As guests have become more technologically savvy, meeting their demands for curated, quick experiences is one of the most important elements of a hotel’s competitive edge — and one of the key ways that modern hoteliers are doing this is through digital concierge services.
Digital concierge services, also referred to as virtual concierges, are reshaping the hospitality landscape. By providing guests with tailored experiences and insider travel insights, this technology complements physical concierge services by answering questions instantly, sending exclusive offers and checking guests in and out in seconds.
A hotel digital concierge is a virtual personal assistant that can assist guests with simple requests, answer questions and perform automated tasks. They help hotels deliver unparalleled service to their guests by providing them with instant access to the information they seek, reducing the burden on hotel staff and freeing up their attention to handle more personalized requests.
A digital concierge is always available, extremely responsive and capable of passing guests’ information on to in-person staff as soon as it becomes necessary. Additionally, digital concierge tools that integrate AI into their functionality can become even more intuitive at solving guests needs — and hoteliers are wise to stay ahead of the curve. In one use case, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts tapped Canary’s new AI-enabled Guest Engagement Platform, equipping them to offer guests seamless digital service from check-in to checkout across more than 6,000 properties.
There are multiple benefits of digital concierge services that extend to both guests and hoteliers. At their core, virtual concierge solutions provide a better, more satisfying guest experience. They also improve efficiency by automating manual and repetitive tasks, freeing up your staff to focus on solving more complex problems and building more meaningful relationships with guests.
1. Offer multi-language translation and support
When guests have questions about the hotel or need assistance making a booking, multi-language translation and support can ensure that they get accurate answers in whatever language they feel most comfortable conversing in.
2. Handle room upgrades and upsells
By offering room upgrades and upsells at opportune times, digital concierge services can both improve the guest experience and boost a hotel’s bottom line. Hotels using dynamic upselling tools increase upsells by up to 250%.
3. Make transportation arrangements
Digital concierge services are useful tools for reducing guest friction, especially when it comes to travel logistics. If guests need transportation arrangements (such as to and from the airport), a digital concierge can help organize these services.
4. Manage online check-in
With online check-in, guests are able to use their own mobile devices to check-in to the hotel on their own time. This reduces the lines at the front desk, in addition to streamlining the administrative work required for front desk staff.
5. Field guest requests
When guests need services, such as housekeeping, room service or late checkout, they can begin the request with the digital concierge. In many cases, the digital concierge can handle these directly, or forward them to the appropriate department of the hotel. This can be especially handy in instances of maintenance requests, as a digital concierge can automatically create tickets and solve guest issues directly.
6. Build out itineraries
Because digital concierges are equipped to provide personalized, local recommendations, they can be a resource for planning extra experiences such as tours, activities and spa treatments, in addition to offering recommendations for dining and activities.
7. Provide 24/7 messaging
Even if a hotel is staffed 24 hours, hotel workers might not be available around-the-clock to answer questions immediately. Through a digital concierge service, guests can receive instant responses at any hour, regardless of how busy front desk staff may be.
8. Automate feedback requests
Capturing feedback is an important part of ensuring that guests’ expectations are met. With a digital concierge, hotels can automatically request feedback as part of the checkout process, which allows them to address negative reviews and highlight positive ones.
You’ve learned about the use cases of a digital concierge in hospitality. How do you implement them? One of the most efficient ways to incorporate digital concierge services into your hotel operations is through messaging technology. Here are two types of messaging technology that can streamline guest service:
With all the benefits of using a digital concierge, you may want to implement one right away. Not so fast! Before adding any guest-facing technology to your hotel, it’s important to plan carefully. In the case of a digital concierge, here are five tips we have for you to increase customer satisfaction, boost revenue and streamline operations:
The digital hospitality landscape is changing rapidly — in the race to meet guest expectations, you can’t afford to fall behind. Virtual concierge services help ensure your guests experience superior service and that your hotel operates at maximum efficiency without placing any extra burden on your staff.
To learn how Canary Technologies can help your property add digital concierge solutions to your guest experience playbook, schedule a demo today.
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