The interplay between high tech and high touch is elemental to delivering a superior guest experience. By balancing and integrating both approaches, luxury hotels can exceed guest expectations and foster loyalty.

In the luxury hospitality industry, the concepts of high tech and high touch represent two complementary approaches to enhancing the guest experience. Understanding how they work together can help create a seamless and memorable stay for guests.

High tech in luxury hospitality

The integration of advanced technologies to streamline operations, enhance convenience, and provide personalized guest experiences is now essential and commonplace at the world’s most awarded and renowned luxury hotels, resorts, and spas.

Examples:

• Online and mobile booking: Captures booking for rooms, spa, amenities and activities at all hours, decreasing the need for people to answer phones, messages, and email. 
• Ancillary revenue management software: Optimizes and increases revenues from non-core sources like spa, activities, cabanas and other amenities, and memberships – beyond just booking. 

• Smart rooms: Automated lighting, temperature control, entertainment systems that guests can control via a mobile app or voice commands, and more. 
• Mobile check-in/checkout: Allows room and spa guests to bypass the front desk, providing a more efficient and contactless experience. 
• Contactless payment solutions: Streamlined payment systems that allow for quick and secure transactions through tech like NFC or QR codes. 
• Mobile room keys: keys that can be accessed via a smartphone app, allowing guests to unlock their hotel room doors without needing a physical keycard. 
• AI and chatbots: Can assist with reservations, answer guest inquiries, and provide recommendations, ensuring immediate and accurate responses. 
• In-room digital wellness platforms: A range of wellness services through digital platforms, including virtual fitness classes, meditation sessions, and wellness workshops offered in-room. 
• Robotic service assistants: Robots used for delivering room service, handling luggage, or even providing concierge services to reduce wait times and optimize labor costs.

Plus more potential for use of technology in future, including further use of hologram, wearable, and biometric recognition technology. Hotels and resorts might use facial or fingerprint recognition for secure and seamless access to rooms and facilities, for example.

High tech clearly has many benefits, including increased efficiency and reduced wait times for guests, hyper personalization, and the convenience of offering guests control over their environment and interactions through their devices.

High touch in luxury hospitality

High touch refers to the personal, human elements of hospitality that create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, emphasizing exceptional service, attention to detail, and emotional connection.

Examples:

• Personalized service: Staff members remember guest preferences and anticipate needs, creating a bespoke experience.
  
• Concierge services: Providing personalized recommendations and arranging special experiences, such as exclusive dining or cultural tours. 
• Handwritten notes and welcome gifts: Small gestures that make guests feel valued and appreciated. 
• High-quality interactions: Engaging with guests in a meaningful way, whether through face-to-face interactions, phone calls, or personalized emails. 
• Tailored event planning: Meticulously customized event planning services, like bespoke decorations, personalized menus, and exclusive entertainment options. 
• Dedicated butler service: Providing a dedicated butler or a personal assistant to handle all of a guest’s needs during their stay, from unpacking luggage to making recommendations and arranging private tours.

High touch also has many benefits, like emotional connection, the fostering of trust and loyalty through genuine and memorable interactions, and making guests feel valued and seen. High touch is also what sets luxury hotels apart from competitors through elevated service quality.

Complementing each other

High tech and high touch are not mutually exclusive; they are in fact both absolutely necessary for creating a holistic luxury hospitality experience. 

Technology handles routine tasks like bookings, check-in and checkout processes, and logging guest information, which frees up staff to focus on guest interactions and providing optimal service. Data collected through high-tech solutions informs high-touch interactions, enabling staff to offer more relevant and personalized recommendations and services. High-tech solutions ensure consistent service quality and convenience, while high-touch elements add warmth and uniqueness to the guest experience. This combination empowers guests and staff alike.

The interplay between high tech and high touch is elemental to delivering a superior guest experience. By balancing and integrating both approaches, luxury hotels can exceed guest expectations and foster loyalty.

Book4Time spa and ancillary revenue software offers mobile check in and checkout, contactless payment solutions, and more! Get in touch to find out how we can elevate your high touch experiences. 

Spa Executive is published by Book4Time, the leader in guest management, revenue and mobile solutions for the most exclusive spas, hotels, and resorts around the globe. Learn more at book4time.com.

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Some consumers are rejecting technology. They will never be the majority but can drive development of wellness and activity programs in hotels and resorts.

Some consumers, especially younger ones, are rejecting technology and embracing analog experiences. While these people might not be the majority – and never will be (unless things change in ways we can’t currently imagine) – they are a compelling group whose preferences can drive development of wellness and activity programs in hotels and resorts.

