HotelsMag June 2016 | Page 17

“ We view our 24 / 7 social care efforts as a natural extension of our purpose , which is to care for people so they can be their best and that means we want to engage with our guests on their terms , through their preferred channels .”

nication

by Brittany FarB , assoCiate eDitor
cations , which carries over to travel .”
You call us About two years ago , Starwood Hotels & Resorts piloted Let ’ s Chat , a two-way 24 / 7 mes-
spheres , why couldn ’ t we provide that same style in our hotel ?” says Daniel Kerzner , Starwood ' s vice president of digital , loyalty and partner marketing , adding that What ’ s App
has allowed us to cross demographics .”
Another important feature of Let ’ s Chat is that guests initiate all conversations . The platform aims to replace the conversation
gertips ,” he says . “ We do not push any unsolicited marketing or promotional material over a channel . Instead , we are on the receiving end of the station of dialogue that has been
Millennials who use Facebook Messenger use it three times more often than they do email .
“ We view our 24 / 7 social care efforts as a natural extension of our purpose , which is to care for people so they can be their best and that means we want to engage with our guests on their terms , through their preferred channels .”
– Dan Moriarty , Hyatt Hotels Corp .
saging tool between guests and associates , at W Doha Hotel & Residences . Available on WhatsApp , Blackberry Messenger and iMessage , Let ’ s Chat is now available at more than 150 Starwood properties worldwide .
“ We recognized that if guests are using text messages in their social
accounts for 85 % of dialogue . “ Texting has grown so rapidly and covers across very large age and large geographic brackets . The device that people use might be different depending on where in the world they are from and the chat apps might be different , but by allowing guests to use their own device
that a guest would have over the phone or at the front desk . Kerzner reports an average 60-second response rate and says the majority of requests received over Let ’ s Chat include spa bookings , restaurant reservations and car transfers . “ It ’ s really an extension of a concierge at their fin-
initiated specifically by the guest .”
Corinthia Hotel St . George ' s Bay in Malta recently introduced a pre-allocated WhatsApp number that guests can use to contact the hotel directly for services during their stay . The hotel also offers " Twitter by the Pool ,"
which allows guests to tweet their food and drink orders while at the pool .
“ Inevitably , messaging is going to be highly disruptive – it has to be ,” says Robert Cole , founder of RockCheetah , Menomonee Falls , Wisconsin . “ This represents a huge shift in the industry .”
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