Accor’s Ibis family of brands is rolling out a new guest interaction concept which it says “will see employees connecting with guests in a more social and interactive way, approaching to help guests rather than waiting to be approached”.
The new approach – which will be rolled out across all Ibis Budget, Ibis and Ibis Styles properties in the UK by the end of May – will see staff using mobile devices “to access any information they need away from the confines of a desk or a computer”.
Employees will be able to use the Accorhotels-developed software to check in guests, as well to manage services such as housekeeping and breakfast.
The group said that new guest experience “has been created to meet the changing expectations of guests seeking more social, interactive hospitality experiences with higher levels of customer service”.
Commenting on the initiative Karelle Lamouche, senior vice president for Economy and Budget hotels at Accorhotels UK and Ireland said:
“We have removed the traditional transactional aspects of the check-in and check-out process which have been too long in our industry. In doing so, our employees have more quality time to spend with the guest.
“Seventy three per cent of our team members at Ibis are millennial, so we want them to be using the latest technologies and the best mobile devices to make their work fun and engaging and therefore benefit our overall guest experience. This is the new standard for the industry and customer service.”
The new guest experience is already in place at Ibis properties including the Ibis Cambridge (rendering pictured above), and will be rolled out at a rate of one UK hotel a day between now and the end of May.
Accorhotels cites an industry report by accounting and consulting network Grant Thornton, which shows that “Nearly half of millennials would be motivated to return to a hotel by having the ability to check in and out using a mobile device”.
