What are you doing to promote these new developments?
We have more than 42 million Hilton HHonors members globally who can now take advantage of this industry first technology so there is a huge and growing pool of guests ready to try out the technology.
Our survey findings have shown that business travellers overwhelmingly said they would prefer to have more control over room selection, with 84% in favour of choosing their room, while two out of three consumers want more control over the hotel room where they stay. With this in mind, our Team Members around the world are actively promoting the technology’s benefits to Hilton HHonors guests.
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Can you explain to Hilton HHonors members and guests how it all works?
Digital check-in and room selection technology is now live across more than 4100 hotels spanning 11 brands worldwide. Through their Hilton HHonors accounts, guests will be able to check-in and choose their exact room from digital floor plans, or lists, on desktop, tablet and mobile devices. No other hotelier offers this amenity and Hilton is providing this at scale!
Guests will also be able to further customise their stay by purchasing upgrades or making special requests with the simple click of a button even before they arrive at the hotel.
At 6 a.m. the day before a booked stay, hotel guests are able to sign in to their Hilton HHonors account via their mobile device, tablet or computer to check in and choose their preferred room, within the room type they reserved, through floor plans or lists populated from the hotel’s available inventory. This digital lobby function is updated in real-time, so guests no longer have to wait until they are physically in the hotel lobby to be assigned a room.
Rooms are offered through room selection on a first come, first served basis, based on room type booked through the reservation process.
After choosing a room, guests can further customise their stay at full-service hotels by purchasing upgrades and requesting specific amenities to be delivered to their room before arrival.
Once our guests have completed the check-in process – including selecting their room – they’ll receive a confirmation notification. We’ll then update the hotel’s inventory in real-time to reflect that the selected room is no longer available to others.
For check-out, guests can bypass the front desk upon departure as their bill will be automatically emailed to them.
What is the timeline for the rollout of the mobile room entry across the Middle East?
Mobile room key is currently in development. We are in the pilot and testing stage and will begin a scaled rollout in 2015.
By the end of 2015, we will have completed the mobile room key rollout at four brands within the U.S - Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts and Canopy by Hilton properties. By the end of 2016, the majority of our rooms system-wide globally will be equipped with this functionality.
Can we expect Hilton to develop any apps for the upcoming Apple Watch?
Through developing and pioneering our digital technology services, we seek to maintain our position as a leading hospitality provider at scale – offering enhanced value to our guests around the world. We are always exploring new options to achieve this and for now Hilton Worldwide is focused on the successful roll out of the digital check-in and room selection technology. Once we’ve successfully implemented phase one of the mobile-enabled room key in 2015, we will look to implement the technology at scale so our guests can experience the streamlined and efficient full digital lobby experience at all 4200-plus Hilton Worldwide properties globally.
Do you see this technology (and other advancements) as alternatives to interaction with staff or complimentary to it?
We remain a service focused hospitality business, with technology enhancing the guest experience, where they choose. Our digital initiatives enables our Team Members to provide better service with less time spent on administration of the reservation at check in and more on meeting guests’ needs.
Our solution will allow traditional key cards to continue to work alongside the mobile-enabled keys. If some travellers would prefer to use a traditional key, they can continue to do so. We will simply be offering this technology as a convenient alternative for those who would like to take advantage of it.
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