Balancing the need for speed and guest expectations
You arrive at the hotel after been kept waiting all along the way to get there; waited to be picked up to go to the airport, waited at the airport to board the flight, waited to get off the flight, waited at the airport to be picked to get to the hotel – only to be kept waiting once again, as you stand restlessly at the desk, whilst the front desk agent staring at a terminal, types away furiously. You just about had it.
In today’s fast moving world, people dislike waiting, especially when kept waiting in the dark. When they want arrive at a hotel, they expect to receive service within a few moments, and then be able to proceed to their room. They expect instant results.
What creates these expectations? Guests tend to build their expectations based on previous encounters, be it during an earlier visit to the same hotel or in another hotel they went to earlier, where they experienced a fast yet engaging check-in. They naturally expect to receive the same level of speed without compromising on the quality of the service.
Furthermore, the rise of rapid-fire communication technology via the internet has bred people’s expectation of instant gratification. We’ve been conditioned into immediate returns. This has put a lot of pressure on service industries such as hospitality because people are used to getting things faster. Speedy responses have become a paradigm in our everyday life and a delay, however tiny, is cause for a complaint.
Checking in at a hotel seems like it should take a few minutes. But operators know that a number of factors affect the experience, with small issues having a large say on how fast guests can be processed. Hotels are in a constant state of flux where rooms are being made available and then occupied, and when, for example, a guest has requested a specific room that is no longer available, the check-in process grinds to a halt.
Hotel mobile check-in, also known digital check-in, is a recent development that enables guests to not only complete the process before arriving at the hotel but also allows them to receive room keys (mobile keys and other check-in information instantly on their phones. It skips having to wait at traditional check-in lines at the front desk, but if the specific room that was requested is not ready or no longer available, what then? Wait until the app gives the room number to allow unlocking the room door. And, that will occur only when the room is ready.
The checking-in process has many touch(less) points. Some of these touchpoints can turn into pain points, particularly when it involves a pre-determined check-in time, waiting when there are long lines at the front desk and having to wait until the room is ready - especially if one should arrive a few minutes before check-in time. As described earlier, digital check-in eliminates the need to wait in a queue. But does it address the other two pain points?
It’s no different when using the same check-in app for digitally ordering room service right from the comfort of one’s bed without having to lift the phone to make a call. Yes, it is easy and convenient, but does it have any impact on the speed or room service delivery to the room or eliminate delays?
Some hotels have adopted a 24-hour check-in strategy to improve customer satisfaction. While it may be ideal for guests, it just isn’t viable unless there is an adequate excess of rooms and staff for the system to work all-year. For example, if all guests decide on an early check-in and late check-out, there will not be sufficient time to clean and prepare the rooms in anticipation of the arriving guests. The risk of having no rooms available at the time a guest wants to check-in, may compel the hotel to turn the guest away or be kept waiting.
Although many guests appreciate the empowerment of doing things themselves, some may not be as perceptive as others. Many customers, especially the older ones prefer face-to-face interaction, even when waiting in line, as this adds to the overall welcoming, full service feel of a luxurious hotel.
Keep in mind not all age groups may feel comfortable with digitalizing the hotel check-in process. Although solutions are often intuitive and easy to use, some of your guests may have limited technical knowledge which makes them unable to complete the process. If your hotel is known for its service standards, then an online mobile check-in can conversely harm the guest experience.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Ex-Hotelier
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