Hotels worldwide are trying to keep up with technological developments and travelers’ expectations, including providing more accessible, faster, and more convenient processes and services.
What could be more suitable for a guest than being able to use their mobile device to contact the hotel staff, order services and even check-in? Not much, since 90% of surveyed millennials shared that they’d like to use their mobile devices for contactless check-in rather than the traditional check-in process.
Mobile check-in services are not new to the hotel industry. However, their use tremendously increased throughout the pandemic for safety reasons. Luckily for hoteliers, hotel guests benefit from contactless check-in and staff members and management.
Besides guest satisfaction and safety, you can increase staff efficiency and drive more revenue. Today’s article will go into detail about mobile check-in for hotels and its powerful benefits.
Improves guest satisfaction
Reduced waiting times
As research shows, most surveyed millennials would prefer a way to save time from queuing at the front desk and waiting for manual processing of their information. And that’s understandable, given how hectic a leisure or business trip can be.
From changing flights, buses or trains, organizing hotel stays and booking rooms, scheduling daily activities and more, it’s natural for your guests to want to save as much time as possible. And as a hotel owner or manager, you should be able to provide your guests with what they need.
Meet customer expectations
Customers expect hotels to offer more efficient operations than traditional check-ins and allow them to quickly and effortlessly enter their check-in details into their mobile devices.
This option significantly improves guest satisfaction by making it possible to easily check in before they arrive at the hotel. Guests can skip the queue and only collect their key from the reception desk or use a digital mobile room key to scan on the door wireless key reader.
In addition, freeing up reception staff’s time allows them to focus on creating a more enjoyable guest experience in different ways.
Improved communication
By implementing mobile check-in options, hoteliers offer their guests constant interaction, even without direct contact. Guests should be able to always contact the hotel staff for additional support and information or if they have any requirements regarding their stay.
They can stay informed and get the personalized experience they need without contacting staff members. You can integrate automated promotions, recommendations and activity schedules as well.
Collect guest data and business insights
As a result, smart technologies collect anonymous guest data based on their activity and searches. Such insights help hotels understand preferred check-in times, trending offers, and guest interests, allowing them to improve their services and offers by focusing on what their guests love the most.
The above leads to increased guest satisfaction, more online reviews, more new customers and more returning guests.
Allows check-in from everywhere
Endless possibilities
Another benefit of mobile check-ins is being able to go through the process anywhere. As long as guests have a good connection and a mobile device, they can check in anytime and anywhere before arriving.
It gives hotel guests the freedom to choose when is the best time for them – while they’re in the taxi on the way to the hotel, while they are waiting for their flight at the airport, or if preferred before they leave the comfort of their home.
Create a relationship before arrival
If you allow your guests to do a digital check in from anywhere, you also create a relationship with them before they arrive. The interaction has already begun, and your staff can focus on individual interests, thus making guests feel special and comfortable from the beginning of their stay.
Another huge advantage is that checking in ahead of time allows hoteliers to stay on top of their guest count, keep track of available rooms and get information ahead of time.
Increases staff efficiency
Many hotel guests prefer the contactless check-in solution, given the opportunity to use mobile self-service technology. This means many of your potential guests would check in on their own, freeing a significant amount of the front desk staff’s time. The same technology could be used for the check out processes too.
Decreased workload
Employees can not skip most administrative components such as entering guests’ details, ID card numbers and payment information since they would already be in the system. That minimizes the chance for a staff member error as well. Instead, staff can focus on providing exceptional hospitality services in other ways.
Mobile hotel check-in doesn’t free hoteliers from the responsibility to provide front desk staff but can reduce the necessary amount of people. For example, in a hotel that typically requires the presence of three front desk employees, implementing a mobile check-in solution can reduce this number to one employee.
They will need to check in the people who didn’t do it online and give out the room keys if the hotel doesn’t have digital mobile keys.
Refocus on delivering exceptional services
After the guest has entered their details, the web redirects them to another page where they can share their room preferences or order a special meal to be delivered to their room number upon arrival.
