The Impact of Mobile Apps on Transforming the Hospitality Industry in 2024

The hospitality industry has always been centered around giving guests an unforgettable experience at the end of the day. From giving an extraordinary physical environment to ensuring that the customers are comfortable throughout their stay, the idea has always been to provide a personalized experience to the guests, and for that technology is playing a vital role. If you are in the hospitality industry, you must keep track of all the latest trends and technologies that will help you gain an edge in the industry.

One such trend that is gaining popularity in the hospitality industry is that of integrating mobile applications to facilitate the guests at your hotel in a much more effective manner. You might wonder, why exactly we need mobile applications for hotels. Since everything is rapidly digitizing, we as humans, are relying more on technology than any other thing.

Similarly, hotels are also building their mobile applications to take the guest’s experience to another level. To give a boost to revenues in the long run you must also collaborate with a mobile app development company in San Francisco if you also aim to stay ahead of the competition in the hospitality industry.

Now, you might also wonder that before the advent of technology and smartphones, the hospitality industry did just fine and why is it that today, it requires the integration of mobile applications and has to adapt to all the latest technologies. Let’s first answer, what is hospitality app? Hospitality apps are there to up your game in the industry and enhance your brand’s reputation and the reason is simple, the guests visiting your hotels are driven by the latest technologies and they are more dependent on their smartphones than anything else.

In the current times, the users are of the perspective that everything is accessible to them through a mere swap on the smartphone and can be done in seconds. So instead of relying upon traditional and time-consuming check-ins/check-outs, they would rather do it on the phones and instead of having the added responsibility of carrying their hotel keys, they can simply scan codes on the hospitality apps to access the hotel rooms and other facilities.

According to Deloitte’s 2022 Travel Outlook Report, hotels with robust mobile app integrations experienced an average revenue increase of 12-18% through direct bookings, reducing reliance on Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and their associated commissions. So now, do you want to know what kind of impact hotel mobile apps can make on the industry in the years to come and the benefits of having these hospitality apps, then continue reading this article.

Some Key Features in a Mobile Application of a Hotel

All the successful hotels operating in the industry have incorporated these unique and attractive features in their mobile application to gain the appeal of their guests. These features are as under:

Online Booking and Reservation:

Once you have installed the hotel application on your mobile phones, you can make the bookings and reservations as per your liking and can get confirmation immediately without any hassle. Some hotels ask for advance payments whereas some even give the option to pay some amount as advance for booking and then ask for the remaining dues at the time of checkout.

Check-in/Check-out:

The mobile application gives the guests easy and hassle-free access to check-in and check-out without any need for queuing up at the hotel reception. This not only saves time for both the management as well as the guests and gets the entire process more streamlined altogether. A PwC survey (2022) found that 68% of hotel guests prefer using mobile apps for check-in and check-out processes, citing convenience and time-saving benefits.

Access to Hotel Services:

The user can have easy access to room services through the hotel room service app. This is not limited to what you want to eat or drink, it also includes cleaning service, housekeeping assistance, and other services that can make the stay of your guests memorable in the hotel.

Loyalty Program:

Having a mobile application for your hotel helps you keep track of your frequent guests and through rewards points systems you can have a loyal customer base that would come back to you over and over again. This is a popular feature that many restaurants, spas, and other service providers benefit from and for the hospitality sector, this can particularly do wonders in encouraging frequent visits from the same guests. Hotels with well-integrated mobile apps have seen their Guest Satisfaction Index improve by an average of 10-12%, according to J.D. Power (2022).If you are a successful mobile app development company San Francisco, you need to consider all these above features before proposing a mobile app idea to a potential hotel operating in the hospitality industry.

Benefits of Having a Mobile Application for a Hotel

Mobile applications are gaining immense popularity worldwide, not just in the USA. A Statista forecast (2023) projects that by 2025, over 80% of U.S. hotels will have their mobile applications to stay competitive and meet evolving guest expectations. This trend is due to the inclination of guests towards automated and more streamlined check-in and checkout processes to avoid the queues at the hotel reception.

However, due to the poor implementation of mobile applications and inadequate assistance given to the guests at the time of onboarding in a hotel to use a mobile application, the user rate is still fairly low. The benefits that can come out of a single mobile application are tremendous and all you need is an efficient and highly skilled company that is a pioneer in designing apps for hotel management exclusively.Here are some key benefits of having a mobile application for your hotel:

Improved User Experience:

Through a specially designed platform for hospitality industry, hotels can give a much more personalized and wholesome experience to their guests. You can have a better understanding of their likes and dislikes, their preferences, and make sure to improve their experience with the hotel on the next visit. With a well-designed mobile application, hotels can give their guests an automatic check-in and checkout option, guests can book their rooms, have access to information that they need before booking the hotel, and also provide timely feedback for the service they are getting. In this manner, hotels can keep logs of their user interactions and also take adequate measures to bring in appropriate changes accordingly.

