When Nordic Choice started its digital transformation about five years ago , Farrar says executives thought the most difficult part would be replacing legacy systems and building the features they thought their customers would want .
“ We ’ ve made huge leaps in both replacing infrastructure but also building the best guest journey ,” she says , adding that the company hasn ’ t fully succeeded yet in truly changing the mindset of its staff and its guest base to new ways of acting and thinking . “ Hotels have a challenge , but mainly an opportunity , to look at how technology can assist or make the journey better . But it ’ s really essential that the experience with us isn ’ t about technology ,” she says .
Nordic Choice ’ s app is one step toward that goal . Here , guests book hotel rooms , collect rewards points , check in and out , use a mobile room key , chat with team members and more . The goal is to make the app more than an on-property gimmick .
“ It ’ s something you should be humble about if a guest downloads your app ,” Farrar says . “ We view it as a travel companion , something that can assist you throughout your journey , whether that is researching before arrival or how you get to your destination .”
The app is always a work in progress , she says . “ It needs to evolve as expectations evolve .”
KEEPING GUESTS LOYAL Farrar also spends a lot of time thinking about the company ’ s role in the distribution landscape , pushing the guest experience and the need for booking direct . She ’ s no stranger to this arena : Farrar spent five years at online travel agency Orbitz before joining Nordic Choice , and she says the evolution of loyalty is one of her biggest priorities .
“ Loyalty is transactional , such that in the travel industry it ’ s built around points and climbing the ladder ,” she says . “ That ’ s something we need to reinvent ... How can we change a fairly big company to also start optimizing for the younger travelers , the 20-somethings , who aren ’ t chasing points ?”
Part of the answer , the company believes , is blockchain . In 2017 , Nordic Choice announced that it would work with a vendor to explore new ways of distribution using an open-source platform for its Stockholm-based Hobo brand . The goal was to use the technology to help in lowering distribution costs , thereby increasing profits .
“ We ’ ve always been curious about new technology and understanding new and emerging tech and trends ,” Farrar says . “ When we came across blockchain and got to know it more , we realized it can change the distribution landscape .” At the time , it was widely reported that Nordic Choice was first in the global lodging industry to enter the space .
“ We continue to work with the technology and see how we can scale it down the line ,” Farrar says . “ For us , it ’ s still interesting , and we ’ re still exploring putting inventory on blockchain . Most technology takes a while to gain traction , but it will gain traction .”
( LOYALTY IS ) SOMETHING WE NEED TO REINVENT .
April 2020 hotelsmag . com 37