According to WPromote, much of Generation Z is rejecting the culture of constant screen time and, instead, seeking out more authentic connection. Recent research found that 32% said they much prefer to meet with friends or family in person over texting or calling. Some are even opting for so-called “dumb” phones or feature phones, that don’t access cell networks and social media, but have access to GPS or hotspots) over all that smartphone screen time.

“Today’s young adults aren’t just tech-savvy, they’re tech natives. They have an entirely different relationship with technology than older generations – and they might not be as in love with the online world as many marketers assume.” 

Analog hobbies on the rise

An article titled Life in Analog from VML explores a rising interest in analog hobbies among younger generations as an attempt to counterbalance the digital saturation of everyday life. Activities like pottery, needlepoint, and joining niche book clubs are gaining popularity among Gen Z and Gen Alpha, providing tactile and enriching experiences lacking in digital interactions. These analog hobbies are not just pastimes; they foster community and connection, serve as a nostalgic nod to simpler times, and may offer mental health benefits.

The analog movement is depicted as a grounding force that encourages mindfulness and presence and engaging more deeply with the world around us. The resurgence of these hobbies underscores a broader cultural shift towards valuing slower, more purposeful engagements in both personal and communal contexts. This trend reflects a desire for authenticity and hands-on experiences in a world increasingly dominated by virtual interactions.

Another article, recently published in The Guardian, explored the topic of how disquiet over social media addiction is leading to a growing enthusiasm for the physical and analog world. 

In it, David Sax, author of The Revenge of Analog, notes, “One of the benefits of analog is its tactility – things you can use and touch and taste and feel. There was this assumption that we would be living in a digital future” but, he says, “we have bodies that exist in the physical world and need to go places and touch things. We desire more of the world than what’s available on 20cm of glass.”

The appeal of analog, Sax says, is eternal, and the article points to continued interest in vinyl, film cameras, and paper books, and to the post-pandemic rise in in-person experiences, like live music events and travel. 

This isn’t necessarily a backlash against technology but an attempt to create balance and live fulfilling lives. Gen Z will always use technology. It’s second nature to them and part of their makeup. And as this younger cohort grows up, its earning and spending power will also grow. Companies that recognize and rise to meet its high level of natural sophistication will be the most successful in marketing to this generation.

Spa Executive is published by Book4Time, the leader in guest management, revenue and mobile solutions for the most exclusive spas, hotels, and resorts around the globe. Learn more at book4time.com.

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You need high tech to drive successful high touch experiences. Six things technology can do that humans can’t.

The thoughtful integration of high tech and high touch creates a balance that elevates guest experiences in hotels and spas. While advanced tech solutions streamline operations and provide insights  needed to elevate the customer experience, the warmth and intuition of human interaction remain at the heart of guest satisfaction. This synergy allows for meticulous attention to detail in service delivery, where technology handles efficiency and scalability, and staff provide the empathetic, personalized service that guests expect from top tier hotels and spas.

Technology exists to support the hospitality industry by handling tasks that are either impractical for humans to perform or can be done more efficiently by machines. 

Here are six things technology can do that humans can’t (or shouldn’t have to) in your hotel and spa.

6 things technology can do that humans can’t (or shouldn’t have to)

1. Personalize at scale: Technology, like spa and ancillary revenue software, collects large amounts of data and makes it easier to analyze this data to deliver personalized guest experiences, tailored offers, customized packages, and bespoke spa treatment and activity suggestions. It would take a lot of humans and a lot of time to achieve this manually for every guest. Book4Time’s centralized Guest Profiling allows for creating and managing central guest profiles that store preferences and history, even enabling personalized service across different locations?

2. Offer 24/7 booking and support availability: Online booking captures bookings outside of business hours, even in the middle of the night – helpling you capture more bookings. Chatbots and virtual assistants can also provide round-the-clock service for guest inquiries, reservations, and assistance. Guests receive immediate help to uncomplicated requests anytime reducing the need for human staff to be available at all hours. For more complex requests, Book4Time’s support team has a reputation for being the best in the business.

3. Efficiently manage inventory and supply chain: Humans can so easily mess up inventory management. Software can help optimize inventory levels by tracking sales and stock levels, and alerting you when you need to restock, helping manage supply chains more efficiently than manual processes. This ensures that supplies are replenished in time, reducing waste and storage needs, and ensuring the customer isn’t disappointed when their favorite product is out of stock. Article continues at Book4Time.com…

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As the luxury hospitality industry integrates more artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations the need to balance technological innovation with the human touch is becoming increasingly important. How people really feel about the AI customer experience.

By now we all know that AI technology is pretty amazing. AI is reshaping every industry, including luxury hospitality where it’s helping with personalizing guest services and improving operational efficiency. Smart rooms that adjust climate and lighting based on guest preferences and AI-driven concierge services are just the beginning. Potential AI applications in spas, gyms, and wellness businesses, meanwhile, include chatbots and apps that can offer customized recommendations and answer customer service questions.

