Guest arrival is a crucial moment in the guest journey that sets the tone for the entire hotel stay. By the time a guest actually checks in, they have likely undergone a long, tiresome and sometimes irritating travel experience. At this point, their typical mindset is along the lines of, “I can’t wait to get to my room, freshen up and start unwinding”. So it is no surprise that check-in is when a lot things can go wrong. The operational challenge is not how fast you can check the guest in, but how fast you can get the guest in their room without a break-down in communication or guest experience.

You have certainly read the articles and research showing that “consumer demand for personalization makes information the most valuable currency” and that “all travelers, regardless of age and type (business or leisure) are looking for a unique, authentic, personalized, seamless travel experience.” Guests who receive fractured, impersonal messages from a hospitality brand get easily annoyed. As a result, they start ignoring communications, tuning out brand messaging or simply unsubscribing and unfollowing the account.