Hybrid check-ins are a familiar (and much welcomed) experience at airports – passengers type in their flight details at the digital kiosk, with helpful prompts from the airline’s ground staff, and check-in without having to lug their baggage around and wait in long queues. So, what’s preventing hotels from offering guests a similar service or even improving upon it?
How can hotels offer assisted check-ins to guests?
Assisted check-ins from Hudini combine the benefits of a digital or online check-in with personalized assistance from a member of the hotel’s staff. Designed to make the arrival experience effortless and luxurious, it unfolds in three easy steps:
– The guest informs the hotel about his arrival time and the room is prepared.
– Upon arrival, the guest is welcomed by a member of the staff and escorted to his room without having to visit the front desk.
– The staff member completes the online check-in process in the room while the guest settles in.
Hudini’s Assisted Check-in service finds the right balance between the efficiency of technology and the warmth of a traditional arrival experience. It requires just a minor adaptation in the front desk’s SOP, while the online check-in can be completed using the hotel’s Hudini-powered web or native app. Its benefits are equally appreciated by guests and hoteliers.
1) Services like assisted check-in can ramp up guest experience and satisfaction, since they show how the hotel goes the extra mile to make check-ins more comfortable for guests.
2) Assisted check-in also adds a layer of luxury to the arrival experience, which can otherwise feel transactional. In fact, most of Hudini’s hospitality clients reserve the assisted check-in service for their VIP guests and elite members of their loyalty programs.
3) This hybrid approach also helps introduce the hotel’s digital initiatives and platforms to guests who might not be tech-savvy. For example, once the hotel executive has completed the guest’s check-in, he can also explain the other services that can be accessed on the hotel’s native or web app. Since the guest has already experienced the ease and efficiency of the hotel app, he’s more likely to use it again to order room service or tune into a live football match.
4) From the hotel’s perspective, assisted check-ins can speed up the check-in process while preventing crowding at the front desk.
5) While completing the check-in, the hotel executive can ask the guest if he has any dietary restrictions, entertainment preferences, and planned activities. This data can then be added to the guest’s digital profile to create a more intuitive and personalized experience throughout his stay.
6) Hotels can also offer targeted upgrades and add-ons that are aligned to each guest’s preferences. Guests are more likely to opt for offers that are relevant to them, helping hotels increase their revenues.
7) With assisted check-ins, hotels can integrate their unique welcome rituals or SOPs with a guest-facing digital platform that’s synced with their PMS. This helps reinforce the hospitality brand’s core values while also offering seamless service to guests.
Assisted check-ins are being adopted by hotels for a variety of reasons, from technological experimentation to the premiumization of services. The highlight of this service is its flexible, hybrid nature – hotels can retain the human interaction that’s so essential to hospitality while streamlining the check-in process to make it more guest-centric. To explore how Hudini’s assisted check-in feature can be deployed at your hotel, get in touch with us.