the spa, or the restaurant are classic examples of getting your guests to increase their spend with you. You can go as far as tracking your guest’s movement within your hotel and send push-based notifications based on that. It is incredibly powerful and brilliant when used properly. It can really be effective and have a posi- tive impact on your bottom line.” Naveen Leer, conference and
events office manager at Whittle- bury Park in Northamptonshire, adds: “Recently, we have given our conference guests their own unique WiFi name so they can instantly see their own net- work when they connect. Although it’s a small detail, it gives an extra person- alisation to the customer experience.“ Cheerfy provides a digital customer engage- ment product to restaurants, bars and coffee shops using WiFi registration as its entry point. Its clients include Taylor St Baristas, Black Sheep Coffee and Autogrill. Chief oper- ating officer and co-founder Adrian Maseda says: “We bring the tailored content created by the likes of Amazon and Google into the physical world of hospitality.” Customers connect to the WiFi and make a one-time registration, typically via Facebook.
(SMS or email) to trigger personalised gifts, vouchers or special offers.
The business chooses how it wishes to engage with its customers. Options include surprise gifts on birthdays, personalised texts on arrival (“Jen, as a healthy foodie, on your fifth visit your favourite salad will be on us.”) or an automatic text to local custom- ers who have not visited for 30 days with an incentive to come back. Maseda adds: “We engage with people in a way that makes sense – vouchers and loyalty cards appear when you need them, when you are in the store. Personalisation is the new thing.
Communication is becoming more tailored to what you want to hear.”
Between 30% and 60% of customers also com- plete a survey to collect preferences and phone numbers. Profiles are further enriched by data from social networks, preferences, reviews, visits, PoS, CRM and predicted traits. Follow- ing the initial registration, no manual check-in or app is required. Operators can see informa- tion about customers when they walk through the door of any branch of the coffee chain or restaurant, and send automatic messages
Case study: Eccleston Square hotel
When it opened in 2011, Eccleston Square hotel in London quickly gained a reputation for being technologically advanced. After recently completing its first major upgrade, we caught up with company director Olivia Byrne.
What technology is around to meet or exceed guest expectations? “At the very least, travellers are looking for a continuation of the technology they enjoy at home. For example, mobile phones have never been more relevant. Guests use them for everything, so businesses need to get the basics right, like having a website that is optimised for mobile phones, including having a booking engine that is highly compatible and attractive to use on a phone screen. Attention spans are short, so it’s important to be able to reply to (potential and actual) guests in real time; utilising AI services like chatbots, or applying chat applications like WhatsApp.”
What are the latest trends in TV and entertainment? “Using a combination of AI and
34 | Technology Prospectus 2020
IN-ROOM ENTERTAINMENT Along with fast WiFi and a mobile-friendly ser- vice (website, booking engine, loyalty), the TV is another essential when it comes to guest expec- tations. Hotel TVs need to be good quality and simple to operate. Of the UK population, 58% watch on-demand video services and nearly two-thirds of business travelers have a Sky TV subscription at home, so both need to be con- sidered when designing in-room packages.
cloud-based technologies including Mews, Atomize and 4K Google Chromecast for screen mirroring, we offer an AI-powered solution for guest information, entertainment and property management. “The hotel provides 4K TV
content, with the technology for everyone to enjoy their own personalised content like Netflix and YouTube. “Our media lounge is ideal for meetings and events, and boasts an
impressive (and huge) media wall. Super-high-speed WiFi and modern technology allows for the screen to be used for presentations as well as private cinema screenings. When not in use for business, guests can watch 3D television, sporting events and films.”
What about in-room automation? “We use Hästens electronically adjustable beds and guests control their rooms using VDA’s Vitrum
glassware collection. These beautiful touch-sensitive keypads have etched icons for each room function and are totally intuitive to use. Interfaces with the hotel’s building management systems mean that hotel staff can automatically set the rooms to a dormant mode, whereby unnecessary items are switched off and the heating/cooling turned down when the room is vacant to save energy.”
www.thecaterer.com
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