Hospitality technology is a very large bucket. It includes everything from back-of-house items like property-management systems (PMS) and accounting software to front-of-house tech like in-room tablets and self-check-in apps and kiosks. Thanks to innovative startups, the bucket continues to grow as new ideas are turned into reality and continue to revolutionize how hotels are run. Today, we’ll focus on front-of-house technology, specifically because there are many new entries into the market that impact both staff and guests in their implementation.
Then there are differing types of properties. We’re going to focus on the main three: select-service, full-service, and luxury. There are additional categories, including extended stay properties, which fall somewhere between select-service and full-service, and casinos and resorts. These all have unique needs as well beyond the main three categories. We’ll reserve those for another blog and look at how hospitality tech can serve the main three categories today.
Select-service properties
We’ve all driven down the highway and seen the numerous options of highway hotels and motels. Many of those are selected-service or limited-service properties, meaning they don’t offer the full array of features like a gym, spa, room service, pool, etc., that many mainstream hotels have. They target a specific type of guest who is budget minded and/or just looking for a place to sleep while on the road. These guests aren’t looking for all the bells and whistles and similarly don’t want to pay for what they are not using.
Select-service hotels often run on very tight margins. They don’t have the additional features that drive higher margins of full-service hotels, and their room rates are lower as a result. Guests arrive at all hours of the day and night (especially along highways or near airports), so staffing is important. If you’ve ever missed a flight and then had to stand in line to check in at 1:00 in the morning while jetlagged, you know how frustrating that experience can be. This is where self-check-in kiosks and apps can specifically alleviate guest frustration and get them to their room (and pillow) faster. The capability of a kiosk or app to check in and provide a key card or mobile key to the guest all without requiring staff intervention, makes for a smooth experience.
Full-service properties
Full-service hotels are the Marriotts and Hiltons of the world and many boutique brands. They’re generally larger than select-service hotels and offer features like on-site restaurants and bars, a pool/spa, room service, valet, and more. They are frequented by business travelers and tourists who want to stay in the heart of a city and enjoy the property amenities. The room rates are commensurately higher than those of select-service properties, and the guests are generally ready to pay for the amenities to enhance their stay.
Amenities are important for full-service hotels as they drive considerable margin and also help differentiate the stay in the guest’s mind vs other hotels. Technology like in-room tablets from companies like Crave can help put these amenities front and center, educating guests on what is available and even pushing special offers based on guest information. Similarly, having access via mobile phone to property amenities puts the control in the guest’s hands, allowing them to order room service or schedule a spa treatment from anywhere without having to pick up the room phone or stop by a service desk.
Staff attention is important to guests of full-service hotels, which means staffing issues can have serious consequences at these properties, impacting guest net promoter scores (NPS). The tablets and apps mentioned above remove the need to approach staff to place a room service order. Additionally, and similar to select-service hotels, self-check-in apps and kiosks can remove much of the staffing pressures, allowing available staff to spend more time addressing guests directly and ensuring a positive experience.
Luxury properties
Luxury hotels are the aspirational properties that we all long to stay at during a tropical vacation. They are the ones that pick you up from the airport in a luxury car and have the highest levels of décor, food, bedding, and staffing available. The commercial of the guest arriving by boat to the JW Marriott in Venice plays on a loop in my mind. You are greeted at the door, and the level of personal attention only goes up from there.
These hotels have fewer business travels, and many of those vacationing at a luxury property want personal attention. That is why the concept of a mobile check-in app or kiosk might be scoffed at initially. But wait! What’s luxurious about standing at a front desk (albeit one of immaculate Italian marble) while the agent taps away at a keyboard? Why not want to have that all done ahead of time before getting to the property? Isn’t true luxury the ability to go straight to your room? For those who want a physical key card, check-in kiosk technology provides staff the ability to come out from behind the desk and provide an even more personable experience to the guest. Staff can engage the guest while they are checking in or even check in for them, just like behind the desk. It opens up many possibilities and enables luxury properties to address each guest uniquely.
Of course, amenities are crucial to a luxury property, and in-room tablets and mobile apps help guide guests through the many offerings available at the touch of a finger. Additionally, companies like MapsPeople provide mapping innovations that can not only help guests find their way at a larger luxury property but also steer them past specific areas of possible interest. In this way, luxury properties and full-service properties are very similar.
It’s all in the delivery
You may be asking yourself why the split of the three categories when almost the same technology can be deployed at each. It’s not necessarily about which technology is being used but how. Select-service properties may firmly direct guests to mobile check-in to deal with the lack of staff, while luxury properties may gently nudge guests towards it as a way to enhance their stay. It’s all in the messaging. Similar hospitality technology can be implemented by every type of property to provide a competitive advantage and enhance guest stays. It’s all in the delivery.
