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Although the majority of hotels are behind airlines when it comes to digital customer service, hotels have a significantly larger opportunity to improve customers' experience via mobile. It is a matter of how and when, not if, mobile will change almost every part of guests' hotel stays.
The mobile feature that hotel guests want most is the ability to quickly find basic information like Wi-Fi prices and what time the breakfast buffets ends, says a new survey.
Digital agency MCD asked 1,000 business, leisure, and family travelers to rank how likely they’d be to use their mobile phones for specific purposes during a hotel stay.
Following the ability to find logistical information, the respondents were most interested in viewing maps and bypassing the front desk with automated check-ins.
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A surprising finding was that only 64 percent of travelers responded that they were somewhat or very likely to use their smartphone as a room key.
The relatively low number contradicts the massive media buzz that surrounded the announcement of Starwood’s initiative to turn smartphones into room keys.
The survey also found that up to 74 percent of travelers’ choice of where to stay is impacted by the quality of a hotel’s website and app.
And that the majority, or 74 percent, of surveyed travelers were interested in hotels actively improving their stay by keeping track of their preferences like dietary needs or pillow size.
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Tags: mobile, skiftstats, starwood
Photo credit: A customer logs on to Starwood Hotels & Resorts' mobile app. PlaceIt.net