With the constant evolution of technology and ever-changing consumer landscape, we frequently bear witness to forced adaptation amongst large and small businesses. Across industries, business owners often recognize the rapid tides of change approaching their brand, services or solutions. Hoping not to be left behind, they often work feverishly to prepare for impending changes by adopting responsive, small-scale updates. Adapt and evolve is the key to survival in a hyper-competitive consumer market.
The hospitality industry is certainly no exception to this rule. Today, more than ever, hotel guests are as smart as they are selective. They want to enjoy a complete and innovative stay experience.
One of the most noticeable changes affecting the hospitality industry is the omnipresence of mobile devices. Across the hospitality industry, we’re seeing the rapid implementation of mobile functionality-based solutions to satisfy guest preferences and convenience. Within this growing trend, leading hotels are already investing in branded apps, improved booking technology, mobile keys, mobile concierge services and more.
In this post, we’ll dive deeper into mobile keyless access, which has captured the widespread interest of hoteliers and guests globally. There are a number of reasons for this, one of them being the environmentally friendly and sustainable nature of a digital key in place of a non-recyclable plastic keycard. Additional factors for this growing interest are increased security and time saved by bypassing the front desk.
Mobile Change Driven by Millenials
Mobile devices are in the possession of almost all guests today, especially millennials. The rapid rise in mobile device usage has produced a permanent sense of immediacy and change in the way we interact with one another. Mobile keyless access delivers a solution for the demands of guests by providing a convenient, secure and simplified alternative to a traditional check-in experience.
Let Your Guest Take Control
Today’s customers want more control over their interactions with your business, and guests staying at your establishment are no different. The more you can put them in the driver’s seat, the happier they’ll be. While the concept of self-service may, at a glance, seem to contradict the perks associated with the hospitality experience, many guests now expect more control and overall frictionless guest experience. In many instances, having complete autonomy over your user experience and interaction with a brand is, in fact, perceived as a luxury.
Self-service solutions such as mobile keyless entry offer the opportunity to create a far more personalized option for guests; because the technology can be configurable to match the changing needs and situation of each individual, it can adapt to each consumers’ changing needs, desires, behaviors, etc. letting the guest have full control throughout their stay.
Today’s tech-savvy, mobile-first travelers want the freedom to choose how and when they interact with your hotel, they want the ability to be self-sufficient. They expect their travel experience to be free from stress and inconvenience and have a desire for self-service capabilities when it comes to their hotel stay, from check-in to check-out.
The Rise of Self Check-In
One would assume that self-check-in – also called mobile check-in – is a fairly new phenomenon: however, this is something that’s already implemented across various points of the travel journey. In many airports, it’s no longer necessary to stand in a line to get your boarding pass, and people expect the same kind of easy, technology-driven check-ins at the hotels they stay at. Where guests previously expected to be greeted by front desk staff, guests now want control over their check-in experience, with many preferring a mobile check-in option.
While most hotels today have a front desk that is much the same as it was two decades ago, self-service check-in is becoming the new standard. Some brands like CitizenM Hotels have done away with the front desk altogether, opting instead for self-service kiosks in their lobbies.
In Conclusion
Tomorrow’s hotel guests are already here. Hoteliers that understand consumer trends and respond to the changing needs of the emerging and tech-savvy generation of guests will be best positioned to attract and retain guests in the year ahead, and certainly into the future.
Hotel mobile keyless entry has significantly reshaped the hospitality industry and transformed guest expectations. As mobile continues to occupy more importance in the consumer’s daily life, evolving your guest experience to include their mobile device is imperative in order to drive guest engagement, increase revenue growth and remain competitive.
