Nearly everyone uses a smartphone nowadays. Recently, one of my coworkers admitted that if she forgets her phone at home she always goes back home to get it because her day is a total loss without it. A whopping 68% of smartphone owners sleep with their mobile device within arm’s length. It’s safe to say that the majority of us are “mobile-dependent.”
In this Hotel Business Review article Derek White, President of Interactive & Media Networks at LodgeNet Interactive Corporation, explains how now is the right time to build your mobile strategy infrastructure. If you don’t have time for the complete article, a quick summary is below.
Don’t just accept mobile; embrace it. Hospitality can easily enhance the guest experience by offering a mobile app that allows guest to control their experience in the palm of their hand. This includes check-in, check-out, room services orders, requests for extra amenities (towels, pillows, etc.), local services for daily excursions, and more.
Increasing the mobile app capability to connect before and after a guest’s stay is an additional win. A guest’s vacation begins with planning the details of their stay. After their stay, your guests can be your greatest advocates. Including a dialogue after your guests have left is a no-brainer. Offer them a virtual tour of their room before check-in, connect with them on social media during their stay, and ask them to review their stay once they’re gone.
Integrate your mobile offerings rather than treat them as an add-on. The increased use of mobile devices is only going to grow; adopting mobile apps now assures your mobile strategy will be an integral part of your services.
Building the proper infrastructure with a commitment to IT investment is paramount to your mobile strategy. From housekeeping to the general manager, a staff-wide commitment to embrace the mobile app is also vital.
The opportunity for mobile is now. Early-adopters made many of the mobile mistakes already; while they may have a jump on the competition, hotels just starting to integrate mobile in 2013 can learn from their mistakes. By looking to other hotels that have already incorporated mobile you can see what guests’ expectations are – use that to build your mobile strategy. Building a mobile strategy takes time; don’t wait until your guests are walking away to give them what they want.
Have you adopted a mobile app? If so, do you have recommendations for fellow hoteliers?
Stay tuned as we follow up with more about mobile strategy all next week, too! We’ll be taking information from all the resources to make it quick and easy for you to get what you need to know.
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