For hotels, digital transformation is not just a buzzword anymore. It is a stark reality they need to come to terms with fast.
The consumer demographics for hotels are changing at a rapid pace. Today, Millennials and GenZ, two generations most accustomed to modern technology, occupy more hotel rooms than Baby Boomers.
To keep it simple: to cater to their Millennial and Gen Z guests, and all guests in general, hotels need a complete digital overhaul of their services.
Doing so will make things easier, faster and less complicated for everyone - the guests and the hotel staff.
Tl;dr - hotels NEED digital transformation in today’s fast-paced & technology-oriented world.
So far, we have made the problem statement clear - most hotel guests today love technology and want everything quick.
Now, for the solution, we don't mean to brag, but we have sort of cracked the code for appeasing these tech-savvy guests: bundle everything they want into an app.
That's it! No secrets withheld whatsoever.
Following this ideology, MyCONECT has created a plug-n-play digital hospitality product that simplifies digital transformation for hotels.
And it does so by dividing the digital transformation process into two broad categories - Guests and Staff, offering an app for each, namely the Guest App and the Staff App.
Let’s look at the wonders of these apps in more detail.
Let's zoom in on the first member of MyCONECT digital hospitality platform - the Guest App.
The Guest App is a powerful autonomous tool that allows guests to plan their entire stay at a hotel using just their smartphones.
Meticulously crafted to pack every imaginable feature, this app integrates seamlessly with the hotel PMS to offer an extensive and real-time stay experience to the guests.
Here are some of its prominent features:
We have taken all the care to add every aspect of the room-booking process to the Guest App.
For the guests, this translates to:
The Guest App also comes with an “upselling” feature that hotels can use to offer ancillary services like room upgrades, superior stay packages, etc.
Empowering guests to perform the check-in process by themselves, without any intervention from the hotel staff, is slowly but surely becoming the norm. And MyCONECT is all for jumping on the self-check-in bandwagon.
Using the Guest App, guests can notify the hotel of their registration (app logins), perform the necessary check-in steps within the app on arrival, and proceed to their rooms. The app allows guests to check-in using their hotel membership, confirmation number(s) or OTA credentials.
If the guests reach the hotel well before their check-in time, they can put in a real-time request for a waiting room. The app will automatically notify them when their booked rooms are ready to check-in. Also, when the guests complete the check-in, the app offers guests a list of all services available at the hotel.
Instant self check-ins are also available for guests without any prior reservations at a hotel.
The valet parking feature in the Guest App is our way of saying goodbye to hotel parking woes forever. Like other real-time services in the app, the valet parking service allows guests to push a request for a valet before they arrive at the hotel.
This service also allows guests to find a parking space within a 2 Km radius of the hotel, and then request a valet.
Mobile keys are on the path to becoming the new normal for locking and unlocking hotel rooms. Thus, we had every reason to include mobile keys as an in-app feature in the Guest App. These are truly contactless as guests don't have to touch any physical key or keycards at all. Upon arrival, the hotel will authenticate the mobile key using which guests can lock/unlock their room(s) as well as access to the hotel elevator.
Mobile keys also work in conjunction with keycards. And guests can choose to have both the mobile key and the keycard at once. Hotels can also re-issue mobile keys or provide multiple mobile keys for the same room for the people accompanying the registered guests.
Also, the app comes equipped with access area control protocols that synchronize with the mobile key(s).
Now, instead of calling the reception whenever they need something, guests can punch in service requests in the app. When a guest forwards a request, the staff will receive the notification in real-time, prompting them to attend to the request immediately.
Guests can also monitor the status of their requested service(s) in real-time. In addition, we have added an SOS feature in the app to help guests in case of emergencies.
Environment-cautious guests can avail of this service to refuse all bed sheet and bath towel replacements.
Also, when a guest activates this feature, the housekeeping staff will receive a "non-disturbance" notice against their room. And this notice won't be revoked unless the guest re-requests the housekeeping services.
The Guest App allows guests to use their smartphones as a remote control to operate in-room appliances such as TVs, ACs, thermostats, lighting, etc.
The self-check-out feature makes it uber-simple for guests to end their hotel stay. Under this feature, the app offers guests a tab covering their stay costs. The guests just need to clear their tab(s) before they check out, and that's all. Also, when checking out, guests can request the valet service and leave the hotel premises on a good note, all without going to the reception even once.
Check out our article on the Staff App, Guest App's inseparable complement here.