Contactless payment, contactless ordering, contactless shopping, contactless check-in, contactless registration form filling and contactless service. What is already the norm in many areas of system-relevant businesses will soon play a role for hotels as well.
The world has changed in a very short time, behaviors that were unthinkable a few weeks ago are suddenly normal and even expected. This development cannot simply be reversed, the change is here and will remain in our minds for some time.
That’s why it’s important to take action now to be prepared for the post-lockdown period. No one really knows what that time will look like, when it will come, or what the occupancy rate will be in the lodging industry. We don’t want to make any forecasts here, we want to show you simple ways to prepare now for the time ahead. A slow easing of the lock-down regime and a slow recovery will come, that much is certain. The only question is when.
Hygiene measures for your staff and guests
There is no question that additional cleaning measures will have to be taken in the future. This should be done calmly and carefully, and employees as well as guests should be explicitly made aware of the new hygiene regulations.
Let’s remember that the top priority in any action is to slow the spread of the virus. One of the safest measures is still to minimize contacts and to maintain social distance even if lock-down regulations are relaxed. For the hotel, this means keeping contact with guests (for example, during check-in, guest service and guest communication) as low and short as possible, and in the best case, of course, avoiding it. But then how is the hotel operation supposed to function at all? The keyword, as already mentioned at the beginning, is ‘contactless’.
Contactless check-in, registration form and guest service at the hotel
With the BYOD approach (Bring Your Own Device), contactless service becomes possible. The technology is based on a web app and allows guests to check-in via their own smartphone (without having to download an app) and access all the information that is usually communicated at check-in or via a guest directory via their own smartphone. In addition, services can also be booked in this way – contactless. There are no physical touch points with the guest and the guest does not have to access hotel tablets that are used by all guests and therefore pose a greater risk of virus transmission. With your own device you feel safe as a guest, you have control over the disinfection of the device yourself and contacts are minimized.
Printed guest directories in the rooms can therefore be replaced by a Digital Guest Directory that guests always carry with them (on their own terminal device). Guests thus have all services and hotel information on their own smartphone. In addition, check-in can be replaced with contactless Digital Check-in – also via guests’ own smartphones.
Social distancing and hygiene are topics that will continue to accompany us and shape the image of public places as well as hotels and will continue to be present in our minds. The way we interact with guests will change, if only temporarily.
Find out in a free and non-binding phone call with our experts Alexander Haußmann and Benjamin Müller about how you can enable contactless check-in, registration and guest service in your hotel business.
