Hilton Worldwide recently revealed that it has now rolled out its digital check-in and room selection technology is now live across more the 4100 hotels worldwide, including 53 hotels in the Middle East and Africa region.
Guests who are members of the group’s loyalty programme, Hilton HHonors, can check in and choose their rooms from digital floor plans or lists on their desktop, tablet, or mobile devices. Members will also be able to request upgrades or make special requests.
The group has also updated the Hilton HHonors iOS app for Apple devices to coincide with the global roll out.
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On the back of these latest developments, Hilton Worldwide global head of digital Geraldine Calpin updated HotelierMiddleEast.com on the company’s latest innovations, in an exclusive Q&A.
How many HHonors customers do you currently have?
We currently have more than 42 million Hilton HHonors members globally. On the back of the arrival of the digital check-in and room selection technology and the roll out of the use of smartphones as room keys in 2016, we expect this number to grow significantly.
What sort of further digital developments can we expect from Hilton Worldwide?
Technology is transforming the way people consume goods and services, and as a result, the way we do business.
With digital at the core of our development, next year, we will begin rolling out another digital amenity – the use of smartphones as room keys – giving guests even more choice and control. By the end of 2015, guests at U.S. properties across four of our brands will be able to securely check-in and choose their room the day before arrival, and access their room directly without stopping at the front desk once arriving on property.
To further connect with travellers’ needs and their dependency on their devices to house all of their travel itineraries, Conrad Hotels & Resorts developed the Conrad Concierge app launched in 2012. The intuitive, service-oriented tool provides access to a 24/7 virtual concierge (available in 13 languages). Before our guests even arrive, they can use the app to take advantage of the industry-first pre check-in functionality, order room service and preferred amenities – alleviating travel hurdles to create a seamless hotel stay.
As a result of the app, the brand has seen significant growth in spending on amenities and services from those using Conrad Concierge compared to those who are not using the app - an added bonus to the business and an incentive for Conrad properties to become even more creative with localised offerings.
What kind of digital upgrades have the hotels in the region required in order to prepare them for this technology?
Over the course of the last seven years, Hilton Worldwide invested US $550 million in overall IT infrastructure globally. This infrastructure is extensive and includes all our mobile applications (for features such as digital check-in and customisation) as well as many other major areas such as our websites, data centers, sales and revenue management, on-property systems and corporate intranet.
We have worked closely with hotels around the world to prepare them for the digital check-in and room selection roll out and to ensure the necessary infrastructure is in place across each property to offer added value for our guests.
Everything we do is designed to better serve our guests so they are more loyal to our brands – including our digital tools – thereby driving business and generating revenue for our owners.
We expect a high return on investment from the digital tools driven by increased brand loyalty and incremental revenue from push notifications, upsell opportunities and pre-arrival requests.
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