As the luxury hospitality industry integrates more artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations, however, the need to balance technological innovation with the human touch is becoming increasingly important. 

The allure of AI: efficiency and personalization

AI excels in improving efficiency and facilitating personalization, from handling routine inquiries and bookings to analyzing guest preferences for bespoke experiences, AI’s capabilities are vast. But despite these benefits, we obviously need people to create that connection that makes all the difference in hospitality. And we need human interaction in areas where empathy and deep understanding are required.

Survey on attitudes towards AI in customer experience 

A recent report by SurveyMonkey provides some insight into consumer attitudes towards AI in customer experience. Here are key findings:

Human vs. AI interaction: 90% of respondents prefer human interaction over AI for customer service. The primary reasons are that humans are more understanding and empathetic and less frustrating, and offer more options for resolving problems. We have all experienced the frustration of dealing with AI and typing “I WANT TO TALK TO A HUMAN” into the chat window. Brands should be very careful to avoid creating this experience which will then be associated with your brand.

Confusion between AI and human interaction: While AI can offer quick and accurate information, only 18% of consumers are very confident they can distinguish between human and AI interaction. This highlights a significant trust gap that luxury providers should consider. One of the main issues being that, if someone has a frustrating AI experience, are they going to think one of your team is at fault?

Generational differences: Attitudes towards AI vary significantly by age. Forty-one percent of consumers under 34 express negative feelings towards AI in customer experience, compared to 72% of those over 65, suggesting younger generations are more open to AI integration.

Some people prefer AI: For those who prefer to interact with AI, reasons include better availability (41%), addressing issues faster (37%), and access to more accurate information (30%). People want AI to help them through a product, website (52%), offer personalized deals (47%) and make personalized product recommendations (42%). 

The case for human touch

Despite AI’s advancements, the survey underscores the irreplaceable value of human touch. NPS® is 72 points higher for human service agents than for AI. Consumers report higher satisfaction rates and a stronger connection with brands that offer human-centered customer services. For luxury establishments, where personalized care is paramount, ensuring that AI does not replace genuine human interaction is crucial.

Balancing AI and human interaction

AI is a game changer and has its place. These bots allow businesses to serve customers 24 hours a day, faster, and in many languages. The challenge for luxury spas and hotels is to use AI strategically to complement, not replace, human interaction. AI should handle routine and data-heavy tasks, allowing human staff to focus on providing empathetic and personalized service where it matters most. We want AI to perform time consuming but easily automated tasks so that our humans can serve guests, not for AI to serve guests so our humans can perform time consuming but easily automated tasks.

Luxury hospitality should tread carefully with AI. While it offers significant advantages in terms of efficiency and personalization, the essence of luxury service – human connection – cannot be overlooked. As AI technologies evolve, so too should the strategies for their integration, always keeping the guest’s preference for genuine, empathetic interactions at the forefront.

Spa Executive is published by Book4Time, the leader in guest management, revenue and mobile solutions for the most exclusive spas, hotels, and resorts around the globe. Learn more at book4time.com.

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Retail can contribute to a significant part of your hotel or resort spa’s revenue, with contributions ranging from an estimated 5% to 30%. Here’s how software improves retail sales. 

Software can play a crucial role in ensuring the success of retail strategies and the efficiency of processes in several ways. Integrating advanced software solutions can transform how spas and hotels manage their operations, customer experiences, and revenue streams. Here’s how:

Retail sales can contribute to a significant part of your hotel or resort spa’s revenue, with contributions ranging from an estimated 5% to 30%. This significant variability indicates substantial growth opportunity, particularly for those at the lower end of this spectrum. Achieving higher retail sales starts with a well-trained team that is both knowledgeable about the products and personally convinced of their benefits – the effectiveness of a sales strategy is profoundly influenced by the enthusiasm of the sales team for the products they’re selling. Employees who have had the chance to try the products themselves and have fallen in love with them are far more likely to convey a genuine enthusiasm to customers, making the sales process both more authentic and more successful. Do not be afraid to reach out to vendors and ask for samples so that your team can try out the products. They are going to be a vendor’s biggest advocate and your biggest sales people just by making simple post-treatment recommendations.

The implementation of a sophisticated spa and ancillary revenue software system is another crucial step towards enhancing retail sales. Software can drastically improve operations, customer engagement, and revenue generation. By streamlining processes, facilitating better inventory management, and offering detailed insights into customer behavior, software solutions help businesses create more effective strategies, significantly boost sales, and increase overall revenue. 

