Apped out? - Part 2

Are your guests ‘Apped out?’ Only welcoming words such as these, spoken by humans, convey authentic hospitality.

Honestly, about the only way I would want to use one more app to check-in to my room is if I encountered an exceptionally long line at check-in, due to a hotel manager who has cut staff in order to save enough payroll to pay for the investment in their new app-based keyless check-in system.  

Could it be that there are others who, like me, crave human engagement and random conversations with strangers even more so after the isolation of this pandemic era?  Am I the only one who prefers to ask a human “Where’s a good local’s place for dinner?” or “What’s the best route to take to avoid rush hour traffic?” instead of relying on an app? Am I the only one who enjoys friendly banter with a local human upon arrival? If the conversations I have been having with my fellow travelers of all age groups lately are any indication, I think I am not.

Likewise, when it comes to requesting my extra pillows, coffee pods, or that backup wake-up call at 4 am in case I sleep through my cell phone alarm, I also vastly prefer to just pick up the in-room phone instead of scrolling through 3 pages of my “homepage” to find the right app.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not anti-app and certainly not anti-tech in the hotel space.  I absolutely think hotels and hotel brands definitely should embrace the latest tech and have it available. Indeed, there are some terrific apps out there that have improved service efficiency, especially in the resort and vacation rental sectors where guests stay a long time in a larger accommodation and thus have more issues and questions.  It is just that I advocate for using “tech” in a way that allows us to embrace “touch” when needed.

And I know there may be plenty of tech companies out there armed with surveys they have done that say guests prefer apps over humans, although I would immediately enjoy debating their survey methodology and sample size. 

But even for those app-loving, tech-embracing guests who prefer a touch screen to a smile and kind voice, hotels still need to recognize the importance of human interaction. When the smartphone battery dies, when the app freezes up, the Internet goes down, or when a guest has a special need, request, and especially when they have a complaint, the empathetic words of a human should be immediately accessible. 

So, give your guests the best app out there, but keep plenty of staff around for when they are needed. Most importantly, train your staff to:

• Always greet guests first whenever they pass them in hallways, elevators, corridors, and lobbies. 
• Take a moment to chat-up guests who are waiting for their car or Uber.
• Show interest in their traveling companions, especially children, pets, and the elderly.
• Instead of saying, “How was your stay, good?” ask “So tell me, what you think of your hotel experience so far?”
• Ask where they are from and comment on their local sports teams.
• Upskill your staff’s knowledge of local area attractions and off-the-beaten-path points of interest.  Do not assume that those who grew up in the area will automatically be local area experts.
• Train them to proactively offer these local insider’s tips.
• Get your team to obsess on “the basics,” and do them EXTREMELY well! Eye contact, smiles, facial expressions, and body language. 
• Express empathy before offering an apology.
• Leaders, you especially need to model these behaviors and use them when greeting staff behind the scenes.

P.S. I would like to credit my client and friend, Mr. Peter Cooper, Marketing Director at Resort Realty (Vacations) of the Outer Banks of North Carolina for being the one who to my knowledge coined the term “Apped Out.”

Doug Kennedy is President of the Kennedy Training Network, Inc. a leading provider of hotel sales, guest service, reservations, and front desk training programs and telephone mystery shopping services for the lodging and hospitality industry. Doug continues to be a fixture on the industry’s conference circuit for hotel companies, brands and associations, as he been for over two decades. Since 1996, Doug’s monthly training articles have been published worldwide, making him one of the most widely read hospitality industry authorities. Visit KTN at www.kennedytrainingnetwork.com or email him directly doug@kennedytrainingnetwork.com.

Doug is the author of “So You REALLY Like Working With People? - Five Principles for Hospitality Excellence.”

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