The hotel industry has opened its doors to the customers post the Covid-19 lockdown. However, they have to take several measures to ensure that the premises stay safe for use for their guests.
While it is relatively easier to maintain safety in the rooms with thorough sanitization, other areas may present problems due to human interactions. That is why most hotels are opting for self-service kiosks these days to enable contactless services for the guests.
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What Are Self-Service Kiosks?
Self-service kiosks are digital touchscreen devices placed at various points in a hotel so that guests can use several services themselves instead of having to rely on hotel staff.
Recent surveys have shown that travelers do not mind staying in sanitized hotels, as long as they don’t have to come in contact with other people and the hotel staff. So hotels are placing these kiosks at strategic places in the hotel so that the guests can take care of the following aspects of their stay.
- Check-in
- Check out
- Concierge service
- Room service order
- Temperature check
Self-service kiosks are not new to the hospitality industry. Several hotels, restaurants, and airline services used kiosks to provide information and services to their customers. However, these kiosks are bulky and expensive, so placing them in each room is not feasible.
That is the many hotels are switching to using iPads as kiosks. Ipads are compact, cost less, and can get installed anywhere using an iPad lock. Since iPads can operate wirelessly, hotels only have to put a charging cable with the iPad lock, and the system is up and running.
These locks make it convenient for iPads to get placed at the check-in counter, concierge, rooms, restaurants, and anywhere else in the hotel. Guests can avail every service in the hotel without coming in contact with hotel staff unless there is a dire necessity.
How Can Hotels Benefit From Self-Service Kiosks?
There are several benefits for hotels to use self-service kiosks in the current post-pandemic scenario.
Better Customer Satisfaction
Hotels can achieve better customer satisfaction using self-service kiosks because the guests will appreciate the lack of human contact. They would also feel safer staying in hotels that provide contactless services for most of their facilities.
Reduce Check-In Time
Self-service kiosks ensure that the check-in time gets reduced drastically. Guests would not need to stand in line for a long time waiting to get checked in, which means they will be able to reduce three chances of human contact even more. Hotels prefer using iPads at the reception counter because guests can use their personal devices to check-in without ever touching the iPad.
Several hotels are implementing a system where the key gets generated in the customer’s mobile phone, and they can use it as a touch device to unlock the room. Guests appreciate that they can sidestep the requirement of a psychical key card and do not have to touch anything until they reach their rooms. They also appreciate the hotel’s approach to reduce plastic waste.
Convenient Check Out and Room Service
The iPads placed in their rooms can also be used to order room service and to check out. It is another beneficial service the hotel can provide, which reduces the chances of human contact. Guests can enter their payment details on the kiosk unless the room is already paid for while they check out. Guests can also connect to the hotel website and take care of all these things on their personal mobile devices.
Personalized Guest Experience
Hotels can use the kiosks or the customer’s mobile devices to provide customized services to the guest according to their preferences. Once the guests connect to the hotel’s management system, they can pick and choose the services they want.
The hotel staff can focus their efforts on those areas to provide personalized care to the customer so that they can have a wonderful experience. Guests can also choose a language of their preference to interact with the services and sidestep any language barriers.
Use the Customer Data for Marketing and Promotions
The hotel kiosks integrate all the information and management systems of the hotel. Therefore, they can be used to promote products and services through the displays on the kiosks while they are idle or in use.
The hotel can promote personalized offers by anticipating the needs of the customer from the data they acquire. The kiosks facilitate streamlined marketing strategies for better responses and increases in revenue.
Post the Covid-19 pandemic, every person on the planet has become cautious of human contact. Hotels are one of the most severely affected industries because the chances of coming in contact with another human being are maximum. By using iPads or other types of self-service kiosks, hotels can make their guests feel safe from the virus on their premises and increase their business.
