Boutique Hospitality Made Easy with Web-based Application
NASHVILLE—October 13, 2016—The Hutton Hotel, located in midtown Nashville, hosts some of the most well-known artists in the music industry, vacationers, conventioneers and others seeking a home away from home while traveling. Handling guest requests at this bustling 247-room boutique hotel is efficient thanks to GoConcierge, the lodging industry’s leading guest service operations solution. GoConcierge is produced by Los Angeles-based GoConcierge.net.
Concierge, front desk, PBX operations, sales, reservations and other departments all currently use GoConcierge, says Laura Cunningham, Chef Concierge at the Hutton Hotel. “We were the first hotel in Nashville to have it,” she says. “We log almost everything we do for a guest in GoConcierge.” Prior to implementing GoConcierge, Cunningham and her concierge team relied on log books to track guest requests.
GoConcierge is primarily used for task tracking, ensuring that no task is forgotten. Using GoConcierge’s Guest Task Calendar, the concierge team can log and track guest and other requests and tasks quickly and easily. With just a few clicks, these can be entered and located. The calendar is color coded, which makes it easy to highlight open, pending and closed tasks. Point-to-point directions and maps also can be generated quickly. “With the push of a single button the guest has a formal letter with the Hutton logo,” says Cunningham, a Les Clefs d’Or member. An OPERA interface allows hotel associates to quickly populate tasks and put in messages. The interface links the guest to the activity of the guest and saves time having to populate information.
What Could Have Been Difficult Made Easy
Cunningham says the Hutton Hotel recently welcomed a group of 16 people who each had their own highly detailed itineraries. They all arrived on different days. Thanks to GoConcierge, the concierge team was able to quickly and accurately produce the itineraries.
For communication among hotel associates, GoConcierge is ideal, Cunningham says. “It definitely makes it easier to communicate with one another,” she says. GoConcierge is also utilized for guests wishing to reserve tickets for area shows. Flashing lights within the software remind associates to purchase tickets when they are available. “We love the reminder feature,” Cunningham says.
Receivers of packages at the hotel enter the information immediately in GoConcierge. The information is put into a flashing state, prompting another associate to take action. Once the package is delivered to the guest, the task is closed. “We log everything we ship in and out,” Cunningham says.
“If phone operators cannot reach us, they will put a flashing message in GoConcierge,” Cunningham adds.
Sales associates list V.I.P. information in GoConcierge and also order amenities. The Hutton Hotel’s director of food and beverage is a GoConcierge administrator and hotel associates frequently use the Open Table feature to make restaurant reservations. Reservations for the hotel’s spa are also made through the online system.
“The Hutton Hotel has done a great job embracing GoConcierge and having multiple departments get involved,” says Adam Isrow, Executive Vice President of GoConcierge.net. “It is just one example of how GoConcierge adds efficiencies to multiple aspects of the hotel operation.”
Buttons on the GoConcierge screen link directly to frequently visited sites. A customized location database within GoConcierge allows concierges to quickly identify area attractions. “We conduct searches on GoConcierge almost as often as Google,” Cunningham says.
Text Messaging Feature Included
GoConcierge’s text messaging feature, an option for guests, is frequently used to help provide immediate and easy communication. Concierges use the calendar to send instant sms text messages to the recipient’s cell phone. When the recipient responds to the text message, it automatically appears in the Calendar as a flashing message to alert the concierge so the request can be handled quickly.
Reports generated from GoConcierge detail tasks commonly entered such as amenities and car rentals. Reports also allow hotel associates to view repeat guests’ favorite restaurants or other places they like to visit. Cunningham says reports also make it easier for her to manage scheduling for her concierge team.
Cunningham says GoConcierge.net responds quickly to any questions she has and is always trying to teach her new ways to use the Web-based system. “Their customer service is fantastic,” she says.
Summing up the impact of GoConcierge, Cunningham said it gives hotel associates more time to focus on guests and provide a more personalized experience for them. “I could not do my job without it,” she says.
“We are fortunate to work with Laura and her amazing team at the Hutton Hotel,” Isrow says. “It is inspiring to hear how GoConcierge has made such a positive difference.”
