By Magnus Friberg CEO, Zaplox
In today’s modern landscape, constantly evolving with increased technological innovation and demand, we all have a world of choice at our fingertips.
Businesses are constantly breaking new ground, embracing rapid marketplace change and redefining the consumer experience. With this realization, comes an increased competitive demand to remain ahead of the curve for each emerging trend, and the hotel and travel industry is no exception. After all, if you’re late to embrace a trend that proves to be a defining factor in a positive customer experience, you could lose that customer entirely.
So, ask yourself: What is the key to a great travel experience? Most of us would likely say a seamless, entirely convenient and ultimately stress-free experience — no last minute ‘hiccups’, miscommunications, additional steps or unexpected delays, right?
This is where Zaplox comes into play, a complete mobile guest experience that take’s care of reservations, pre-arrival messages, mobile check-in, access to hotel rooms with a mobile key, to offers, upgrades and mobile check-out. Everything your guest needs to ensure a totally seamless experience, right there in the palm of their hand. Of course, technology is never meant to be a replacement for face-to-face customer service and guest interaction, but rather, an enhancement. With the addition of Zaplox’s complete mobile solution, you can rest assured that your guests are receiving a seamless, cohesive travel experience, from start to finish.
Travel, is by definition, a mobile activity and the use of mobile devices can enhance the travel experience. According to Statista's worldwide forecast, the number of mobile phone users in the world is expected to pass the five billion mark by 2019. That’s a lot of potential customers whose lives you could make easier, by ensuring all the information they need, and every action required from them, can be found on a device they already own. With this insight, mobile booking and check-in has become an industry norm and expectation across most hotel chains, but why stop there?
What if your guest never forgot or misplaced their room key or had a room key malfunction, because the room key was their phone? What if they didn’t have to comb through a brochure or call the front desk staff to learn about potential upgrades to their room, reservation details and more? What if they could order room service with the swipe of their finger via an easy-to-use, always accessible app. A big anniversary surprise? No problem. Instead of calling ahead to make arrangements, your guest could order champagne before arrival, ready and waiting to impress. Perhaps they fell in love with a product from your spa, or even the irresistible comfort of a bathrobe — they could even order those after departure, right from their smartphone. Easy upsells for your hotel, and an enhanced experience for your guests; complete, customized service with a simple tap or swipe, any time.
This is the age of the smartphone, after all, where the ability to remain constantly connected has become a pinnacle of the customer experience… and it isn’t slowing down anytime soon. With popular devices such as the Apple Watch now offering travel apps such as Passbook, TripCase and Booking Now, convenience has undoubtedly become the ultimate luxury. With this in mind, apps and technologically-forward hotels that make travelers’ lives easier when it comes to travelling, are incredibly valued.
In fact, the development of smartphone technology is more than just the norm across both small and large hotel chains — it’s seemingly taking the hospitality industry by storm, and Zaplox is leading that charge.
The Hong Kong hospitality industry has been at the forefront of this trend, with many hotels now offering mobile check-in and keys, rooms with mobile streaming available (for internet radio), air conditioning (and more) controlled through an app on an in-room iPad and travel guides sent to guests’ phones by the hotel’s concierge. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, because the future is mobile.
With mobile concierge and offers, every guest has access to 24/7 service and travel information, via their mobile device. Furthermore, your hotel will then have access to critical insights regarding guest behaviours, preferences and more, which will allow you to refine and adapt your messaging and offers. In fact, with Zaplox’s administration portal, you can easily create offers that are customizable and adaptable to fit your various customer segments. Even better, you can create, change and configure those targeted offers in real time. And for a deeper understanding of your up sales and operations, you have a user-friendly analytics dashboard at your fingertips. This specification of mobile marketing and guest experience will help you to serve your guests better each time, while improving engagement and ultimately, profitability.
This provides your hotel with the unique opportunity to not only upsell to guests in a more personal, simplified and seamless manner, but it could even change the way in which your staff interacts with your guests entirely.
As discussed in Hotel Owner, Accor hotels has announced a new London Ibis Styles hotel which will remove check-in desks, with the help of mobile optimization. The hotel will be run via an app on the mobile device of each employee, which will free them up to interact with guests and provide a more personal, unique experience as they enjoy the refurbished welcome area, bar and restaurant.
Think about it — what could the staff and guest experience of your hotel look like with the help of a fully integrated and comprehensive mobile solution to aid in every step of the hotel experience? The possibilities are exciting, don’t you think? To learn more about the ways in which Zaplox can transform and enhance the guest experience within your hotel, click here.
