The
concept of personalization is not entirely new in the hospitality industry –
travellers’ expectations for quality and value constantly change, which in turn
pressures hotels and airlines to adapt their offers. A growing number of
travellers expect more from their stay in a hotel, and personalized products
and services become increasingly important to them. This fact is underlined in a
research study conducted by the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) in 2013,
which shows that 54% of travellers say they feel more valued if hotel services
are personalized and 59% find a hotel significantly more comfortable with these
personalized services.
Circumstances
like these have resulted in the rise over the last few years of personalization
tools and applications available to hotels around the world. Such tools can
come in various forms: either as tablets or similar devices installed in guest
rooms, as apps that can be downloaded by travellers, or as a mobile website
freely accessible for the guests. These tools all store information and are
linked with the various hotel systems, enabling the guests to personalize their
stays while providing the hotel with valuable guest information. Providers for
these information management tools and applications are increasingly
third-party suppliers.
An
example of such personalization software is “GuestDriven”, an iPhone app
developed by the Montreal-based company of the same name (formerly known as
MConcierge). It serves both as an information provider for the hotels that use
it and a tool for guests “to request room service orders, wake-up calls, and
look up directory information”.2 Its ultimate aim is to provide “a real-time
platform for guest and hotel to communicate throughout their stay”.3
Guests’ experiences are customized by obtaining information about their
preferences via various social media channels, without selling this information
to outside parties. The hotels can benefit from this application as they
receive information “about a guest’s history, spending power, interests and
social media influence”. 4 This data allows them to adapt and tailor their
marketing efforts as well as plan their long-term strategies, with the ultimate
goal of increasing sales. Recently, the company has managed to attract more
than $3 million in funding from “Plaza Ventures, Real Ventures and Structure
Capital as well as hospitality angels Tony Cohen (CEO of Global Edge
Investments and an executive vice president at Crescent Hotels & Resorts)
and Bob MacDonald (CEO of Maritz Loyalty)”.4
GuestDriven on Pinterest
Of
course the software mentioned above represents just one of several tools
currently available for hoteliers. Not only are hotels active in these
personalization efforts, but other players in the hospitality industry, such as
airlines, have also seen an increase in use of such instruments.3
The personalization technologies such as GuestDriven are
intriguing ideas but hotels and other companies using them are going to have to
be completely upfront with their customers about what kind of information they
will access and how it will/can stay confidential. Additionally, companies need
to keep in mind that not all guests will choose to participate in such a
program, as some may find it an invasion of privacy or may not use social media
(key to GuestDriven’s design).
Aline Biber & Caitlin Richardson
Sources:
(1) ehotelier.com. (2014, January 23). Travellers want personalization from their hotel brands. ehotelier.com. Retrieved from http://ehotelier.com/hospitality-news/item.php?id=26901_0_11_0_C
(2) Markwart, W. (2012, December 07). Latest hotel technologies empower guests to customize their stay. HotelierMagazine.com. Retrieved from: http://www.hoteliermagazine.com/hotelier-magazine/featured-articles/69-featured-articles/992-latest-hotel-technologies-empowering-guests-to-customize-their-stay.html
(3) Slade, H. (2014, February 18). Sushi on arrival? GuestDriven raises $3M to give hotels guests' social media info. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/hollieslade/2014/02/18/sushi-on-arrival-guestdriven-raises-3m-to-give-hotels-guests-social-media-info/
(4) Schaal, D. (2014, February 18). GuestDriven attracts $3 million in funding for mobile personalization tool. Skift. Retrieved from http://skift.com/2014/02/18/guestdriven-attracts-3-million-in-funding-for-mobile-personalization-tool/
Image source:
GuestDriven.
(2013, November 4). Hello #Pintrerest,
it's been a little while. Retrieved from
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