How software improves retail sales

Data Analytics and Reporting

Start with the fundamentals; run retail reports and see which lines and items are selling the best and where the areas of opportunity are. From there you will be able to get a better understanding of how your retail business is operating and why. 

For example, if you notice one serum from a particular line is doing really well, audit your selection and see if you are carrying the entire line from that vendor. When a guest is in love with a single item, they will probably be interested in the entire line. This could boost your sales from a 100 dollar serum to upwards of 500 dollars when you factor in a cleanser, toner and moisturizer as well. 

Advanced analytics, like those found on Book4Time’s reporting dashboards, provide insights into sales trends, customer preferences, and operational efficiency. This data is crucial for making informed decisions about retail strategy and process improvements. Understanding broader market trends and customer preferences through data analysis helps you tailor retail strategies to meet changing demand. Software can also predict inventory needs by analyzing sales data, and automate restocking orders, ensuring that inventory levels are optimized for demand.

Inventory Management

Staying on top of your inventory is crucial! Software can automate the tracking of available retail products, reducing the risk of stockouts or overstocking. The most popular products are always in stock and you won’t overstock items that aren’t selling. Nobody wants to hear that a product they’ve fallen in love with is unavailable when they want it. 

Book4Time software automatically deducts stock from your physical count when an item is purchased through our POS system. The software also allows you to create and receive purchase orders and process intercompany transfers, so you can ship products from one hotel to another and always know what you have on hand and when it’s time to place an order.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

There is nothing like a warm buyer who has already had a great experience with you, and software helps you build and maintain the best customer relationships. Stay in touch with customers and remind them when it’s time to refill. Keeping notes about purchase history and behavior allows you to create personalized promotions and recommendations to enhance the guest experience and increase retail sales – if you know what someone enjoys and what they bought last time, it’s easy to follow up with recommendations. Book4Time’s note taking function is for staff to keep records of everything customer related and notes can be shared across multiple properties so staff is ready, no matter where they are. Customer segmentation can help improve your retail marketing by grouping people based on their preferences and purchase history, allowing you to create targeted marketing campaigns. Collecting and analyzing customer feedback through the software helps you refine retail offerings and improve service quality. 

Ask your vendors if you can promote a gift with purchase, like a deluxe item from their line or a treatment add-on.

Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs are a gold mine for retail. These programs can offer points or rewards for purchasing retail products, which significantly increase retail sales by encouraging guests to buy products they might otherwise overlook. Providing loyalty members with early access to new products, special editions, or members-only merchandise can also boost sales and enhance the perceived value of the loyalty program – We got this new body oil in! Try it! – Book4Time manages your loyalty programs to reward repeat customers by offering customizable rewards and incentives, enabling businesses to create personalized experiences that resonate with their unique customer base, ultimately fostering long-lasting brand loyalty and customer satisfaction.

Sales & Revenue Management

Software that supports dynamic pricing for both services and retail products can maximize revenue by adjusting prices based on demand, seasonality, and customer behavior. Software can also identify opportunities for cross-selling and upselling retail products during the booking process or throughout the guest’s stay, increasing per-customer revenue.

Digital Marketing Integration

Integrating software with digital marketing tools can enhance online visibility and drive both bookings and retail sales through social media, email marketing, and SEO. Book4Time boasts the most integrations in the business, working in tandem with more than 100 systems, including marketing automation systems like Revinate, Clairvoyix, and Demandforce. 

When it comes to indecisive guests, Book4Time’s Shopping Cart feature allows you to put a hold on a retail item a guest is potentially interested in purchasing. This allows the guest to finish looking around or deciding if they want to make the purchase, without adding it to their ticket. You can also save a pending sale, allowing guests to come back and close out their ticket at a later time.

A streamlined POS system

All of these tips should help you get more out of your software to improve your retail sales. Plus, you can save time and improve guest experience with Book4Time’s built-in Point of Sale system. Our streamlined POS system is easy to use and allows you to process multiple payment options, offer a quicker checkout, and share receipts via email. Clients use our POS software for retail boutiques, golf retail shops, spa and salon products and much more. Guests can make purchases via cash, room charge, loyalty points, membership accounts, or on a credit or debit card. Chances are we seamlessly integrate with your current payment processor.

Spa Executive is published by Book4Time, the leader in guest management, revenue and mobile solutions for the most exclusive spas, hotels, and resorts around the globe. Learn more at book4time.com.

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The partnership between Infor Hospitality Management Solution and Book4Time is a step forward in improving guest experience and operational efficiency.

Are you ready to revolutionize the guest experience at your hotel and outpace the competition? 

Infor Hospitality Management Solution (HMS) is an advanced, cloud-based hotel property management system (PMS) that revolutionizes guest experiences and is a game changer for operational efficiency.

