What are the guest interactions that set your hotel apart? You’re likely thinking of in-person exchanges, like the service your staff provides or the amenities that contribute to a memorable stay. These all influence the guest experience, a long-held cornerstone of the hospitality industry’s metrics for success.
But equally as important and often overlooked? The digital guest experience.
The digital guest experience refers to every digital experience a guest has with your hotel, from online booking to on-site tech. Today, we’ll delve into the minutiae of what the digital guest experience is and how hoteliers can deliver the best one possible.
The guest experience encompasses every interaction an individual has with your hotel. For example, this includes:
By contrast, the digital guest experience includes every digital interaction someone has with your hotel. This encompasses your website, social media channels and any self-service technology offered both after booking and throughout their stay. It reflects how seamlessly and effectively your hotel connects with guests in the digital space.
Many things can encompass the digital guest experience, including:
While on-site guest experience is important, modern travelers also value convenience. In fact, 73% of travelers now prefer hotels with self-service technology.
Not only does providing these options improve the guest experience but it also reduces staff workload by letting technology handle the rote, day-to-day tasks. For example, introducing self-service check in options has been shown to reduce front desk work by up to 50%.
This means that hotel staff can focus their attention on the things that require a human touch, and guests can take charge of the tasks they want to handle on their devices.
One example of a hotel prioritizing the guest experience is The Wigwam. This large resort in Arizona is known for its white-glove service. But with an average of 125 guests coming and going each day, the volume of travelers created extensive work for hotel staff and long wait times for guests in the lobby. To address this, their management team began looking for a tech-forward solution.
“We knew that a mobile, contactless check-in solution of some kind would help us create a more streamlined experience,” said Kendall Clay, Director of Rooms at The Wigwam. “When we found Canary’s Contactless Check-In solution we knew it would do the trick.”
After implementing Contactless Check-In, the Wigwam was quick to see big benefits for both their guests and staff. “Shortly after the launch of Canary’s solutions at our property, we noticed a 50% increase in front desk efficiency and a 10% increase in guest satisfaction scores,” said Kendall.
To read more about the impact of Canary’s digital solutions on The Wigwam, view the full case study here.
Investing in digital solutions for your hotel can have a big impact on the guest experience…but deciding which solutions are worth spending money on depends on your property’s specific needs.
Addressing the right pain points ensure that you’re getting the most out of your tech investment and creating the best experience possible for each guest.
Issue: Guests queuing up at the front desk to check in and out result in long wait times and stressed hotel staff.
Solution: Implement a mobile check-in and checkout solution. This gives guests the power to check in and out right from their phones, limiting front desk lines and giving staff the right information — with no crowded lobby in the process.
Issue: Authorizing guest payment methods requires time-consuming back-and-forth between staff and guests.
Solution: Find a digital authorizations provider that eliminates the need for paper or PDF forms to gather guest information more quickly and securely.
Issue: Guests aren’t sure how to make requests and have to wait around for responses through multiple channels.
Solution: Invest in an AI guest messaging platform, which can answer over 80% of inquiries and responds to guests instantly.
Issue: Guests experience difficulty trying to find out information about the hotel and nearby attractions.
Solution: Replace in-room paper compendiums with a digital alternative that guests can access from their own devices.
Issue: Guests are only offered upsells at the front desk when they’re preoccupied with checking in, and can’t buy add-ons when they want them.
Solution: Incorporate a dynamic upselling solution that intelligently gives guests the ability to add on to their stay at a time when they’re most likely to convert.
It’s quite possible that all of these pain points resonate — but you may want to consider tackling one thing at a time to fully measure its impact on the digital guest experience. Some solution providers allow you to add only the products you need, providing a flexible solution no matter your hotel’s size.
It’s true what they say: You can only improve what you measure. Feedback is one of the most important tools in your arsenal of metrics — and fortunately, it can be gathered all throughout the guest journey. Here’s how to track the guest response to their digital experiences:
Investing in new technology should make your life easier, not force you to constantly switch back and forth between a slew of software. That’s why selecting guest experience solutions that integrate with your tech stack is so important.
Canary’s digital guest experience platform plugs in seamlessly to your current tools, scaling with you as your hotel operations do. From pre-arrival communications to on-site services and post-stay feedback, with Canary’s suite of helpful tools, you can easily enhance the guest journey. Book a demo with us today to learn about how we can help!
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