Digital Room Service - A New Revenue Stream For Hotels

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Digital Room Service Desktop View

Project Info

What is Digital Room Service

Digital Room Service is a service that allows guests to order food and drinks from a digital menu in their hotel rooms. Guests can also use room service to order hotel services like room cleaning and laundry or book spa services.

For guests at a hotel with a dining or bar area, it’s easier than ever to make an online reservation. They can log into the application and select the dates and times they want to eat, drink, or use hotel facilities.

Digital Room Service is great for guests who do not want to go to the front desk to request guest service.
It also helps reduce labor costs because hotel staff doesn’t need to manage each order manually. Orders made by the application can directly go to the restaurant, spa, bakery, laundry, or cleaning department, without bothering the front desk.

The significant benefit of this system is that it allows hotels to track their inventory and ensure they have enough supplies to meet guests’ needs.

Woman using mobile app in the hotel room
Woman in Spa

For Who

Medium and large hotels that offer not just a bed for the customers but more services like, for example, restaurant, spa, laundry, fitness, or bakery, will get the most from this type of software.

Hoteliers who want to digitalize their business will become more competitive in the market for the younger generation.

The Hotel Digitalization Report revealed that more than half of all hotel guests use their smartphone or tablet at least once during their stay, while nearly three-quarters use Wi-Fi. To stay ahead of the competition, the hospitality industry is looking to adopt new technologies to enhance its guest experience and provide better service.

Challenges

Staff training

The nature of the work we do is changing as technology continues to advance.

In the past, most businesses could rely on manual methods for training employees. Thanks to technology, we can now provide user-friendly software that helps employees work with modern technology without costly and time-consuming training.

How to get clients to use the app

Most guests use smartphones and mobile applications nowadays.

That’s reasonable because it’s very comfortable with making a few clicks to order food, book some service, or even buy tickets for the local attraction, especially when we will compare three clicks versus walking to the spa to ask what services are available, asking when is the free timeslot for massage, confirming details, and booking it.

Lack of data

Digitalization comes with many benefits, and one of the most important is the possibility to gather, mine, and analyze data.

Hotels and their managers should immediately know who is the most valuable employee, what guests ask about the most, what guests don’t like, and what makes them return.

With AI and Machine Learning, we can build rich dashboards containing valuable insights where we can learn about our guests, employees, and business like never before.

 

It’s necessary to cut time and simplify the process to deliver the best experience

Imagine if a few guests would like to book a spa service, someone would like to order food, someone would give feedback about the service, and there would be few people waiting for the onboarding.

Even with a few front desk officers, it could cause long waiting times for each client, resulting in decreased satisfaction.

With digital room service, online check-in can be done pre-arrival, and guests can order everything they need from their hotel rooms and even give feedback about your employees, hotel, or service.

Making it usable on accessible devices decreases the cost of implementation

Our client’s web and mobile applications can be successfully used by guests on their mobile devices, eliminating additional investment into room devices.

Even better, your employees can use the web and mobile applications on their own devices, eliminating the need to buy separate devices for every department.

 

Solution

How Digital Room Software is built

Our software is built and customized for the client’s needs. It includes various modules but always has mobile applications for guests. For hotel departments, we provide web and mobile apps.

The core of our system is based on React.js/React Native/Flutter and Node.JS.

 It’s designed to meet the needs of today’s hotels in terms of scalability and performance. The system is highly flexible, and you can pick modules or features you would like to have included.

Hotel manager using digital room service app

Benefits

Statistics and immediate feedback will make guest service more efficient.

Revenue increases by upselling additional goods and services

Reducing labour costs

Personal contact can be cut to a minimum when certain restrictions are in place.

Data Insights helps better understand guests’ behavior and needs

Features and Modules

Digital Room Service Basic

Digital Room Service

Basic Implementation

In the basic implementation, we get a mobile application for guests and a multiplatform (web and mobile) application for hotels with modules for Hotel Managers and Receptionists.

You can find all of the features needed to digitalize room service, make our guests happy, and save a lot of front desk time in this version of Digital Room Service.

The basic version will allow your hotel manager to create products and services that guests can order for their rooms, such as food, spa services, or custom products.

The basic cleaning feature, where your guests can let your staff know if they need cleaning or will be able to cancel it, is the next helpful feature that both the hotel and guest will benefit from.

