3 Ways the Hotel Charging Station Can Help Your Digital Engagement Strategy

Being one of the most high-traffic areas in the guest room, the nightstand is an ideal place for hotels to deliver a “wow moment” to their guests. Things like a bluetooth speaker and convenient charging outlets can make an immediate impression and have guests thinking - “dang, this hotel is pretty cool.

But how else can the modern hotelier take advantage of that space to increase guest engagement and ultimately their bottom line?  

We’re taking a deeper dive into how the unique wireless charging tray on Nonstops Products can be used to drive key digital initiatives such as increasing guest loyalty, growing their social media following, and promoting new digital services. 

Increase Guest Loyalty 

One of the key focus areas for Hotel marketers is working to increase the amount of direct bookings on their website or mobile app. It’s no secret that OTA’s (Online Travel Agencies) are the preferred booking mechanism for many travelers. In fact in 2017, it was reported that up to 4 in 5 bookings are made through OTA’s. 

This is a problem as these types of bookings make it harder for hotels to build a loyal customer base and gain insight into who their key customers are.  As a result, many hoteliers are starting to “fight back” against OTA’s, by promoting the benefits that come with booking directly through their site. 

The in-room charging station is an ideal place to promote this as it not only informs guests about the benefits of booking directly through the hotel, but it also displays a properties Loyalty App right where guests look the most. Imagine a simple headline “Book with us to get the best rate and early loyalty points while doing it.” Included would be a picture of the app and a QR code for guess to easily scan and get redirected to the app download page.

Social Media Awareness

There’s a plethora of reasons why modern hotels are so focused on growing their social media following across various channels.  With the vast majority of guests being plugged into their social network on a regular basis, hotels are looking for ways to stand out on social and attract their best guests. 

One of the difficulties hoteliers face with social media promotion is the overspending of ad dollars without a great way to track its impact on the bottom line. As an experienced social media marketer, I know how quickly it can feel like those ad dollars are going into a “black hole.”

Instead of spending thousands on digital promotion that may or may not be seen by a hotels target audience - why not put that promotion right where guests look the most to ensure high visibility? And because you’re using the in-room charger to promote your message, it will feel less intrusive and more informative. 

For example, hoteliers could let guests know to share a picture of their stay using the hotels hashtag. By doing this they could be automatically put in a drawing to earn one night free, or a complimentary suite upgrade, or whatever the hotel may want to offer. 

Have fun with it and let today’s social-media crazed guests know that you get it and get them too.

Text & Chatbot Services

A new feature that many hotels are starting to implement is a “Text-It, Get-It Service.” Which is sort of a digital concierge that allow guests to interact with and request services from the hotel staff by simply sending a text message.  Similarly chatbots enable hoteliers to automate responses to the most common guest requests and keep guests up to date about events going on at their hotel. 

Being a relatively new service, many guests may have no clue this is being offered. See where we’re going with this? Promoting these services right on the in-room charging station where guests keep their phone, they will become aware of these types of serves as soon as they enter their room. 

Conclusion 

The charger is where guest’s phones physically interface with the property and therefore the ideal place to reinforce the digital interfaces that are available to enhance the stay.  Modern hoteliers will look for ways to leverage that interaction to increase mobile engagement.

Charging doesn’t have to be limited to keeping guests devices topped up. Because it’s such a high engagement point, modern hoteliers will look for ways to leverage that space and get important messages where guests look the most.