Guest relations is one of the most important aspects of a successful hotel. A happy guest means more stays and a better reputation. A clean room, a friendly staff, and a speedy check-in are some of the most important factors a guest weighs when staying at a hotel.
Imagine your guest is a trucker who delivers twice weekly to your city and drives over 12 hours a day. Would the guest be happy if the check-in took longer than usual? Or would the guest reconsider staying with you next time? What if you prepared beforehand, and provided the guest with a speedy check-in without any hassle or wait? The guest would be pleased and would recommend others to stay at your establishment.
Hotels that prioritize guest experience, and provide service that is above and beyond the guest’s expectations, are the hotels that receive constant stays and reliable guests. There are a few steps that hotels can take to prioritize guest experience, and provide a more friendly and hassle-free check-in.
Some of these steps include the following;
- Stock Front desk Items
- Merge Profiles
- Preassign Rooms
- Print out Registration Card
- Use ID Scanner
Stock Front Desk Items:
This Is a simple yet often missed step that can increase check-in times. Some guests request extra coffee, Toilet paper, tissues, bags, and any other essential items you might find in the room. Having these items ready and not only prepares your staff to keep everything stocked, but it also allows the guest to spend less time at the front desk. If the employee has to go retrieve an item from the stocking area, it makes the business seem unprepared for their arrival.
Merge Profiles:
If your system allows you to merge profiles, then this is a great step to take to improve check-in time and guest satisfaction. When you merge profiles, you combine information from the guest’s previous visit, which allows you to have all the information beforehand. This creates less work when the guest arrives. If all of the information is readily available in the system, then the only thing the staff needs to do is confirm the information is correct, and easily check them in.
Preassign Rooms:
Some guests that stay at your establishment will leave notes that request certain rooms or they stay often enough where they figure out which room is their favorite. In this situation pre assigning these guest’s rooms will not only provide a quicker and easier check-in. It also provides reassurance to the guest that the hotel is looking out for their best interest, and will accommodate them if needed. This builds great guest relations with the hotel and also creates a comfortable atmosphere for the guests.
Print Out Registration Cards:
This is a step that is solely dependent on the guests that are staying, yet if properly conducted, allows for one of the quickest and easiest things you can do to decrease check-in time. Some guests or companies will have multiple rooms, yet are paying with a single method, such as a business card, credit card authorization or a direct bill account. In these scenarios, the easiest step to take is to contact the guest beforehand to confirm the number of guests and rooms. After getting the number of rooms, begin to check the guests in. If you have confirmation you can not only assign the rooms beforehand, but you can also collect payment. After this, all you need to do is print the registration cards, create key cards, and have them signed. This not only speeds things up but allows the guests to have a sense of reliability with the establishment. Imagine a company of 15 coming in, the staff could be overwhelmed and create unwanted wait time for the guests behind them. This way the only thing the guests need is to sign a paper, and collect keys.
Using ID Scanners:
One of the most underlooked and undervalued steps. Using ID Scanners not only decreases check-in time, but it also creates a reliable and mistake-free environment that increases efficiency in the long term. When you use an ID scanner you skip the manual steps of having to input the guest’s data. Human error happens a lot, especially with names that are uncommon, or unusually long, this way you can skip the errors and get directly to the next step. ID Scanners also allow for increased security. If the police show up to your establishment looking for information, not only do you have a picture to provide them, you have any updated information that was collected off the ID. This allows your establishment to help with any problems in a fast and efficient manner.
There are a ton of steps you can take to decrease check-in time. Simple things such as stocking the front desk area correctly, to more complicated things such as having ID Scanners with the GuestBan system in place. All of these steps can decrease your check-in time, and provide a comfortable atmosphere for guests that have just arrived. A good hotel reputation means more stays and more reliable guests, that’s why taking steps to decrease check-in time is an easy practice any hotel can begin to do to increase guest satisfaction.