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Necessity is the mother of invention. Rarely has a phrase rung so true than during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lockdowns and travel restrictions posed significant challenges, but technological innovations helped hoteliers survive, providing them with the tools to deliver a safe, contactless experience for guests and staff.
But with the recovery now underway, hoteliers are under additional pressure to meet guests’ rapidly changing needs for a personalized, connected experience. To win back business, it’s becoming increasingly important for hotels to equip guests with the ability to control and tailor every aspect of their stay from a mobile/cell phone.
That’s why solution providers such as P3 Hotel Software are capitalizing on the Oracle Hospitality Integration Platform (OHIP) to attract guests. With P3 solutions, hotel operators can implement a fully automated online check-in/checkout system, eliminating all the back-office tasks typically associated with guests arriving and departing from a hotel. The P3 booking engine also has many features which help reduce manual labor due to its deep integration with Oracle Hospitality OPERA property management system.
What’s possible now
OHIP brings to life many new features that previously were not possible, but which will help drive operational efficiency for hotels and make life easier for guests.
P3 has already identified functionality such as managing room shares or split bills that will be possible when checking in online. Booking engines can look at the hurdle rates which can then indicate to the user if prices are likely to go up soon – thereby increasing the propensity for someone to book now.
The availability of new functions means that special group booking portals can be built, allowing small groups of tour operators to fully self-manage their own online group bookings. Such a system would drastically reduce the hotel back-office administrative work that revolves around managing tour and event bookings.
Imagining the future
Fast, simple, efficient integrations will be essential for hoteliers to introduce new products and services that will allow them to maintain marketplace relevancy and differentiate themselves from competitors. Let’s fast forward five years and envision what this digitized future means for hotel operators and guests:
Zoe is a business traveler who has just arrived in the United States from Asia. As she queues at passport control in the airport, Zoe receives an SMS on her phone reminding her that she hasn’t checked into her hotel yet.
She clicks on the URL and is brought through the online check-in process, where Zoe now has an opportunity to tailor her stay at the hotel. She can select a preference for her room location, such as near an elevator or on the ground floor, or in-room amenities like a bath, a large desk for work, and window view.
Some of these might be chargeable extras for the hotel or the guest could decide to upgrade their room for a fee. The guest can also configure their room in a way that is personalized for them.
Zoe might like an extra bottle of water in her room on arrival or perhaps she has forgotten her toothbrush and needs to order a toiletry pack. She may also enter her expected time of arrival at the hotel, which, along with all her selections, are fed back to the operations or housekeeping team.
An hour before the guest’s expected time of arrival or when their room is ready, the system automatically checks the guest in and a new SMS is sent to them, saying that their room is ready, and the staff look forward to welcoming them at the hotel.
A simple URL on the SMS message directs Zoe to a room portal where she can now start to manage her in-house requirements as she makes the 45-minute taxi journey from the airport to the hotel. She can now use her phone to order room service and tell the hotel what time she would like it delivered to her room. Zoe can also set the temperature of the room before her arrival or arrange a wake-up call. The room management portal allows guests to download the room key directly to their Apple or Android Wallet, so Zoe can use her phone to open the door to her room. She will also have an option to request that a room key is waiting for her on arrival at the hotel in case her phone battery is very low.
The room portal is not just for pre-arrival arrangements; Zoe can manage her entire hotel experience. While at the hotel, she can book a breakfast time to ensure there is no waiting in the morning, a spa treatment, golf tee time or even to have a virtual chat with the concierge.
When it comes time to check out, all Zoe needs is her phone. She receives a prompt via an SMS or email with details of her bill. Any items that were charged directly to her room can be seen on this online bill, which is easily settled without the need to go to the hotel front desk.
This high level of self-automation is great for guests who can now manage their stay more effectively without constantly waiting in line. It also means hotel staff can be deployed in a better way to serve guests and engage them.
Anticipating – and meeting – guests’ needs faster
This hypothetical scenario is closer to reality than you think. It’s imperative for hoteliers to anticipate guests’ needs and fulfill them by embracing technological advancements. P3 solutions’ profile management, payments integration, and corporate booker functionality are all designed to facilitate a more reliable and robust booking system that fully integrates each reservation, thereby reducing guest pre-arrival tasks. This means your guests can experience a swifter more relaxed arrival experience and receive greater levels of service – which, always, is the ultimate goal.
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