Daily, hotels experience a steady stream of post-booking, pre-arrival requests. Entertaining these guest requests can actually represent the majority of the guest/hotel interaction for any stay. Yet, hotels often fail to recognize that pre-arrival engagement has more of an impact on the guest experience than the perfunctory front desk key pick-up ritual.

Fortunately, some hotels are using intelligent automation to not only reach out to guests but also to provide frictionless fulfillment of guest requests – that doesn’t disrupt normal hotel operations.

Operational Realities

Manually managing guest requests presents a myriad of problems, mostly from inconsistency. With a manual process, a hotel has no good way to receive and record requests except via the reservation confirmation page or by telephone. The lack of a centralized system makes it difficult to prioritize guest requests, resulting in delays and dissatisfaction, with the strong possibility of hurting revenue and your reputation in the process.

For the hotelier, an automation tool such as ROOMDEX achieves consistency, error reduction, and incremental revenue. But don’t be fooled. Automation is an enhancement to service levels, not a replacement. The truth is that not all guests open all their emails and not all email arrivals correspond to exactly when guests realize they need something. So, the front desk will still field requests. But by reducing the number of requests to be managed, overall service accuracy is improved.

The Impact on Competitiveness

The measure of a hotel’s service levels is undeniably intertwined with its capacity to adeptly handle and fulfill guest requests. In this era of reviews and reputation, competitiveness requires the embrace of smart automation. Hotels that prioritize and invest in these solutions are better positioned not only to meet but exceed guest expectations, fostering lasting satisfaction and loyalty in a dynamic and competitive hospitality industry.

Read the full article here.