Infor empowers hotels of all sizes and scales to tailor guest experiences while ensuring productivity, adaptability, and data protection to meet the growing needs of increasingly tech-savvy travelers and consumers. A technology to welcome all guests, Infor unifies and refines operations, maximizes profitability, and delivers superior guest experiences that exceed expectations. Infor’s integrated cloud hospitality software helps organizations build their business on a scalable, end-to-end, technology platform.

A level of guest satisfaction that ensures repeat visits & memorable stays

With Book4Time’s deep integration with lnfor HMS, hotel staff gain access to actionable information about guests and prospects, create rich experiences, and foster a level of guest satisfaction that ensures repeat visits and memorable stays. They can also:

• access reservation information from within Book4Time
• post charges to rooms and groups
• post full revenue for centralized financial reporting
• search profile information for consistency in guest recognition
• manage reservation confirmation that include the complete guest itinerary

This integration also offers the option to cross post charges between hotels if you have two or more in the same area. This means a guest staying at one hotel can visit a spa at another hotel in your company portfolio and charge the experience back to the room at the hotel where they are staying. This makes the guest’s experience more holistic and connected.

“Infor Hospitality and Book4Time have a long standing working partnership with several high-profile customer accounts that use both our applications,” says David Purcell, Infor’s Vice President of Product Management. “Many of our customers have leisure management requirements and we work with strategic business partners such as Book4Time to fill those requirements. The hospitality industry relies on partner integrations to provide complete solutions to joint customers.”  

Together, Infor and Book4Time launched the transformative Single Guest Itinerary (SGI) feature in late 2023. “We developed this to help our joint customers,” Purcell explains. “We have always had posting integrations, but the SGI takes the data sharing one step further and includes guest profile and reservation data and guest spend and booking patterns.”

The SGI feature automatically sends details of a guest’s spa service bookings to the Infor HMS system, so front desk staff can advise and direct the guest and provide an itinerary inclusive of all their on-property activities upon check in or at any time during their stay. Guests love having a single itinerary for all of their activities during a hotel or resort stay, and having this information mapped out makes it easier to keep track of all of their reservations and experiences. At the end of the stay, this feature optimizes a guest’s folio for a seamless checkout.

Superior insight allows for better & more strategic decision making

Many companies share guest profile data, but this unique analysis of spending and booking patterns can provide a hotel operator with superior insight into their business, allowing for better and more strategic decision making. 

The partnership between Infor Hospitality Management Solution and Book4Time represents a significant step forward in improving guest experience and operational efficiency. By integrating Infor’s PMS with Book4Time’s capabilities, hotels can now offer guests a more personalized and seamless experience, from booking to checkout. The introduction of the Single Guest Itinerary feature is a clear example of how technology can streamline operations and enhance guest satisfaction. For hoteliers looking to stay ahead in a competitive landscape, adopting this integrated approach can make a real difference in attracting and retaining guests.

For more visit infor.com

Spa Executive is published by Book4Time, the leader in guest management, revenue and mobile solutions for the most exclusive spas, hotels, and resorts around the globe. Learn more at book4time.com.

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Increasing customer lifespan in  involves implementing strategies that enhance guest satisfaction, loyalty, and engagement.

We all know that it’s easier and more cost effective to maintain existing customers than to win new ones. In hospitality, this can be a challenge for independent hotels and resorts, as many people will visit an independent property only once, while traveling – and it’s less the case for brands with multiple properties and brands. Still, one can nurture longer term relationships with some customers while also encouraging them to refer their friends. 

Increasing customer lifespan in the hotel and resort industry involves implementing strategies that enhance guest satisfaction, loyalty, and engagement, leading to repeat business and long-term relationships. 

Creating singular and memorable experiences is crucial, offering unique amenities, activities, or packages that people can’t find elsewhere. This could include exclusive events, local cultural experiences, innovative amenities room features, and amazing wellness programs. And, of course, your customer service should be absolute top quality. Providing exceptional customer service at every touchpoint, from booking to post-stay follow-up with well-trained, friendly staff who go above and beyond can significantly impact guest satisfaction and encourage repeat visits. 

Beyond that, here are several strategies for increasing customer lifespan in hospitality.

Focus on local guests. Travel patterns can be significantly affected by factors like economic downturns, travel restrictions, and global health crises. Focusing on locals can diversify your customer base and reduce vulnerability to disruptions while providing a steady stream of business all year round, including during off seasons and downtimes. Engaging with the local community can help build strong relationships and loyalty. Locals who have positive experiences at a hotel or resort are likely to recommend it to visiting friends and family, and to return themselves for staycations or dining experiences. This word-of-mouth marketing is invaluable and can lead to increased bookings and revenue. Your software can create customer segments to better target your marketing.