Gastronomy

Restaurant Module

If your hotel is larger, you can use the additional food ordering module to make it simpler to order food, the more advanced version of the implementation than what you get in the basic implementation.

The food ordering module will allow your kitchen and restaurant to be connected directly to the application so that the order won’t go through the reception desk anymore. While your guests will be selecting the dinner in one of the rooms, their choice will be passed directly to the account assigned to the kitchen staff, and the preparation will immediately begin.

When the food is ready, your chef can mark it, and the waiter will get a notification by mobile app. It is just simple like that.

Digital Room Service Food Ordering

Why should you consider getting a Restaurant Module?

The food ordering module allows you to upload professional photos of the food guests can order.

Adding pictures of the meals you are offering your guests in the hotel restaurant boosts the number of orders by about 30%.

That’s why it will help you increase revenue and satisfy your guests.

International tourists sometimes struggle with the language of the country they are visiting. Because it’s way too complicated, they often quit the possibility of ordering food using a phone.

With the app, they can select different languages to order local meals from your restaurant, which will increase revenue, especially if you host many international guests.

The process of ordering food from the restaurant module is easy to use and requires less interaction from the hotel staff.

Instead of taking one phone call at a time, the waiter, chef, or receptionist can see multiple orders in the application and serve multiple guests instead.

This means you can decrease the number of personnel, still making your guests satisfied.

Digital Room Service Housekeeping

Services

Housekeeping Module

Unless the guest decides they don’t need cleaning so often, the hotel requires the cleaning service to clean all rooms daily. Unfortunately, there is only one way to put a note on the doors, which is through an action that not everyone remembers.

The Cleaning module allows the hotel manager to put in specific tasks that staff can do during cleaning, such as filling in the tissues, changing the towels, or emptying the rubbish bins. Guests can choose if they need a full cleaning or just one of the elements, such as new towels.

The request comes directly to the cleaning staff account, and they know exactly which room they must visit and what exactly has to be done given the day.

Why should you consider getting a Housekeeping Module?

If guests can easily select what they need from the cleaning service (if anything at all), it helps the hotel to save resources dramatically.

First, the cleaning service spends less time, cleaning only the rooms that clearly require that.

Second of all, hotels can save on utility usage.

And third of all, your hotel can market as an eco-friendly space that cares for the planet, downgrading water, electricity, and chemicals usage.

Employees can use the Housekeeping Module to plan their work more efficiently.

Knowing exactly which rooms need what service, maids can plan which floors to visit in a specific order. 

It means that the hotel can decrease the number of cleaning personnel because work is done faster.

Services

Facilities Booking Module

Many hotels offer their guests additional services, like SPA, sauna, or some entertainment which require booking a time slot.

This module simplifies the activity by providing a booking system where guests can check which time slots are still available and select one that fits them best. Even if they forget to do it in the hotel, they can book a sauna even on the ski slope.

The hotel manager can easily add facilities that can be booked with timeslots that guests can select from. Next, guests can go through the available activities list and check the description and available times. Select one and confirm! Fifteen minutes before the planned activity, guests will get a notification reminding them about it!

Digital Room Service Booking

Why should you consider getting a Facilities Booking Module?

Guests can easily check what additional facilities your hotel provides and easily book the ones that are the most interesting for them.

They can also see special events that your hotel is planning, which requires booking, like a New Year’s Eve party. Besides boosting the revenue from additional facilities sales.

The facilities booking module allows hotels to provide guests with specific packages.

For example, suppose a guest will book the sauna timeslot.

In that case, you can offer them packages like Sauna + Massage for a slightly smaller price, selling more and increasing revenue.

Digital Room Service Online Check-In

Administration

Online Check-In Module

Online check-in is a great module to avoid long queues, especially on busy days, like Christmas or holidays. Your guest can do a self-online check-in before they even come to the hotel, so when they appear in the hotel, a reception will have all the data.

The only thing they’d need to do is provide them access to the room and your digital room service.

After booking, you can send guests information about how they can check in. They should do it up to 5 days before arrival through the application. The same which they can use as digital room service in your place.

It’s simple! They need to pass the data required for check-in, and that’s it. No more long queues at the receptions.

Why should you consider getting an Online Check-In Module?

The reception staff has a lot less work when guests do self-online check-in.

