NFC: In the Hotel Industry

How could state of the art technologies work at a hotel? Could they?

Milestone believes NFC can transform how hoteliers welcome guests for an exceptional stay at their properties entwined with the newest technologies on the market.

What is NFC?

Do you know what NFC is? NFC stands for Near-Field Communications, an application used through mobile devices to transmit data at close proximity. Check out the picture below for a visual on how an NFC works.

Source: Assabloy.com

Although this technology is still new, leaving a large portion of the market untapped; NFC has proven thus far its abilities to enhance ways in which consumers make transactions, exchange content, connect to other devices and much more.

NFC is a fast, easy way to get relevant, useful information although it is not a constant stream of data because it requires physical interaction between users operated data devices and the NFC tag or sticker. Furthermore, NFC tags are used as a canvas for accessible information on which any type of landing page can be programmed.

NFC in the Current Marketplace:

Some of the common ways NFC technology is currently used by companies and consumers are payment checkout, sending files, photos, contacts, music, etc. to another device with a simple tap, downloading information, opening doors, getting tickets or passes and parking meters.

How can NFC benefit our Hotels?

This technology holds undiscovered uses, many of which can be incorporated into the lodging industry. Tags can be used in various ways at our hotels. To begin, we could have trend triggered tags in which local and upcoming trends in the area can be promoted through the use of NFC.

In addition, further interaction between client and customer can be made through the use of NFC by linking tags to Google + Pages, Facebook, Twitter and so forth. The process of checkout can be made seamless through mobile device usage. In addition, hotel keys can be directly transmitted by phone which in turn can increase the security of users.

How is Milestone going to help me utilize this fantastic technology?

One of the main benefits to NFC technology is that every tag can be customized individually to fit each hotel’s specific needs, interests, and unique selling point. This can range from specific hotel hosted events, special offers and packages, social media profiles, on-site hotel restaurants, spas, wedding/meeting venues, etc.

Furthermore, hotel guests can take away information about the hotel from interaction with NFC tags. They can store it on their devices for a later usage, sharing capabilities and fostering customer relationships which may result in customer retention and increase brand loyalty.

It is an up-coming innovation in an up-ward moving trend that customers are showing interest in and willingness to use. If you are a hotel owner of a budget hotel, this technology can be implemented at the property-level as a value-based service, additional to the product they already offer.

Is anyone of my competitors already using it?

The Clarion Hotel in Stockholm Sweden was the first in the hotel industry to make use of this technology on site. They have completed a beta project featuring 28 loyal returning customers in which they participated in the use of replaced hotel keys with NFC-enabled mobile phones.

Overall, the guests were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the interaction with the hotel via their mobile phones. The surveyed guests claimed they saved time during their check-in and overall stay compared to other hotel stays. They also agreed that the mobile key application has made their hotel stay more comfortable. Lastly, the surveyed guests showed interest in using the mobile keys application if their mobile phone supported it.

Hotel guests were also asked what kind of other services connected to the mobile key application would be successful, out of which results steered towards information about the hotel such as a map, room service menus, spa and gym. The survey also included high interest in paying for food and other services at the hotel through the device as well as obtaining additional information about hotel offerings, restaurants, bars and public transport in the vicinity.

How exactly am I missing out if I am not using NFC?

If you are a hotel owner, you can ensure you do not miss out on the benefits of this new technology. It’s a sustainable practice as you eliminate costs for paper resources such as location based services, post purchase offers, area maps,

brochures, printed menus, maps, etc. it give you the availability to develop a better product and specialize it to meet your customers’ needs whether that be through hotel coupons or trends and events surrounding your property.

Milestone seeks to engage more hotel visitors by allowing hotels to adopt NFC into their properties and as a result encourage more customer interaction via mobile touch-points to their website and social media channels.

Where can I go to learn more about it?

Find out more:

NFC Mobile Phones replace Hotel Keys

How Will NFC Impact the Hospitality Industry?

Evaluation of the world’s first pilot using NFC phones for check-in and hotel room keys

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