Create an environment conducive to business stays. Business travelers are apt to return again and again to the same spaces. Appealing to these people can therefore result in return visits or extended workcations or staycations. Create quiet places to work and an environment designed to appeal to the business traveler or staycationer, with readily available coffee and food, and packages that include lunch and happy hour cocktails, or a spa package at the end of the day. Offer boardroom access, easy group bookings for activities, and fast and convenient check in and checkout with early and late options. Reliable wifi is a must. Corporate rates and loyalty programs will encourage repeat business visits.

Punch up your loyalty programs. Developing compelling loyalty programs that offer meaningful rewards, discounts, and exclusive benefits for repeat guests is crucial. Research by McKinsey found that top-performing loyalty programs can boost revenue from customers who redeem points by 15 to 25% annually. Separate research found that 83% of global respondents said belonging to a loyalty program influences their decision to buy again from a brand. These programs should be easy to understand and use, encouraging guests to return to earn and redeem rewards.

Gamify the loyalty experience. Research by Bond found that gamification, using goal setting and rewards, is a driver of program enjoyment and that enjoyment of participating in a program even beats the actual end reward. Fifty three percent of program members said game mechanics make loyalty programs more enjoyable and 81% take advantage of gamification when it’s available. Gamification like results in an almost two-fold increase in enjoyment. This can go beyond simple points for rooms and services. Ideas include creating challenges or missions for guests to complete during their stay, such as visiting all the hotel’s facilities, or completing a specific number of wellness experiences, rewards for social sharing, digital badges and achievements, and personalized goals based on guest interests or past behavior.

Maintain active communication and engagement beyond the stay. Maintaining regular, relevant communication with guests through email newsletters, social media, and personalized offers. Engagement should be thoughtful and not overly sales-oriented, focusing on adding value to the guest experience. Show that they matter and that you’re thinking about them by reaching out on special days with a kind message or offer, while asking nothing in return and now trying to sell anything. Collect feedback and use it to improve. Actively seeking and acting on guest feedback to continually improve service and facilities. Showing guests that their opinions are valued and lead to real changes can build strong, lasting relationships.

Make the most of your software’s CRM functionality: Use your software’s CRM functionality to build lasting relationships with guests. Your customer relationships are your competitive advantage in the marketplace and CRM can help you at every touchpoint in the guest journey.  With Book4Time’s CRM software, you can create detailed customer profiles with everything from basic information to preferred classes, activities, spa treatments, drinks, robe sizes, and more. This builds a strong foundation for the relationships that give you an edge over your competition. Leverage this data to increase marketing conversion, improve guest experience, and more. Track purchase preferences and retail activity. Keep tabs on favorite brands and top-spending customers so you can make tailored recommendations, create promotions, or surprise a guest with a gift. Exceed guest expectations by creating exquisitely personalized experiences for each visit, offering the activities and classes they want and ensuring they receive the correct spa treatment every time. Information gathering and properly applying this information to the customer experience creates the ultimate in tailored experiences, making guests feel seen, heard, and valued.

Implementing these strategies requires a commitment to investing in the guest experience. Success in increasing customer lifespan can lead to enhanced brand reputation, higher occupancy rates, and increased revenue for hotels and resorts.

Spa Executive is published by Book4Time, the leader in guest management, revenue and mobile solutions for the most exclusive spas, hotels, and resorts around the globe. Learn more at book4time.com.

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Times are changing. Here are 10 ways traditional hoteliers are harnessing modern technology to enhance guest experience.

There’s a lot of innovation happening in the hospitality world lately. It was said many times a few years ago that the pandemic accelerated tech adoption in the sector at the rate of “decades in days.” And after a period of upheaval, we’re now seeing a period of growth and adjustment in many areas of the world.

In a report titled Technology in Hospitality: 20 Trends Shaping the Industry by Hotel Tech Report, Jordan Hollander recently wrote: “With so much change in the sector, it can be difficult to decide what new software to purchase or where to allocate budget. Although the industry changes rapidly, it’s clear that a few key trends are driving hotels forward.”

We pulled several highlights from this report and added a few that should also be on the radar. Some of these were accelerated by the pandemic and others by different factors, but all are changing the game and likely here to stay.

Renewable energy

Hoteliers committed to reducing their environmental impact are adopting various eco-friendly strategies. These include the installation of solar panels, transitioning to energy-efficient lighting, and utilizing thermal heat pumps. Some hotels are even approaching or achieving net-zero and carbon-neutral status, room2 in Chiswick, London, and the Four Elements Hotel in Amsterdam.