Operations Management:

You might wonder if hotel mobile applications are only designed to facilitate the guests, but they help the hotel management streamline their operations as well. If the check-ins and check-outs are easing the process for the guests, it is also decluttering the mob from the hotel receptions as well, allowing the hotel management to offer more personalized products and services to the guests.

Increased Revenues:

Mobile applications for hotels are creating more avenues to generate more money for the hotels altogether. It is not just for making bookings, but also allows in-app purchases, booking for spa services, ordering room services, and making dinner reservations, etc., the avenues are endless and the ease and convenience that comes with a mobile application only attracts the guests to keep on ordering for more and more. Based on the user patterns, the application also generates personalized recommendations within the app to keep the guest involved and engaged.

Successful Cases of Mobile Application Integration within the U.S. Hospitality Industry

When it comes to the integration of Mobile Applications, there are some popular U.S. Hotels that are making waves in the industry with their success, such as:

Marriott:

Marriott has been at the forefront when it comes to adopting mobile app innovation in the industry. The Marriott Bonvoy application allows guests to book rooms, check in, and even unlock their hotel rooms with their smartphones. The app further enables personalized suggestions and guest-to-hotel staff chatting, enhancing the guest experience with one of its successfully implemented hospitality platforms.

Hyatt:

Hyatt has also been quite strong when it comes to personalizing the guest’s experience through the use of mobile applications. The World of Hyatt app allows guests to manage reservations, check-in, order room service, and request amenities, offering personalized experiences based on guest preferences. The focus of Hyatt on adopting new advanced technologies has always drawn the attention of its guests as it only enhances the guest experience, their loyalty towards the Hyatt chain of hotels, and improved satisfaction of the guests.

Hilton:

The mobile application at Hilton is at the heart of the digital strategy being implemented at the hotels. Instead of booking rooms, customers can check in digitally, select their rooms, and use a Digital Key to open the hotel room door. Other than this, the application also offers personalized offers and deals to the guests to effectively manage through the loyalty program. Hilton has highlighted that due to the mobile application, there has been an increase in bookings and repeat customers.

Future Trends in Hotel Mobile Applications

You might wonder if hotel mobile applications might be limited to features like check-in/check-out, in-app purchases, loyalty programs, or ordering services online. But this is not all, the future of mobile applications in the hotel industry is bright and filled with innovations. Some emerging trends that you need to watch out for are:

AI integration into Mobile Applications and Smart Hoteling:

Through AI and Machine Learning, hotels can now offer fully personalized experiences to their guests. They can use analytics and analyze their guests’ preferences and behaviors, cross-examine them with historical data, and offer recommendations based on the analysis. We guarantee you that it will surely surpass the expectations of your guests when they have such carefully tailored and personalized services and products from your end.

Use of Virtual Reality:

Virtual Reality is the next big thing in the Mobile application development field in the Hospitality industry. Guests can experience the entire hotel, with its services, amenities, and facilities through virtual reality and then decide for themselves, whether or not to book them for their future stay. It is an exciting new feature that hotels can make use of and attract more and more guests through it.

IoT integration:

Integrating IoT with hotel operations, will allow hotels to create a more convenient and comfortable environment for their guests at the time of their stay. Smart appliances, smart thermostats, and automatic lighting are all the features that you can offer to your guests through your mobile application. One centralized app to cater to all the needs of your hotel guests will result in outstanding hospitality outcomes in terms of their satisfaction in the long run.

Conclusion

To sum it up, mobile applications have had a profound and very strong and positive impact on the hospitality industry. Mobile applications have paved the way for endless opportunities in the hotel business altogether and it is advised that the hotels that are lagging in this adoption, must do that as soon as possible to stay in the game.

The use of mobile applications is allowing hotels to offer more personalized and tailored services to the guests, guaranteeing long-term sustainable returns for the business in the future. Hotels can generate decent revenues through repeat business from the same customers over time and also can improve their operational processes to achieve greater efficiencies altogether.

By embracing these new advancements and technologies, hotels will be able to match up with the evolving needs of modern-day travelers and also remain competitive in their industry. So if you are in the hospitality industry and want one of our hotel guest apps, what are you waiting for, get in touch with our Mobile App Development team at TekRevol today!