Entering their preferences online frees up staff members from personally checking in on every guest and saves their time. They can directly focus on the task and meet guests’ expectations right away.
Drives more revenue
A powerful marketing tool
Hoteliers can implement mobile check-in for hotels via web-based or native applications. These applications can additionally serve as a powerful marketing tool to further promote hotel services and drive more revenue.
Exclusive offers and information
After a successful check-in, the app can redirect the hotel guest to a landing page with exclusive offers or an informational page where they can learn more about the hotel’s amenities, organized activities, events and available products. They can upgrade their room type or choose a room with a particular view.
Some examples of possible products and services that you could promote include but are not limited to:
- Spa sessions and massage
- Fitness and leisure facilities
- Guided tours
- Private dining room
- Luxury pillows
- Towels and toiletry
- Buffet breakfast
- Special meals and beverages
Weekly newsletter
Another idea is to include a page where guests can subscribe to the hotel’s weekly newsletter and thus grow your email list. In your newsletter, you can inform your previous guests about new services, hotel locations, events, rooms, exclusive offers, and regular updates.
This is a valuable opportunity for hoteliers to improve brand loyalty, make guests a part of their community and make them into returning customers, potentially driving more revenue.
Gain insights
If such a web-based or native app is properly integrated with the hotel’s property management system, it will gather and showcase invaluable customer data. You can safely collect customer contact details and gain insights into your most popular offers and services.
Analyzing this information helps plan future offers based on seasonal demand and increase your revenue.
It’s safe and secure
Health considerations
Contactless check-in options allow hoteliers to reduce the amount of time people spend in communal spaces, thus protecting staff and hotel guests from risky in-person interactions. In addition to meeting the international health and safety standards related to the Covid-19 pandemic, mobile check-in is safe and secure in another aspect.
Data protection
Due to recent year events related to the release of personal data from international corporations and hackers breaking into data centers with sensitive data, it’s no wonder that people have become extremely cautious about the digital sharing of their details.
Customers are often expected to provide ID or passport numbers, addresses, names, and banking details in the hospitality industry.
Reliable verification
Fortunately, mobile check-in gives customers the peace of mind they need. Using powerful software and data encryption allows quick and safe verification by matching names with scanned ID photos. It also protects essential banking information and minimizes the possibility of human error.
Hotels now implement secure registration methods requiring minimal information, and every guest knows what data they need to provide.
Tips for implementing contactless check-in
Suppose you are a hotel manager or owner, and the mobile check-in benefits outlined before convinced you to implement it in your hotel. In that case, below are some tips for a seamless and smooth transition.
It’s essential to start communicating with your guests and inform them about the new possibility before arriving at the hotel. You can send a check-in link immediately after a booking or at least 12 hours before they come. This way, they will be fully informed about the steps they need to take and what information they need to provide.
Another good practice is to send an email with details regarding the hotel’s safety measures, cleaning schedules and similar. Add on-site signs explaining the check-in process and check-in points for further clarification.
FAQs
What are the benefits of mobile check-in?
Mobile check-in provides benefits not only for hotel guests but also for hotel management and staff members.
The five main benefits of mobile check-in for hotels are:
- Improved guest satisfaction
- Available check-in from anywhere
- Increased staff efficiency
- Increased revenue
- Safety and security
What is the advantage of checking in online for a hotel?
Hotels can benefit from online self-check-in by reducing the need for front desk staff. Instead, staff members can refocus their efforts to deliver an exceptional guest experience. Management can rely on secure data transfers and keeping their customer banking details safe.
Is it important to implement mobile check-in in a hotel?
Hotels worldwide started implementing digital solutions as part of their digital transformation strategies. Most of them, including mobile check-in, aim to improve staff productivity, decrease workload, and increase guest satisfaction. It’s essential to incorporate such technologies to gain a competitive advantage and show customers you are up to date with the latest trends.
How does mobile check-in benefit hotel guests?
Hotel guests benefit from mobile check-in by reducing their time queuing at the front desk. They can check-in online from anywhere before they arrive at the premises and reduce risky interactions to a minimum.