They don’t have to spend 30 minutes per guest to put guests’ data into the system because it’s already there. The only thing they have to do is pass all the accesses.

So, in 30 minutes, they can care for 2 or 3 guests. It’s a huge time and money saving. Staff can use saved time to care better for the customers.

Your guest will avoid standing in line or waiting until the receptionist puts their data into the system.

They can start enjoying holidays faster.

If you are targeting young people, you must remember that they are really into technology, and most prefer to do things by themselves than wait in lines.

They are always connected, so they can do the check-in exactly when it’s more convenient for them.

Lately, people care more about their health, hygiene, and social distancing.

It makes them feel safe, that’s why it may be a point why they would select your hotel, not the other one.

Services

Concierge Module

The concierge module allows guests to have unique custom wishes. It also helps them buy or book tickets to nearby attractions or events or order a taxi to the airport.

Even if your hotel doesn’t have a physical concierge, it doesn’t mean you can’t give your guests the experience like you’d have one.

Some options can redirect to the websites of the attraction, and some can be sent to the receptionist, who would take care of making the guest’s wishes come true.

The concierge module will help every hotel make the guests’ stay unforgettable.

Digital Room Service Concierge

Why should you consider getting a Concierge Module?

As a hotel, you can partner with the ticket provider or taxi company and earn additional money for providing them clients or get better offers for your guests.

Partnering with the attractions would make the hotel more attractive to guests. If you’re able to offer them something extra, they will definitely appreciate it.

Hotel managers can add some information about upcoming events nearby and sell some tickets to that event or can create their own event and promote it to guests.

Using the Concierge module, guests can also ask for something special, like decorations in the room, flowers, or a bottle of wine because of some special occasion they want to celebrate on the property.

Besides selling additional goods and increasing revenue, hotels can benefit from getting additional satisfied guests and one more positive review.

Digital Room Service Laundry

Services

Laundry Module

Very often, medium and large hotels provide their guests additional laundry service. Typically guests get a form where they have to fill in information about their laundry and leave it for the cleaning service.

It’s a much more convenient way to ask for laundry; also, in this module, guests can check out the status of their laundry order.

On the other side, the receptionist can easily access information about the laundry to add to the guest bill.

Administration

Fault Report Module

The Fault Report module can be used by the hotel’s guests who find anything broken in their room and would like to ask for fixing. If the guest finds out that the TV is not working, they can access the module and check if there is some information about using the TV.

If there are some instructions, guests can try it out, but if it still doesn’t work, they can select an option to send a request to the hotel’s handyman to fix it. The handyman gets the notification and can pick it up directly, knowing what is wrong directly from guests without additional discussions with the receptionists.

Digital Room Service Fault Report

Why should you consider getting a Fault Report Module?

Guests can first check if there are some instructions and don’t bother everyone if they find a solution themselves.

Otherwise, they can order some help or at least create a notification about broken elements to the handyman and the manager. It saves time for receptionists and a handyman.

Saving time on such activities lets hotels hire fewer people to manage the reception.

The faults aren’t reported at the reception in front of other guests, which is very beneficial in terms of PR.

You can fix the issue fast without making everybody in the hotel aware of the existing problem.

Information is passed not only to the handyman but also to the managers.

They know precisely what is broken and what’s the status.

A handyman can also add a notification about the state of the damaged device or element in case it needs to be replaced soon.

It helps to plan bigger expenses.

Digital Room Service Feedback

Data Insights

Feedback Module

The feedback module will be a great addition to any other module you decide to implement in your Digita Room Service App.

It asks guests for their feedback immediately after any connection to the hotel, and guests can review every piece of service they get.

The reviews are displayed to the managers in the admin dashboard so that they can see and react if anything goes wrong and act to make the guest happy, or they can prize the employees if they do well.

The feedback module is a great tool to know if guests leave your hotel happy and if they will return in the future.

Why should you consider getting a Feedback Module?

Excellent customer service is one of the most critical parts of the business, especially the hospitality business. Great customer service can fix everything, and bad ones can make your guest start screaming about everything bad they experienced during their stay.

A feedback module could help to react immediately if something goes wrong, apologize or offer some bonus to your guests if any point of the service was bad. It may have a significant influence on the hotel’s PR.
It can also help improve service quality and upgrade according to guests’ needs.

