What is contactless hospitality?
Contactless hospitality refers to technologies and practices designed to reduce wait times, deliver personalized services and streamline hotel operations. It includes tools like:
- Mobile check-in
- Digital room keys
- Digital concierge
- Self-service check-in kiosks
- Room service apps
- Embedded payments
- Smartphone-based guest services
All of these contactless tools are designed to create a seamless experience across every touchpoint.
Contactless solutions are here to stay because enhance guest satisfaction, reduce operational costs and open new revenue opportunities. Essentially, it puts the guest experience directly into the hands of hotel guests while supporting staff efficiency behind the scenes.
Key benefits of contactless hospitality for hotels
Enhanced guest experience
Guest experience is all about ensuring that needs are met at every touchpoint. Contactless technology reduces wait times, speeds up service delivery and automates routine tasks, while staff remain available to provide personal interactions and human touch where it matters most.
Improved safety and hygiene
The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the need for hygiene-conscious service delivery. Contactless hospitality bridges the gap, allowing hotels to maintain safety standards without compromising quality service.
Personalization and guest satisfaction
By enabling guests to manage their own requests – like check-in, room access, and service requests via smartphones – contactless technology fosters real-time personalization. The more control guests have over their experience, the higher their satisfaction.
Operational efficiency
Automating check-in, check-out, key cutting and service requests frees your front desk and other staff to focus on what truly matters: enhancing the guest experience. Operations run smoother, bottlenecks are reduced, and staff can devote more attention to high-value interactions.
Competitive edge and branding
Digitally-forward hotels gain a clear competitive advantage. By leveraging contactless technology, you can position your brand as modern, efficient, and guest-centric – appealing to tech-savvy travelers while setting your property apart.
Essential contactless technology in hotels
Now let’s take a look at some essential elements of self-service technology and the guest experience.
Digital check-in and check-out
Self-service kiosks or mobile apps allow guests to check in and out on their own schedule, reducing wait times and improving flexibility. This ensures guests can reach their rooms faster and enjoy a smoother start to their stay.
Mobile and digital key access
Digital keys provide secure, convenient access to rooms and facilities, eliminating the need for traditional key cards.
Contactless payments
Contactless payments like Apple Pay in hotels enable seamless transactions at check-in and across all points of sale. Integrated with your PMS, they streamline payments, support upselling and create a frictionless guest journey.
Guest messaging and virtual concierge
Virtual concierge services allow guests to ask questions, make requests and personalize their stay directly from a mobile device. Quick, streamlined communication enhances both convenience and satisfaction.
Self-service platforms
Mobile apps and self-service kiosks let guests manage check-out, schedule departures and settle bills. These systems can also automatically notify housekeeping when rooms are ready for cleaning, improving operational efficiency.
Data-driven personalization
Contactless hotel technology generates valuable data on guest preferences and behaviors. This allows hotels to personalize in-room amenities, offer relevant upgrades and improve the overall guest experience.
Challenges in implementing contactless hospitality
Contactless hospitality offers convenience and efficiency, but at the same time poses its own set of challenges.
Technology integration
Seamlessly connecting your PMS, POS and other hotel systems can be challenging. Integration is critical to avoid service disruptions or operational inefficiencies.
Guest adoption
Not all guests are tech-savvy. Interfaces must be intuitive and user-friendly to ensure adoption, while staff should be ready to assist those less comfortable with technology.
Cybersecurity and data privacy
The more digital touchpoints you introduce, the more important robust cybersecurity and data protection become. Digital check-ins and mobile key access reduce face-to-face interaction, which means technology must reliably prevent fraud or misuse.
Preserving the human touch
Contactless technology should enhance, not replace, the human touch. Staff should remain available to support guests with complex requests or issues, ensuring the experience is seamless and empathetic for all.
How Mews supports contactless hospitality
Mews offers a suite of contactless technology for hoteliers that helps streamline the modern guest experience:
- Digital check-in: Check-in kiosks allow guests to take control of their hotel experience and reduce front desk congestion.
- Keyless room access: Digital hotel keys eliminate lines, delays and plastic waste.
- Contactless payments: Embedded payments solutions enable smooth, secure transactions across all points of sale, fully integrated with your PMS.
- Digital messaging: Mews’ virtual concierge provides real-time communication for guest requests and information.
Utilizing these contactless tools can help you enhance the modern guest experience, boost service delivery, streamline operations, drive upselling opportunities and elevate guest satisfaction.
Top 10 tips for a fully contactless guest experience
- Use guest data to offer tailored recommendations and personalized upsells before arrival.
- Maintain the human touch for complex requests or less tech-savvy guests.
- Enable pre-check-in with mobile apps to reduce wait times and bottlenecks at the reception desk.
- Automate payments with embedded payment solutions to improve checkout efficiency and upselling.
- Utilize self-service kiosks for check-in, check-out and key cutting.
- Maintain clear communication and instructions for digital tools before arrival and make sure staff are on hand to help.
- Implement digital concierge services to handle questions and requests quickly.
- Use digital concierge or self-service kiosks to assist with check-out and bill settlement.
- Automate housekeeping notifications for departed rooms through digital platforms.
- Collect digital feedback post-stay to assess adoption and improve the contactless journey.
Conclusion
Contactless hospitality is here to stay. Modern hotels must adopt these solutions to streamline operations, enhance personalization, and meet guest expectations. When implemented effectively, contactless technology improves efficiency, elevates the guest experience, and gives your hotel a competitive edge – all while maintaining the essential human touch.
Download our guide “10+ tools for tailored guest journeys”
