“ I THINK THE KIOSK HAS SEEN ITS TIME . I think you ’ re going to see everything advance to mobile apps .”
TECHNOLOGY : SELF-SERVICE
checking in themselves . “ Under 10 % of guests are using it ,” says Tom Smith , Hyatt ’ s vice president of room operations , adding that the primary users are business travelers staying at city center or convention center properties .
“ Business travelers are using it more , where it is a short stay and the rooms are pretty consistent ,” Smith adds . “ Some of our resorts have a kiosk , and there the usage rates are lower . It is less about the transaction and more about the experience .”
Despite this , Hyatt remains committed to offering the kiosks , having integrated them with its new mobile application . “ When you get your email confirmation , that can be scanned by the kiosk . You can scan that on the kiosk , it recognizes who you are , you scan your credit card and you take your room card and head toward your room ,” Smith says . “ With the app , as we continue to grow these self-service offerings , we ’ ll integrate that .”
Smith says the kiosks have not saved Hyatt any labor costs , adding that the primary purpose of the kiosks is not to replace the front desk as Yotel has done . “ The kiosks we don ’ t staff differently because of those . It ’ s really about the flexibility and providing that option for the guest ,” Smith says . “ It ’ s like online shopping . It has been around forever , but people still go to stores . It really depends on the person .”
The GoBoard 4.0 virtual concierge system being installed in Courtyard by Marriott hotels
Other hotel companies are less sanguine about check-in kiosks . Hilton Worldwide , McLean , Virginia , is skeptical that guest demand is really there given the low amount of usage of kiosks at Hilton hotels and the lack of return on investment .
“ A lot of hotel companies — and this includes us — installed these monster kiosks in the lobby . They were horrible ,” says Tim Benolken , Hilton ’ s senior vice president of operations for western North America . “ You didn ’ t even save on labor , and they were so difficult to operate . I think the kiosk has seen its time . I think you ’ re going to see everything advance to mobile apps . There are a few of our hotels that still have the kiosks , but at the majority of our hotels they have been taken out .”
Indeed , when check-in can be done via a mobile application , some argue that a dedicated check-in kiosk in the lobby is redundant . “ I believe the trend you will see in self-service is that guests will use their own mobile smart devices to complete a check-in instead of an expensive dedicated terminal in the lobby . A guest can do this on the way to the hotel or in the hotel lobby as they desire ,” says Bob Bennett of Starr Technology Consulting , Southlake , Texas . “ The hotel can also provide much more information to the guest about the property , which they can then carry with them .”
Another type of kiosk some hotel companies are developing is the virtual concierge , where guests can get concierge information themselves on their hotel ’ s destination . Like Hilton , Marriott International , Bethesda , Maryland , found little success with check-in kiosks and has instead focused on installing the GoBoard 4.0 virtual concierge system in its Courtyard by Marriott hotels , which includes a large screen showing destination information as well as computer kiosks guests can access .
“ Check-in kiosks were not implemented broadly because guest acceptance was low at the time ,” says John Wolf , Marriott ’ s senior director of public relations .
However , Marriott is bullish about the virtual concierge . “ Courtyard believes in giving its guests options , and that is what the GoBoard does — it allows the traveler to get whatever information they want , whenever they want it ,” says Janis Milham , vice president and global brand manager of Courtyard by Marriott . “ However , if they want interaction with someone , the front desk is also able to help — so it ’ s more about providing flexibility .”
Carlson has also introduced a virtual concierge kiosk , complete with touchscreen technology , at the first U . S . Radisson Blu-branded hotel , which recently opened in Chicago . “ Our new Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel , Chicago , offers a touch-screen self-service concierge in the lobby allowing guests
“ I THINK THE KIOSK HAS SEEN ITS TIME . I think you ’ re going to see everything advance to mobile apps .”
– Tim Benolken , Hilton Worldwide
60 HOTELS January / February 2012 www . hotelsmag . com