Improving based on the feedback is much more accurate and will lead to great results and better revenue.

The feedback module will let you know what your clients appreciate most and offer them more similar services or products.

It will definitely help to increase revenue.

The feedback module is another excellent piece of data that allows mining information about the guests’ needs and improving to provide precisely what they want.

Communication

Live Chat Module

The live chat module is an excellent addition to letting your guests be in touch with reception all day and all night easily.

Guests can ask about things that just came to their minds or if they need some additional information when they are outside of the hotel.

Live chat works not only to improve the communication between guests and reception but also to improve communication between different departments. Reception can always chat with kitchen staff, waiters, or cleaning service.

Chat helps staff to communicate with more than one person at a time.

Digital Room Service Live Chat

Why should you consider getting a Live Chat Module?

Live chat between hotel departments will increase the efficiency of the cooperation in your hotel, which brings savings on the personal amount and makes the functioning of the hotel more efficient.

Guests and hotel staff can communicate faster and easier.

Receptionists can always send messages to the guests, respond to their questions, or clarify things, no matter if the guest is somewhere close to or outside the hotel. It will increase the guest’s satisfaction with the stay.

Data gathered from the chats between clients and staff will be very useful for analysis and creating valuable insights about the clients, which can improve communication and increase satisfaction by providing a great experience to your guests.

Digital Room Service AI Data Insights

Data Insights

AI Data Insights Module

AI Data Insights is a module that is not directly related to the guests’ experience but is definitely great for the hotel’s growth.

The AI algorithms can analyze data gathered through the application. Hotel management can get useful information, tips, and statistics based on the guests’ behavior and feedback.

It can provide clear information on what needs to be improved in terms of service, devices, food, or anything else. It can also provide insights into guests’ typical behaviors and preferences.

Why should you consider getting an AI Data Insights Module?

AI data analysis can benefit your hotel by providing clear information about your guests.

You can prepare to serve more meals similar to those they usually order, offer them more entertainment similar to those they typically book, and so on.

Knowing the patterns in guests’ behavior, you can be more prepared, please them more, and increase your revenue.

Machine learning lets you get data about bottlenecks in your business.

Knowing what is not working is really important to be able to remove the issues. That information will help you to organize work in your hotel in a much better way.

Sometimes you may find out that you have redundant employees or that your hotel pays too much attention to something that doesn’t matter to your guests.

It could bring you some savings on things that are not so obvious.

Motivation

Tips Module

The tips module is beneficial for your guests and your hotel staff.

It makes it easier to reward your staff for their work.

Guests often would like to give the maid or waiter a tip for what they do, but they must remember about carrying cash.

Nowadays, people use cash less and less. Hence, the possibility to tip a specific person with some amount of money easily using the app is valuable.

Digital Room Service Tips Module

Why should you consider getting a Tips Module?

The possibility of getting some additional amount of money could be very motivating for your staff to care for the guests even more.

What’s more attractive is that this form of motivation doesn’t cost your hotel anything because tips come from hotel guests. So, you can quickly increase team productivity and get better reviews.

More motivated staff also means more satisfied guests.

Happy customers often leave good reviews and spread the word about your company.

It’s worth investing in it to have a great PR in the future.

Digital Room Service Loyalty Program

Relationship

Loyalty Program Module

Building relationship with your guests is crucial in the hospitality business. Some people always select the same place to stay during their holidays or business trips. Why? Because they are happy with it, they like the service and facilities and feel good in that place.

To build a great relationship with guests, you need to know something about them. You should recognize them if they come back to your hotel, you should remember about their birthday. It would be nice if you could keep in touch with them even if they are not in your hotel, for example, by sending best wishes email on Christmas.

The loyal guest module lets you know when the guest was already in your hotel once or more. Based on that you can offer them some discounts or welcome packs. You can also add special offers in loyal guest modules, which they can use during their stay!

Why should you consider getting a Loyalty Program Module?

By letting your guests know that you really care about them and recognize them, you make them feel good in your hotel and keep positive memories in their minds.

Simple wishes email on their birthday or welcome chocolates in their room when they visit you next time will make their next hotel choice easy, and they will be back at your hotel. This will bring you a revenue increase.

Long-term relationships with your guest will help you gather a stable base of clients who come back and help your hotel grow or support you in difficult times by selecting your hotel for their holidays.

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