According to a new research study conducted by Oracle Hospitality, 91 percent of hotel executives agree that mobile technologies are critical to improving guest experience and cultivating loyalty. But only 69 percent are confident in their organization’s ability to adopt and deliver those mobile experiences.
The 2019 Hospitality Benchmark – Mobile Maturity Analysis study focused on three key areas of mobility:
- The ability to offer WIFI to guests throughout the property
- Guest-facing apps to enhance the customer experience; and
- Staff-facing mobile to improve the hotel team’s daily operational workflow
Despite high self-ratings for mobile utilization prowess, 50 percent of respondents expressed
fear that their organization would be disrupted by more mobile-friendly competitors. So it was
not surprising that 90 percent of the hotel executives surveyed agreed that mobile was critical to
maintaining a competitive advantage.
Ninety percent also added that guest experience could be improved by the ability to use smartphone to manage basic services such as booking a room and managing the check-in and check-out processes. And 91 percent said their guest-facing mobile app is the preferred way they’d like guests to request service from hotel staff.
In addition to enhancing guest experience, 66 percent of respondents said reducing operational
costs was another major driver for embracing mobility.
Even with the high ratings for mobile adoption, there is room for improvement in elevating the
guest experience and providing personalized services via mobile – starting with awareness.
Twenty-three percent of respondents agreed that they struggle to promote their guest-facing
mobile app technology. The survey underscores the importance of offering guests incentives –
such as free perks, drinks or discounted room service – to download and use hotel apps. In the
absence of such mobile initiatives, it is essential for hoteliers to provide guests with other
communication channels, such as texting, to quickly respond to their needs.
Please click here to access the full report (no registration required).
