The Hyatt Place Durham Southpoint is a 164-room hotel in an accessible, suburban location ideal for many types of travelers. With many hotels nearby, competition for talent is fierce — and retaining quality staff is equally challenging. Management searched for solutions that would help improve employee retention and job satisfaction.
They turned to Canary’s Digital Tipping. As an approved Hyatt vendor, Canary was a natural fit for their needs. With Digital Tipping on board, the property has decreased turnover, increased guest service scores and improved employee engagement. We spoke with General Manager Matthew Smith and Executive Housekeeper Leoni Seneviratne to gain insight into the difference it’s made.
Overall job satisfaction is one of the most important aspects of employee retention, and this Hyatt location has shown they’re serious about making their hotel a great place to work. Being able to advertise Digital Tipping as a workplace perk is great when hiring, but it also ensures their top talent is happy enough to stay.
“Our need to hire and train new staff has been minimal since we implemented Digital Tipping,” said Matthew. “A lot of our employees would leave within a few months before, so it helps so much with longevity and staff turnover. When they know we care about them and want them to succeed, it makes a big difference.”
When housekeepers clean a guest room, they leave a personalized QR code behind. Guests scan it to see the name and photo of the person who cleaned their room that day and have the option to leave gratuity. This personal touch has inspired a tangible increase in the quality of work being done.
“Our cleanliness score has increased from a 92 to a 98,” Matthew said. Leonie added, “Attaching their name to the room they’re cleaning inspires a sense of ownership and responsibility. They get to take pride in saying ‘I cleaned this room,’ and receiving recognition for the good job they did.”
Another way staff get recognized for going above and beyond is through the kudos feature. Guests can leave a customized comment alongside their tip, which 70% of people use at this property. Matthew told us it’s extremely helpful to see these comments and recognize their staff’s hard work. Plus, it opens the door to more connections between guests and staff.
“Our highest single tip for a housekeeper is $100,” Leoni told us. “The guest and the housekeeper realized they were both from the same country and really connected. The guest wrote a whole note about it using the kudos feature. It was so sweet.”
Balancing staff satisfaction with labor costs is a chief concern for any hotelier, but Digital Tipping bridges this gap for Hyatt Durham Southpoint. Raising wages is not always an option, but incentivizing employees through digital tips is an ideal way to improve performance and morale.
“Digital Tipping is the perfect way to enhance housekeepers’ pay without increasing overhead,” Matthew told us. ”We are becoming a cashless society, but it’s still important to create a way to recognize our hard-working team members.”
