Overview:

In today’s digital age, the hospitality industry is evolving rapidly, with more and more global brands looking at technology as a way to engage with their customers. They spend millions of dollars in the facilities that attract a certain class of user base. Smaller and newer, yet exclusive luxury resorts provide premium experiences like health and wellness programs for their niche target audience.

With simple and thoughtful tech integration into their proposition, like a native mobile app, these brands could facilitate and enhance the experience of guests to the next level.

The need for tech for a hospitality brand:

It is almost impossible to argue against the need for technology in any industry today, but here are a few statistics that straight-up end the debate.

  1. 70% of millennials are likely to book holiday accommodations using a tech amenity like mobile payments, Smart TVs, or keyless entry. (PwC)
  2. Smartphones account for 43% of the total travel-related requests. Besides, they account for nearly 23% of all logistics-related searches. (McKinsey & Company)
  3. Hotel app and other hotel technology influence the booking decisions of 70% of travellers. (Intelity)
  4. 91% of people would like the ability to choose their hotel room as they would take a seat on an airplane. (I-AM)
  5. 47% of people use their mobile devices first for finding interesting spots, events and restaurants when away from home. (GuestRevu)
  6. 77% of people would like to request room service and other hotel facilities through the use of their mobile. (Oracle)
  7. 52% of millennials want to manage loyalty on their mobile devices. (Oracle)

It is an obvious fact that technology will enhance the brand’s credibility and make the customers experience smoother and better. Besides, it will also have a great impact on the cost of operations for the hotel.

Contactless check-in and check-out means no waiting lines at the reception. Booking room services and others alike through a mobile app means no human intervention answering phone calls. These are just to name a few.

Let’s dive deeper into the kind of features and services an app should have that will truly impact a hospitality brand.

List of features and services:

Hospitality apps can be accessed through smartphones or tablets, and they aim to improve the guest experience by providing convenient and personalised services. Additionally, these apps can also help hotels and other hospitality businesses to streamline their operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. The key features that will ensure this are as follows.

  1. Online booking: The most basic ‘must-have’ feature a hospitality app can have is the ability for guests to book their reservations online. The user experience includes browsing for rooms based on dates, preferences and budget, booking the room and paying for it online.

  2. Personalised recommendations: Knowing your guest by asking a few questions on the app goes a long way. This helps the app suggest personalised recommendations like events, activities, food, wake-up calls, etc. 

  3. Service bookings: Every guest is different and visits the hotel with a different purpose. Services like spa, cabs, laundry, in-room dining, restaurant table booking can be seamlessly offered through the mobile app. Moreover, guests should also be able to book for room service through the app.

  4. Push notifications: Throughout the stay, push notifications of timely reminders of meals, events, daily bills and other promotional offers will aad great value to the guests.

  5. Mobile check-in and check-out: Contactless check-ins and check-outs is the most value adding feature for the hotel as well as the guests. Not only does this feature eliminate the time spent by the guests in a check-in line at the reception, but it also reduces the operational cost for the hotel to cater to it.

  6. Property map: Big hotels have huge properties spread across acres of land. As enticing as it is, for an unknown place that the guests want to explore, a property map on the mobile app comes in handy.

  7. Loyalty program integration: Many global hospitality brands have loyalty programs that offer various benefits to customers. The mobile app can integrate with the loyalty program, allowing customers to view their rewards and redeem them through the app. This feature enhances customer loyalty and strengthens the relationship between the brand and the customer.

  8. Localisation: Global hospitality brands cater to a diverse audience, and localisation is crucial in providing an excellent customer experience. A mobile app can provide language support, local currency, and relevant information about the destination, making customers feel more comfortable and confident when booking accommodations in a foreign country.

  9. Marketplace: More often than not, global brands of hotels have a range of luxury retail shops in their premises. Guests would love to shop from the app for their products and the hotel can charge a commission for every sale. 

The tech stack:

The system as a whole includes a super-admin panel, a hotel management panel, an Android app and an iOS app for the guests. A system of this scale and sophistication  requires a solid framework supported by an equally robust and elastic tech stack.

  1. Data Structures – MongoDB
  2. Super-admin Panel and Hotel Management Panel
    • Frontend (UI/UX) – React.js/Next.js
    • Backend (API) – Node.js/Python
  3. Application backend (API) – Node.js/Python
  4. Android App (UI/UX) – Kotlin
  5. iOS App (UI/UX) – Swift

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