When was the last time your front desk staff was just standing around doing nothing? For many hoteliers, that’s rarely the case. 

With more travelers rebooking their trips after COVID-19, front desk personnel are busier than ever! 

But when your team is overworked, mistakes happen. Guests become frustrated waiting in long check-in or check-out lines, upgrades get lost in translation, and the guest experience suffers.

That’s why certain hotel front desk software systems automate the tedious tasks your team need not stress over. Maximize your guest satisfaction and move a little closer to reaching operational efficiency with these automation features:

1. Improve efficiencies and reduce wait time by using a guest portal.

Sometimes your staff can be so busy checking in/out guests and managing information at the front desk that phone calls and email inquiries go unanswered. After just a few short hours, these messages can quickly pile up, requiring your team to respond long past when the guest needed an answer. 

That's where a guest portal comes in handy. Suddenly, guests don't have to call in or wonder if their inquiry was received. Right inside their private portal, they can manage their reservations, make payments, etc. 

With a guest portal, your front desk software can automate correspondence, so guests have fewer questions about their booking, can check-in/out of their room via mobile devices, and have autonomy over the details of their stay. Now more than ever, guests are looking for contactless experiences, and automation within a guest portal is an easy and effective way to give them exactly what they’re looking for.

2. Send personalized, automated messages to guests.

Personalized messages can go a long way in increasing the guest experience, but hoteliers and front desk staff alike know that it can be hard to devote private time and attention to each and every individual. By leveraging guest marketing automation features directly inside your hotel management system, you don't have to worry about writing a unique message for every guest. Instead, you can add small personal touches, instantly. 

The best hotel management software allows your front desk staff to send mass SMS or email messages, triggered after a guest takes an action (like checking in or upgrading a room amenity), automatically confirm changes, and even respond quickly to online chats. Some allow you to send out automated text messages to guests all throughout their stay as well, alerting them about housekeeping items, local events, recommendations, etc.

Best of all, the guest will see personal tokens like their name or specific details about their stay in the messages and assume a real person contacted them— but really, these personal details were automatically pulled from your hotel management system database and added to the content!

3. Improve internal communications amongst staff.

A front desk software system that plays nice with your other hotel management tools gives your team the peace of mind of knowing all guest records can be quickly accessed, containing the most accurate information. When everything is automatically interconnected, your team can easily monitor or assign housekeeping tasks/requests and make sure your guests are receiving the quick, quality service they deserve. Staff is able to stay informed and on the same page when requests are completed, without needing to coordinate via phone, email, or in-person. This is especially important for multi-property locations, giving staff at other locations important context about a guest’s stay at another hotel in order to deliver quality service time and time again. 

4. Automatically ask for guest reviews.

Guest testimonials and reviews can make or break a hotel's reputation. It's a sad reality that oftentimes guests will only go online to share their experience if it was a bad one. Even if they had a fantastic stay, it's not always top of mind to share their positive experience online on a formal review platform.

Review management has never been easier than it is with the right front desk software. Never let a great review slip through the cracks by automatically triggering a review request email after guests check out. Simply ask permission to share their email testimonial on your website or other hotel marketing materials.  

5. Encourage future stays with a guest reward program.

You can also use automation within your hotel’s front desk software to drive repeat visits with an exciting customer rewards program. Guests get to enjoy rewards points for certain activities with your hotel, such as selecting a room upgrade after a certain number of book-direct reservations, booking during a limited-time double reward offer, etc.

All of the rewards points get automatically added to your guest’s account upon them taking a certain tracked action. Your front desk is alerted of their special offering if relevant and can ensure the guest receives the extra attention they’ve proudly earned. Guests will appreciate their loyalty being so graciously noticed— and your team can easily improve the guest experience with helpful reminders. This is especially helpful for multi-property locations, where guests may earn rewards at one location, but want to redeem them at another.

Don’t Forget About Self-Service Options!

Automation features can instantly improve your guest experience and help your front desk staff feel supported and empowered. 

If you are ready to get started with automation in your hotel, consider self-service technology. By allowing guests to check in and out right on their mobile devices, you provide your customers with the most convenient experience and allow your team to focus their attention elsewhere.

Download our complimentary 5 Reasons Self Service Will Work For You ebook to explore all the benefits of adopting self-service technology in your hotel.