Post on 10-Jun-2022
i b i s H o t e l s : R e i n v e n t i n g t h eG u e s t E x p e r i e n c e
E n t r y : B e s t I n n o v a t i o n i n h o t e l c o n c e p t
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T h e C o n c e p t
In 2017, Ibis Hotels introduced a new concept, transforming the way
guests are welcomed into a hotel. Supported by innovative mobile
technology, the concept simultaneously improves customer service,
operational efficiency and employee satisfaction, while creating space
that can transform traditional reception areas into vibrant revenue-
generating spaces.
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T h e M a r k e t C o n t e x t
C u s t o m e r s f e e l i n g i n c r e a s i n g l y u n c a r e d
f o r , i n t u r n r e s u l t i n g i n a w o r s e
e x p e r i e n c e f o r t h e r e d u c e d n u m b e r o f
c u s t o m e r - f a c i n g p e r s o n n e l
Perceived decline in customer
service levels throughout the
industry
Introduction of new
digital technology to
reduce staffing costs
Broad ntroduction
of new digital
technology to
reduce staffing
costs
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T h e A i m
To transform the experience of its guests and
employees and become the benchmark for
customer service in the economy segment and
beyond – and in doing so, improve guest
satisfaction and loyalty
* M A K I N G G U E S T S
F E E L W E L C O M E *
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A 3 6 0 A p p r o a c hT h e S o l u t i o n
R e i n v e n t t h e g u e s t a n d e m p l o y e e j o u r n e y
w i t h t h e h e l p o f m o b i l e t e c h n o l o g y .
Employees using mobile devices to access the information they need for
everything from check-in to housekeeping within one app. By using the
company’s new FOLS mobile software, employees can manage their
schedules and access information while being freed up to interact with
guests, approaching to help them rather than waiting to be approached.
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T h e r e m o v a l o f t h e c h e c k -
i n d e s k
This mobility allowed ibis to take the unique step of
completely removing the traditional check-in desk, with
employees now trained to greet guests on arrival with
room keys in hand.
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N e w G u e s t J o u r n e y i n
a c t i o n !
For guests that want to engage and sit with the team
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N e w G u e s t J o u r n e y i n
a c t i o n !
And for guests to want to check in quickly!
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T h e b e n e f i t s
1Improved customer service: the system
makes check-in and check-out a faster,
easier and more personal experience for
guests. Employees are encouraged and
empowered to offer great customer
service.
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T h e b e n e f i t s
2Improved employee engagement and satisfaction:
three-quarters of ibis employees are millennials
who predominantly use their mobile devices for the
vast majority of tasks in their lives outside work.
Enabling them to carry out their duties by using a
smartphone or a tablet and an app to gather and
process information instead of limiting them to a
static point with a desktop PC, makes work a more
natural extension of their normal lives and
increases the feeling of working in a forward-
thinking organisation.
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T h e b e n e f i t s
3Improved operational efficiency: employees can
now access any information they need away
from the confines of a desk or a computer. The
software allows them to manage their
schedules within one app, making day-to-day
management of the hotel more efficient.
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T h e b e n e f i t s
4Revenue-creation opportunities: the removal of the traditional reception desk
allows for the creation of more social spaces around hotels, which are more
appealing for guests and passers-by while offering revenue-generating
opportunities for hotels by incorporating retail services in the space where
traditional reception areas would otherwise have been. This approach was
trialled in ibis Cambridge Central Station, with the hotel’s Chill #2 coffee shop
acting as the main check-in area of the hotel. Chill #2 is an appealing
proposition to retail customers going to and from the train station next door as
well as hotel guests.
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AccorHotels MicrosoftFOLS mobile
T h e P a r t n e r s
C U LT U R A L T R A N S F O R M AT I O N
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T h e R o l l O u t
The concept was rolled out across the entire UK ibis
network of 71 hotels between January and May 2017
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T h e T r a i n i n g
The roll-out was accompanied by a
cultural transformation on how to use
the software and how to welcome
guests in a new more personalised
way, providing great customer service.
It was carried out face-to-face, peer-to-
peer at ibis Cambridge, but also with
the use of online training videos, a
favoured medium of most employees
targeted, and peer-to-peer training tips.
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T h e E v a l u a t i o n
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T h e E v a l u a t i o n
The project cost an average £5,000 per site including
the full mobility concept. ibis’ main methods of
evaluating the success of this initiative are:
The percentage
of check-ins
completed with
the mobile
concept:
to measure the
rate of adoption of
the welcome
Guest satisfaction
scores:
to measure its
impact on customer
service levels
Employee
engagement and
retention:
to measure its
impact on
employees
Initial results indicate that
the programme is proving a
real success:
- 90% per cent of guest
check-ins are now
conducted via mobile
devices with the new
approach
- 53% of the hotels
significantly increased
their guest satisfaction
scores
- Employee engagement
and retention figures [as
above]
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I n s u m m a r y
I b i s u s e d i n n o v a t i o n , e n a b l e d
b y m o b i l e t e c h n o l o g y t o
s i m u l t a n e o u s l y :
- E m p o w e r e m p l o y e e s t o p r o v i d e
g r e a t c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e
- M a k e o p e r a t i o n s m o r e e f f i c i e n t
- I m p r o v e e m p l o y e e e n g a g e m e n t a n d
r e t e n t i o n
- C r e a t e t h e p o t e n t i a l f o r r e v e n u e
c r e a t i o n t h r o u g h r e t a i l s e r v i c e s
- P l a c e h o s p i t a l i t y b a c k a t t h e h e a r t
o f t h e h o t e l f o r a p e r s o n a l i s e d
e x p e r i e n c e