HOTELS THAT HANDLE GUEST TEXT SERVICES THE RIGHT WAY ARE REAPING THE BENEFITS , BUT NOT ALL TAKE THE SAME APPROACH .
GWORKS
Contributed BY MEGAN ROWE texting guests to encourage them to check in and select a room before they arrived . So many guests used the service and responded with specific questions about the hotels that the company decided to introduce “ Edward .”
Guests booking at The May Fair or one of the 11 Radisson Blu Edwardian properties receive a confirmation text from Edward at the time of booking ; it includes a link to download the app . When it was rolled out in 2017 , about 20 % of Edwardian guests used the service ; today , that figure is closer to 70 %.
Edward is equipped to answer questions on more than 1,600 topics . It can handle nearly any guest need , from tips on local tourist attractions to reservations for spa treatments , room service orders , requests for a spare toothbrush and more . More than 400,000 guests speaking 59 languages have consulted with Edward so far .
When Edward is stumped , his human counterparts jump in , but that is a rare occurrence . “ Edward is built with advanced algorithms and so is able to quickly learn from new requests and replicate the same problem-solving technique to work out future responses ,” says Michael Mrini , Edwardian ’ s director of information technology and the “ father ” of Edward .
Edward not only has increased staff efficiency — its functions extend to the team ’ s own questions about scheduling or time off . Meeting planners and attendees also can text Edward with support requests and questions about meeting room locations .
Edward also has a fan club . Hotels have received handwritten notes addressed to him , and online reviewers rave about his capabilities . “ We have seen a direct correlation between guest satisfaction levels — measured by a Net Promoter Score — and the use of Edward ,” Mrini adds .
MAKING IT PERSONAL Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts took a more personal approach to texting , viewing it primarily as a service enhancement . The company ’ s Four Seasons Chat relies on live responses from the staff rather than a chatbot . It works on nine platforms and allows guests to communicate in more than 100 languages before , during and after their stay .
Visual and audio cues alert the staff , who respond in an average of 90 seconds or less . Team members can loop in various departments to deal with specific questions or requests , and they stay connected through a staff app . They stand ready to field requests ranging from “ I forgot my toothbrush ” to “ Can you line up a private jet ?” A guest at the Lanai , Hawaii Four Seasons who lost her way while four-wheeling around the island was able to navigate back to the property with the help of texts from the concierge .
“ The guest experience is our top priority , whether on property or when engaging with our brand digitally ,” says Christian Clerc , president of worldwide hotel operations for Four Seasons . He says luxury travelers , more than ever , look for digital tools to make travel easier ; Four Seasons Chat is a way to meet guests where they are .
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