the Lobby Bar, would you like to order a beverage?”), swipes to bring up a menu and make a selection, the bartender fills the order and the beacon allows the waiter to deliver it to the guest’s location. The same type of system can be used for any item to be delivered, including towels at the pool or a first-aid kit in case of a minor injury.

Beacons also make sense for the concierge department. Imagine not having to tidy or refresh stands displaying flyers about area attractions. With a beacon, each guest receives a personalized message about events and activities when they get near the concierge desk. Guests may have indicated preferences when they made the room reservation or simply receive information based on tickets they’ve purchased in the past. After making his selection, the guest either taps a button to book or receives a message such as “The concierge will confirm and distribute your tickets; please step over to the desk.” 

Your event team will appreciate the appeal of beacons to meeting planners. Imagine booking a meeting room and giving the names and emails of attendees to the hotel. Each attendee receives a meeting confirmation with a pass to download onto his or her phone. When attendees arrive at the hotel for the meeting, they’re greeted on their lock screen, told the name or number of the meeting room and offered directions. Because the message is prompted by a beacon interaction, those who don’t make it to the meeting won’t receive that message or any subsequent ones, like offers of meeting-related materials.

Think convenience — not sales

Beacons offer a way to bring an appropriate level of service to your guests based on their preferences and status (last-minute bargain versus full-price returning VIP). Of course, hoteliers must be judicious about their use. Too many beacons or irrelevant lock-screen messages may cause guests to uninstall the app, severing an important hotel-guest connection.

The key is back-end systems that tie together iBeacons with customer-service applications that “remember” guest preferences and make it easy for guests to change them or opt out of certain services (e.g., “Never notify me at the airport”).

Used thoughtfully, beacons can greatly enhance guest stays while helping hoteliers understand even the most subtle guest preferences.

 


Timothy Perfitt is the CEO of Twocanoes Labs, Naperville, Illinois.

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