Opportunities with digital guest directories

While hotel apps and chatbots are currently in fashion in the hotel industry, automation through digital processes goes much further. Although hotels themselves are part of the service industry, more and more are taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by ever-evolving technologies in order to offer their guests cutting-edge holiday experiences. With the advent of digitalization, guest services in the hotel industry have transformed from a purely transactional service into something more interactive. It's no longer rare to see digital check-in and check-out, self-service kiosks in hotel lobbies, or digital communication with staff via hotel apps. In fact, in certain categories of hotels, guests have come to expect these things as standard.

In the hotel industry, process optimization goes hand in hand with automation. If a process is automated using technology, the goal is to optimize that process. For example, lobby robots can lighten the load of front office staff and help answer guests’ questions.

This is precisely SuitePad’s goal—to optimize hotel processes through digital automation and reduce costs. The SuitePad process cycle below demonstrates how this works!

The SuitePad cycle for continuous hotel improvement

SuitePad is not just an investment in digital guest directories—it's also an investment in a digital solution that delights your guests, optimizes hotel processes, and generates a sustainable increase in turnover.

1. Implementation and automation

Following the initial investment in SuitePad hardware and a monthly software fee, the automation process through digitalization begins immediately. SuitePad allows you to digitalize your guest directory, hotel room entertainment, room service, spa and restaurant reservations, the hotel telephone, the remote control, and so much more. Hotel staff can set up automated push notifications or pop-ups in the back end which are then sent to all the SuitePads in the hotel, or to individually specified rooms. Hoteliers who already use SuitePads find this function particularly useful for letting guests know about special offers, services, or events. SuitePad also automates requests for limited room cleaning. The “Green Option” feature is a pop-up that appears on the SuitePad in a guest's room after check-in and gives them the option to opt-out of daily room cleaning. Not only is this good for the environment, but it also reduces your cleaning costs as a hotelier! An optional PMS interface enables even more automation. For example, guests can be welcomed to their hotel rooms with a personalized greeting on the SuitePad device.

2. Process optimization

How does SuitePad help you to optimize your processes? To put it simply, SuitePad optimizes by digitalizing as many functions and processes as possible with the in-room tablet. For our customers, their cross-selling and upselling processes are the main focus of optimization. You can use the SuitePad guest directory's hotel shop function to showcase products, advertise room service and spa packages, and give guests the chance to request or book them immediately. Guests are much more attracted by these creative, visual representations than the ordinary room service lists of food and drinks in a traditional, printed guest directory. As a result, demand for these additional services greatly increases. SuitePad also optimizes the process of updating guest directories. Gone are the days of manually swapping printed guest directories after every tiny change. Digital guest directories can be updated with new content by the hotelier or receptionist directly in the clutter-free back end with just a few clicks. The feedback process is also optimized thanks to SuitePad. Check in with guests during their stay to see whether they are enjoying their holiday, deal with any potential complaints quickly, and therefore prevent negative reviews after they leave.

3. Reducing costs

As we briefly touched on earlier, SuitePad doesn't just optimize processes using digital automation, but also saves money by doing so. Savings can be made on:

• Cleaning costs: During a short holiday, daily room cleaning is often unnecessary and not actually something that guests want. The “Green Option” allows your guests to decide for themselves whether or not they would like daily room cleaning. When considered over the course of a year, this function could save you a lot of money. In our Hotel Esplanade Bad Saarow's success story, you’ll learn how the hotel saved €1,500 a month, all while helping to protect the environment!
• Hotel telephone costs (and replacing the remote control): SuitePad is multifunctional and guests can use it not only as an information, reservation and entertainment tool, but also as a hotel telephone and TV remote control.

4. Increasing sales through cross-selling and upselling optimization

It’s one thing to reduce costs, but it's another to increase sales – SuitePad can do both! Unlike hotel apps, SuitePad tablets are available to use right in the hotel room. Appealing images and interesting texts with a personalized flair encourage guests to take full advantage of everything the hotel has to offer, book additional services, or buy products from the hotel shop. Read more on the topic of upselling with the digital guest directory in the second part of our blog post series.