User-friendly app instantly pushes guest requests to central dashboard interface for prompt, efficient attention by hotel staff.
HONOLULU, HI – Digital Alchemy is helping hotels provide enhanced guest service and generate increased revenue via its award-winning iNeed mobile application. As one of the first properties to fully leverage iNeed, The Modern Honolulu has seen improved guest satisfaction scores and higher booking rates at its on-property outlets since debuting the system earlier this year.
iNeed makes it easy for guests to digitally submit service requests for common issues such as housekeeping, room service, valet and maintenance concerns. Additionally, the fully customizable application interfaces with most major third-party hospitality management systems and can be used to facilitate incremental revenue opportunities throughout a guest’s stay, including restaurant reservations and spa bookings.
The Modern Honolulu uses iNeed in lieu of printed materials in the guestroom, providing a sleek collection of relevant hotel information that is browseable at guests’ convenience. Moreover, as a design-centric hotel, The Modern takes great pains to avoid guest room clutter, meaning complimentary amenities like coffeemakers and tablet computers are available by request-iNeed makes such requests easy and reliable.
Guests have overwhelmingly expressed satisfaction with the iNeed app, with roughly 50% of guests using the technology in some fashion during their stays.
“Because we don’t want any marketing collateral in our guest rooms, it had been difficult to communicate to guests all of the amenities at their disposal in a way that was thorough and easily digestible,” says Nic Barger, the hotel’s director of rooms. “iNeed has solved that problem completely, putting the hotel’s offerings at the guests’ fingertips and allowing the hotel to better sell itself. More guests have begun making requests of our guest experiences personnel, and we’ve seen a marked increase in spa bookings and restaurant reservations since launching iNeed.”
Each service request made through iNeed is instantly pushed to the hotel’s guest response system, displaying the issues on a central dashboard for hotel management and front desk agents to view. This dashboard interface allows management to assign the issues to the proper staff members and to track their status in real time. iNeed can also be programmed to automatically notify specific personnel, depending on the type of request.
The app includes a housekeeping scheduling function, allowing guests to request or decline maid service and turndown service and to arrange it for a time that is convenient. Other key features of iNeed include automated valet communication and express checkout.
“Digital Alchemy has always been about improving the guest experience in a way that is economically sustainable for hotels,” says Digital Alchemy CEO Don Hay. “iNeed and its associated guest response system interface enhances hotels’ labor efficiency by eliminating the need for hotel staff to manually enter guest service requests for housekeeping, maintenance, valet, et cetera. By allowing the guests to submit these requests themselves, it saves time and money for the hotel, while giving the guest complete control over their hotel experience. In addition, it eliminates the cost of printed materials in the guestroom, and contributes to a hotel’s green initiatives.”
iNeed is fully customizable for individual hotels and groups, allowing for user interface branding as well as changes to the service forms and icons, as needed.
The iNeed system is the newest addition to Digital Alchemy’s line of comprehensive customer relationship management (CRM) and eMarketing solutions for the global hotel industry. Its flagship eRelationship module is designed to help hotels of all sizes to craft profitable, long-term relationships with guests. With reservation confirmations, cancellation notices, pre-stay marketing messages and post-stay greetings automated and customized to upsell amenities and reaffirm customer loyalty, Digital Alchemy includes myriad opportunities to build incremental revenue through its CRM email platform.
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She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
