4 Top Reasons Why Your Hotel Needs a Mobile App

Guests interact with hotels by using technology all the time. They use hotel websites to check special offers, read about hotel facilities, check availability, and make bookings. They also use comparison websites and booking engines to compare prices and review websites to see how previous guests rated the hotel. What additional benefits can a mobile app bring your hotel though?

1. Mobile Apps Improve Customer Service

The customer service options you can offer guests with a mobile app are extensive. At a very basic level, you can provide information to guests on hotel facilities and the surrounding area, (i.e., the sort of information that is included in your welcome folders).

You can also make it easier for guests to make requests or bookings during their stay, for example, making it possible to order room service, book a table for dinner, or book a session at the hotel spa directly through the app. Another example includes letting guests order a drink through the app from wherever they are without having to leave their seat to go to the bar or find a member of the staff. You can also make it possible for guests to check in or check out of the hotel using the app so they can avoid waiting at the reception desk.

It is even possible to extend this by partnering with local companies, venues, and attractions so guests can make bookings for a show, order a taxi, or book a place on a tour, all through your app.

In addition, you can use the app to build a profile of your customers so you can offer a more personal service on their next visit.

This doesn’t mean you scrap personal interactions, however, as some of your guests will still like talking to someone directly. Others will prefer to make a request or booking with a few taps on their phone. With an app, you give them this choice.

2. Mobile Apps Make Your Hotel More Efficient

This follows on from the previous point. In each of the examples, you have the opportunity to create efficiencies in the hotel. This can be done through fewer mistakes and through technology (the app) doing tasks that you would otherwise need a member of the staff to do, such as reserve a table for dinner.

3. Mobile Apps Increase Spending During Guest Stays

With a mobile app, you can send push notifications to guests staying in the hotel with offers, information about what is going on, and other information. This will help you maximize guest spending.

4. Mobile Apps Increase Bookings and Improve Brand Loyalty

You can give users the ability to book rooms directly through the app, plus you can follow up with guests after their stay with loyalty offers or to ask them to rate the hotel on TripAdvisor or other review platforms.

People are comfortable using their phones for doing just about everything and, in many cases, expect to be able to use their phones. Mobile apps, therefore, help you stay relevant and are not a gimmick in the hotel industry. They can improve customer service, increase sales, and make your hotel more efficient.