October 4, 2020 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The travel and tourism industry has been dramatically affected by Covid-19 and while the world waits to bear the economic toll that is still being tallied, the use of smart technology has paved the way for a new way of operating for hoteliers, restaurants, and travel companies. The use of QR codes, adaptions of technology to alleviate human contact has been fastly deployed. Significant technological advances have taken place in short periods of time. Hotels that have been behind the 8-ball from a technology standpoint are having to play catch up in a world and industry that is ever-changing and rapidly progressing faster than what humans can bare to keep up. There is no doubt that technology is moving fast and as a business, especially a hotel industry, the importance to be tech-friendly and stay ahead of the curve is beginning to become harder.

The hotel industry is influenced by customer service and customers are demanding that Hotels become more efficient through implementing tech-savvy guest experiences to ensure guests’ safety. With Covid-19 the demand for automation and less contact requires hotels to adapt to a more technological way of operating these tech advances are costly and time-consuming. Nonetheless, expectations and demands of hotels adapting a technologically advanced user experience are rising, leaving hotels to feel as if they are being left behind. This process from check-in to check-out and the guest’s experience in between can be largely automated through implementing a feature called messenger chatbots. 

Related: How to Become a Travel Influencer on Instagram

How can the travel and tourism industry stay ahead of the tech curve, avoid the crunch of COVID, whilst increasing revenue, but most of all create better guest experiences using Messenger chatbots?

Chatbots, when used correctly, can control all parts of your Hotel’s business, sales, and increasing revenue, saving time on operations and increasing staff efficiency, de-clutter the information desk, save time on answering guest queries through the hotel switchboard, ordering room service, informing the hotel to make up the room, hotel event reminders, direct response marketing, generating 1000’s of 5-star reviews, and more, all whilst creating a seamless user experience, alleviating time-consuming tasks of employees, and delivering on-demand answers to the customer’s queries. Whether its using Manychat, Chatfuel, or any of the other messenger chatbots that are in the market, you won’t be disappointed once you start implementing them into your hotel. 

Here are 4 ways to create a guest-friendly customer experience using messenger chatbots.

Related: Airbnb Hosts: 3 You Can Do to Reassure Travelers Right Now (Infographic)

Reduce no-shows and increase occupancy

Confirmation email open rates have been an issue for Hotels for years. Emails come across as spammy or marketing material. With Manychat a feature is to use the platform to send out a text directly to your guest’s Facebook Messenger app. The result is a 90% open rate. A smarter way to inform your guests when local events are happening such as happy hour/ poolside, to confirm a booking or whatever it may be.

Contactless customer support

Avoid visiting the information desk or phoning the switchboard at the front desk with questions and save having to go back to your room in order to call guest services, reception, etc. After check-in, guests can receive a text from the hotel asking to “opt-in” for room problems, questions, room service, queries, whether you wish to have your room serviced, etc. Manychat has a function that allows Hotels to do the ‘Text us at XXX-XXXX if you are having a problem. Guests can just text the number for faster responses and avoid any unnecessary wait times leaving more time for Pina Coladas at the poolside bar. 

Related: Summer’s Officially Over – What’s Next for Businesses That Rely on Seasonal Tourism?

Leverage From QR Codes :

If COVID has taught even the least tech-friendly businesses anything it’s that you can point your camera, scan a tiny little barcode, and automatically check-in and open up quick responses. QR codes in the room or in the information book can easily be scanned and will direct the guest to messenger for more information. QR codes can be used for Menus, room service, booking massage or spa treatments 

Generate 1000’s of reviews and boost your ranking

I’ve been a marketer and traveler for years now and when my wife and I travel our goto for food, hotels are Tripadvisor. If a hotel or restaurant is ranked in the top 10 we will visit, stay, or dine there. If it’s outside the top 10 then it rarely makes the cut unless we are looking for something more budget-friendly or just a simple layover. Chatfuel has thousands of functions, one that I love is the ability to be able to sequence a series of messages to guests and then use that information and generate thousands of 5-star reviews in very short periods of time.