siliconindia | | March 20209of check-in, allowed guests to have breakfast wherever & whenever they wanted, and offered complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.As we approach 2020, many of these services are now commonplace in major hotel chains, but at the same time, this forward-thinking company stood-out from the crowd. By doing something different and putting its guests' needs first, the company gained considerable brand loyalty.We have now reached a stage where apps can help to customize every element of the guest's stay. By harnessing big data and using a targeted marketing strategy, companies tailor every stay to the specific needs of each guest, from which hotels they prefer to book and who they usually travel with, right down to what type of view they prefer from their window and how soft they like their pillows. If a hotel group gets this right, they will gain a customer for life. Behave like a Retailer: Another way of enhancing the customer's in-app experience is by simplifying it. Probably the world's most successful online company is Amazon, which has achieved global acclaim for the simplicity of its online ordering process. Features like `Buy With One Click' and `Order Again' make the entire shopping experience highly user-friendly.By bringing this convenience into the hotel booking eco-system, hotels can elevate themselves above competition. For example, hotel apps and websites are now very image-led. So why not allow guests to book directly by clicking a room image, or make a restaurant reservation directly via the photo gallery? If we remember a guest's preferences, we can allow them to make the same reservation again. By creating direct booking paths and removing unnecessary clicks, we can make the customer's journey much easier. We are retailers after all, so let's think like retailers.Let's remember just how important it is to stand-out from the crowd. 93 percent of all buying decisions start with an online search, and Google alone processes approximately 3.8 million searches every minute. Moreover, results that appear on the first page of a Google search get 91.5 percent of the traffic, and by page three, this shrinks to just 1.1 percent. So yes, it is very important to appear at the top of search. But the easiest way to avoid this dogfight is to rise above it ­ go direct to the customer, give them a bespoke experience, and encourage them to come back to you.It is wonderful to think that in this modern age of technology, the fundamentals of hospitality remain the same as they always did: to deliver exceptional service. By providing customer-centric, stress-free support at every brand touchpoint, from your app to your hotel, companies will gain loyal guests and achieve positive word-of-mouth recommendations. As the industry becomes even more crowded, hotels that put their guests first will succeed. KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor
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