The World of Hospitality Issue 31 2019 | Page 50

NEW HOTEL APP TAKES ROOM SERVICE TO THE NEXT LEVEL Room Service - There's An App for That! The days of ‘ringing down for room service' may be numbered, thanks to a brand new app. The appropriately-named Room Service App is a beautifully simple idea wrapped up in some serious, multi-layered technology that delivers a complete package of services to users. The app takes the concept of hotel room service into the 21st century, combining it with user-friendly tech that guests will already be familiar with. It's fast, it's responsive, and it enhances the guest experience. From the moment a booking is made through to ongoing Room Service Club deals that encourage customer loyalty, the app is a ground-breaking piece of tech that works on a very simple and fundamental principle - delivering exceptional customer service. Room Service is effectively a concierge service, your hotel service brochure, check-in and check-out service, your in-house restaurant menus, and just about any other provision you can think of, all available to guests at the tap of a screen. It also provides in-house platforms for monitoring and assessing staff performance. This multi-layered app allows you to customise it to suit your exact specifications, and for a small initial registration fee of £500, it costs just £20 per room, per year. Room Service is suitable for any type of establishment, from a small B&B with under 10 rooms, to a large complex or multinational chains. "We've designed Room Service to work as a virtual concierge that has one purpose - to improve and elevate the customer experience," explains CEO Hugh Johnson. "Apps should have a relevance to users, they should be functional, and improve the life of the person using it. Room Service does exactly that, whether you're ordering a wake-up call, booking a session in the hotel spa, or making a booking," he adds. How does it work? The Room Service App uses innovative interactive software to connect hotels to their guests via smartphone or tablet. Guest orders are received by the software and then instantly upstreamed to the relevant hotel staff. So, for example, if your hotel has a golf course attached then guests can book a round using the app. That booking is directed straight to the golf course manager. Any service can be incorporated into the app. For example, a restaurant booking made while the client is in the lobby can be directed instantly to the Maître d's receiver tablet, without the need to go through reception or your hotel concierge service. This app doesn't remove the need for a ‘real life' reception or concierge, but is designed to enhance the service offered to guests, and to streamline tasks that can be dealt with electronically. This leaves your front-of-house staff free to provide guests with a premium quality personalised service. How much does it cost? Room Service costs a one-off fee of £500 and then an ongoing annual charge of £20 per room. Local businesses can also pay to advertise on the service, while membership to the exclusive Room Service Club is £25/year. Benefits for the hotelier Not only does Room Service improve your guests' experiences, but it also helps hoteliers to monitor and assess the performance of staff with a series of bolt-on tools not accessible to the general public. This makes the app multi-layered and multi-functional, providing real value for money. The EPOS software and instant messaging SMS food ordering system streamline the service even further. There's no need to invest in additional support software as the app is a stand-alone that can be used with both iOS and Android operating systems. Robust firewalls and security ensures that it's also GPRD-compliant, and offers total protection for guests' details. Encouraging customer loyalty Room Service can also act as a virtual ‘Loyalty Card', where users can become members of the Room Service Club, which provides access to exclusive deals and special offers from hotels around the world. Guests can earn loyalty points, which can be offset against future bookings, making it even more attractive and reinforcing customer loyalty.