Online & mobile booking

Hoteliers have been leveraging online and mobile booking to enhance the efficiency and convenience of the reservation process with user-friendly websites and mobile apps for some time now. More recently, hotels and resorts are also using these systems to book and manage spa and other ancillary revenue offerings like workshops and classes, tennis and pickleball courts, cabanas, and more. These systems can integrate with a hotel’s property management system (PMS), allowing for a more streamlined guest experience.

Contactless check-in and checkout & touchless payments

Contactless check-in and checkout, using mobile apps and self-service kiosks for quick ID scanning and room key dispensing, streamline processes for both guests and hoteliers. This efficient approach also applies to spas and other hotel services. The added convenience of paying through digital wallets and mobile payments enhances the guest experience, saves time, reduces lineups, and decreases the need for front desk staff.

Digital tipping

Fewer guests are carrying cash and it’s the housekeepers and valets who have been paying the price. Fortunately, properties are adopting digital tipping apps that allow guests to leave tips through digital payment methods that work with QR codes or links through which guests can access the payment platform which then handles the tip out.

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)

AI is gaining traction in the hotel industry, aiding hoteliers in enhancing guest satisfaction, maximizing revenue, and reducing costs. AI-driven hotel software systems can offer rate suggestions, forecast demand, roll out promotions, manage staff scheduling, handle concierge tasks, and more.

Cloud computing

Hotel software has evolved from being installed on local hard drives to cloud-based solutions, recognized for their numerous advantages. Today’s cloud software enhances convenience and flexibility, supporting remote work, offering real-time updates, and reducing costs and space requirements. It also enhances data security and collaboration, contributing to increased guest satisfaction.

Tapping data & analytics

Hotel systems, along with their ancillary revenue departments, accumulate extensive data, such as reservation details, purchase history, and email interactions. Hoteliers are utilizing diverse software solutions to leverage this data for multiple purposes. This includes personalizing services, enhancing customer relationship management, optimizing yield management, conducting targeted marketing, and refining services and amenities.

Mobile keys

Smartphones equipped with secure Bluetooth technology enable guests to use mobile keys to unlock their rooms, offering a more reliable solution than traditional plastic key cards, which are easier to lose or demagnetize.  

Mobile guest journeys 

Hoteliers are focusing on fostering guest relationships beyond the duration of their stay. For example, with mobile or web-based apps for booking restaurant or spa reservations and exploring hotel amenities. Ancillary revenue management software, integrated with guest-facing apps like Intelity or OKAMMI, simplifies this process. The guest journey is further enhanced with personalized recommendations, pre-stay reminders, mid-stay check-ins, and post-visit follow-ups and surveys.

Yield management

Hotels have been using yield management for rooms for some time and now this is expanding to include yield for spa and ancillary revenue departments. By understanding and capitalizing on the patterns in your data, businesses are boosting revenue potential, approaching maximum capacity utilization, and enhancing the overall customer experience at spas and for other ancillary revenue streams.

The hospitality industry is embracing a new era of technology, driven by recent global events and the evolving needs of modern travelers. This technological renaissance is not just about surviving the current landscape but thriving in it, providing guests with unprecedented levels of convenience, personalization, and eco-friendly options. The industry’s commitment to innovation promises a future where travel and hospitality are not only more efficient and sustainable but also more attuned to the desires and values of every guest.

To read the full list of 20 Trends Shaping the Industry in 2024 visit Hotel Tech Report.

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Book4Time + Nonius Hospitality Technology, a collaboration that marks a significant advancement in creating a more integrated, seamless, and satisfying digital journey for guests worldwide.

Nonius, a leader in guest technology solutions, offers a comprehensive suite for a contactless digital guest journey. With 18 years of expertise, 16 global offices, and a 98% customer retention rate, Nonius caters to over 150 million guests annually across various hospitality sectors. Solutions are tailored for quick global deployment, serving over half a million rooms worldwide, in the most renowned hotel chains, iconic independent hotels, outdoor lodging, apartments, co-living spaces, healthcare, maritime, sport, and leisure facilities.

The company’s cloud-based, turnkey solutions are widely used by major industry players like Accor, Four Seasons, Belmond, and OMNI, and focus on enhancing guest experience and operational efficiency. These include a guest-friendly mobile app, reliable internet access, cost-effective digital signage, a robust on-premise voice solution, and a unified cloud API.

Nonius + Book4Time

Nonius Mobile’s Activities Booking feature streamlines the booking process for guests and staff, boosting revenue, and enhancing the overall experience. Nonius has integrated this feature with Book4Time, a global leader in ancillary revenue and spa management software for the hospitality industry. 

With just a few taps, guests can access spa and activity offerings, diving into a world of choices, and view all availability in real time through the Hotel App. Guests can proceed with booking and online payment, and receive a confirmation email while the booking is automatically registered in the Book4Time dashboard, ensuring the spot is reserved and staff is notified. This feature simplifies and optimizes the booking process, saves time, reduces errors, and enhances the overall guest experience.

