Should hospitality business need a mobile app for Hotels?

If COVID19 convince you about the dark side of travel, we will show the profound future that mobile app for hotels accelerating the development of hospitality.

Undeniably, the outbreak of coronavirus threw a big shock into the global business that social distancing has threatened the travel and tourism industry. According to the Mckinsey report, the recovery process will be lasting at least until 2023.

In this context, the future of the travel and hospitality sector tends to grow constantly in two possible directions. The first discussion supports the idea that the hotel sector will return to the scenario similarly with the one before the pandemic. Alternatively, this industry would evolve in an unprecedented plot, following a new world order and standard.  

In our research, the possibility of the second scenario tends to be higher. So, the question is what will be enclosed with the recovery of the hotel industry. For us, it is mobile app developments, including hotel guest app, hotel room service app, online hotel booking system, and hotel price tracker. Perhaps you can see those have already settled in the market for years. It would come up with unpredictable effects in the new game.

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Mobile app for hotels: beyond a digital tool  

Currently, only 25% of hotels are leveraging mobile apps as a virtual assistant to their customers, which supporting staff in serving clients. In the next three years, we believe that the hotel mobile app would become an advanced communication standard, connecting both users and suppliers to the internet. Whereby the latest technologies would be attracted to an app that is expectedly the most growing innovation aspect in the IT industry.

Although limited hotel owners own a mobile app, roundly 75% of businesses admitted the indispensable position of hotel mobile app development that would expectedly help the business owners to beat business uncertainties as COVID19 or any other unpredictable affliction. Accordingly, hotel mobile apps are used for not also attendants but the hotel deputy in terms of brand awareness and communication.

Facing technology, which is a recently significant advancement in the market, is gradually applied to the app to transform it into an all-in–one solution. In which hotel property management systems tend to be a trusted delegate. In the customer context, this technology help with in-app check-in, messaging, virtual tour guide, messaging, and more. Users could handily connect with hotels for instant support or even claims. Additionally, the hotel property management system could replace the physical door key with a more secure powered by a face detection algorithm.

From the hotel context, location-based push notifications from the mobile app for hotels would assist the managers in staying focus on their audiences. Also, along with IoT technology in hotels, the management system would involve in tracking customer behaviors before and after they entered the properties. Thus, it protects hotel owners from frauds and trickeries while giving trusted pieces of evidence to predict the upcoming trends to deter uncertainties happen.

Related article: Hotel technology trends 2020 

Hotel guest app: winning user experiences of mobile app for hotels

With several practical cases in the market, a hotel room service app, or any other forms of hotel mobile app development deliver extensive guest experiences. Whereas it generated comprehensive details that hotel users need to explore at their fingertips. Furthermore, an efficient hotel mobile app also come up with a high level of customization and personalization, which actively provide users with outstanding feature even when they have not aware regarding the usability of those features.

1. Extensive hotel room services via mobile app: Hotel providers are leveraging it to build the concept of “hometel”. It would make hotels warmer as guest homes. In which customers could handily select whatever services they want for scheduling it in the most suitable time. Accordingly, hotel mobile apps could eliminate language gaps or misunderstandings among customers and staff.
2. Automated car parking: Using hotel guest apps, users could access to reserve a slot for parking their car even before coming to the property. Additionally, hotel owners also using the data reporting the customers’ selection to predict the preferences and habits of their customers to support a further decision in business.
3. Masseurs booking: For several customers, who want to keep the secret of hiring a personal masseur, they can click on the hotel guest app to choose one without notify the hotel staff.
4. Hotel restaurant reservation: the direct booking of the hotel restaurant table would reduce the time for the preparation and serving effort of staff, especially during peak hours. Currently, several countries support social distancing, using a smartphone to research restaurant slot also give time to set up tale following the distance rule.
5. Self-elective laundry services: attaching laundry options into the hotel app expectedly benefit both property owners and customers due to shortening time for manual laundry check. Accordingly, customers also use the credit by apps to control processes in the laundry zone without having presented there in-person.

Related article: 5 reasons why every travel and hospitality company need a software mobile app

Hotel room service app: boosting the operational efficiency

In fact, roundly 89% of travelers own at least one smartphone that check-in by the app would be the indispensable norm for every hotel owner.

Also, there are limited services that cannot be included in the Hotel room service app. It suggests that guests only need an app to interact with the hotel to request a service instead of communicating with a receptionist. Accordingly, hotel owners could reduce roundly 60% of the time wasted for lengthy reception queues.

On the other hand, hotel room services apps could replace hotel staff in doing parts of their duties and let them focus on improving customer experiences. Along with massive record storage online, the hotel sector would step into sustainable growth from avoiding printed papers.  

In the context of innovation, the hotel room services app involves digitalization across sectors, catering mobile-friendly messages to customers. As mention above, only 25% of hotel brands worldwide, having a custom hotel mobile app would lift brands to the top innovator in the travel and hospitality industry.

Online hotel booking system: staying closer with audience  

Most mobile app developers commonly support hotels in building a new revenue stream as a typical feature of the app. In which hotels could handily catch users’ attention via push notification and promotion. Many hotel owners claimed that seasonal sale via mobile app marketing seemingly brings them 200% higher of efficiency compared with traditional efforts. Additionally, with an app, hotels could earn 20% more in revenue in opening pre-orders of extra services like spa services or room upgrades.

Related article: How digital transformation affect the travel and tourism industry

Mobile app for hotels commonly involves keeping customer relationships with higher engagement. Accordingly, mobile apps help with instant and automated messaging, which connect with thousands of prospective guests at the same time without any mistake. Giving up manual tasks in communication bring hotel brands getting a higher professional in doing their business.   

Loyalty programs have currently become a standard in the hospitality sector thanks to the development of mobile apps, which accelerate the speed of brandings. Take Hilton as an example that they had experienced 15% room bookings directed from mobile platforms. The rate of raising loyal audiences reached 20% at that time.

Final words: Hotel mobile apps have shortly dominated the hospitality market, claimed by most software development companies globally. Then, to not be lagging behind, you should start a plan of developing a custom mobile app today.