This is a great improvement on the traditionally disjointed experience in which services and activities are booked separately, and is a game changer for everyone. Making the booking process easier and more intuitive also encourages guests to avail themselves of more on-site activities, wellness packages, or exclusive events, increasing hotel revenue.

The partnership between Nonius and Book4Time epitomizes innovation and efficiency in the hospitality industry, significantly enhancing the guest experience with streamlined, intuitive booking processes while simultaneously boosting hotel revenue and operational effectiveness. This collaboration marks a significant advancement in creating a more integrated, seamless, and satisfying digital journey for guests worldwide.

Visit noniussolutions.com

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TripFusion by Vacayou is turning the tide with cutting-edge software designed to provide a flawless wellness travel booking experience. TripFusion empowers hotels and resorts to package rooms with spa and wellness experiences and activity bookings, bringing these two trends together, and catering to this wildly lucrative market of health-conscious travelers. 

The travel industry is operating in a new era, where convenience and customization are not just valued but expected. Consumers want cohesive, personalized, stress-free experiences. The global wellness economy, meanwhile, is booming, expected to reach $8.5 trillion by 2027. 

Vacayou is a leading wellness travel marketplace founded in 2019 by Muirgheal Montecalvo, an industry veteran with an entrepreneurial spirit. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Vacayou curates the best experiences geared to wellness travelers, a market willing to spend 177% more than average travelers, especially on spa experiences. 

But after several years in business, the team at Vacayou came to the realization that, despite the demand for wellness travel, the process of designing spa and wellness packages was strangely cumbersome for both guest and hotelier. 

The Fragmentation Frustration

The traditional travel booking model is often fragmented and frustrating for consumers trying to reserve additional services with their hotel or resort room in advance. In an age where efficiency is everything, the inconvenience of managing multiple booking processes has become an outdated and costly affair.

So they asked: as more people look for retreat and restoration, how can hotels best accommodate this high-yield travel? Enter TripFusion, Vacayou’s innovative B2B SaaS solution. TripFusion elegantly syncs a hotel’s reservation systems with its ancillary amenities and services, ensuring that never again will a hotel guest arrive to find that the spa is fully booked or their activity bookings don’t line up with their hotel reservations.

TripFusion’s unique solution

TripFusion addresses fragmentation frustration head-on with a dynamic booking system that enables guests to customize their stay and amenities through a single, streamlined checkout process. As a guest selects room accommodations, they have the option right in the checkout screen to select available services and activities, like spa appointments and other experiences, in real-time. The hotel guest is happy because they can immediately know if the spa services and wellness experiences they want to book will be available to them — before hitting that payment button. 

The value this brings to hospitality groups and spas is enormous – not only does it elevate the customer experience, it also increases spa revenue, revenue per occupied room (RevPOR), and significantly reduces administrative tasks.

Beyond the booking: the guest experience

Between multiple emails and calls, a splintered booking process is simply not conducive to a good guest experience, even with the most professional staff. TripFusion is designed with the guest experience at its core. For the spa concierge, gone are the hours of  back and forth conversations and emails with guests. By offering a seamless booking process that allows guests to reserve appointments in tandem with their rooms, TripFusion eliminates the friction that typically comes with separate bookings.

TripFusion’s is a complete solution to the disjointed problem. The game-changing technology doesn’t just simplify the booking process, it creates a seamless bridge between a hotel’s reservation system and spa ancillary amenities and experiences in real-time, utilizing AI-powered dynamic packages to maximize efficiency and profitability.

Book4Time + TripFusion: a passport to a seamless & enriched travel future

With Book4Time and TripFusion, you can provide a seamless experience to guests looking for the perfect wellness getaway. And, since TripFusion is a part of Vacayou, you can also choose to promote those same packages and journeys directly to those high-yielding wellness travelers searching on vacayou.com! 

Whether you’re booking direct or distributing on Vacayou, with TripFusion and Book4Time, the benefits include:

• Increased revenue: By enabling the simultaneous sale of rooms and additional services, hotels offering spa and wellness services see a direct increase in RevPOR.
• Operational simplicity: Simplified operations lead to reduced administrative costs and frustrations.
• Elevated guest experience: The seamless booking journey results in higher guest satisfaction and loyalty.

The partnership of Book4Time and TripFusion stands alone at the forefront of this industry innovation, giving spas and hotels the opportunity to make unique branded offers, and providing an unmatched competitive edge. Learn more: https://www.tripfusion.com/

Spa Executive is published by Book4Time, the leader in guest management, revenue and mobile solutions for the most exclusive spas, hotels, and resorts around the globe. Learn more at book4time.com.

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