Self-Service Check-in
at Hotels and Motels
A guide from Kiosk Marketplace
INSIDE: With the proliferation of self-service in the airline/airport
industry, guests are looking for a self-service option when they
stay at a hotel. When done right, self-service is the way to go.
Not only will it please the customers of the hotels, it will even
please the staff, as they will be able to do more important tasks
such as greeting customers away from the front desk.
Developed and Published by:
K I O S K
N E W S ,
T R E N D S
&
C O M M E N T A R Y
Sponsored by:
Contents:
Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels Page 4
Introduction
Page 6
Chapter 1
| A short history of hotel self-service
Page 15
Chapter 2
| Make sure it does the right thing
Page 19
Chapter 3
| Make sure it works, all the time
Page 21
Chapter 4
| Give it a face everyone’s mother could love
Page 23
Chapter 5
| Put it in the right spot
Page 28
Chapter 6
| Help the staff learn to love it
Page 33
Chapter 7
| Case Study: Hilton Hotels
Page 37
Appendix
| Further reading
Thebeginning
Twopowerfulsolutionsforhotelcheck-in
Travelindustryasawholeseestechnologyuseincrease
Customerattitudes
Recenttrends
What’sinthebox?
Providingsomethingspecial
Signagetopromotecheck-inandotherhotelamenities
Threetipsforplacingakiosk
2
Sponsors: Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
About the sponsor
K I O S K
N E W S ,
T R E N D S
&
C O M M E N T A R Y
K I O S K N E W S , T R E N D S & C O M M E N TA R Y
IBM Corp. isaleaderinthedevelopmentofinnovativecustomer-facingself-serviceapplications,offeringintegrationandconsistencyacrosskiosk,Web
andwirelesschannels.Thecompanyisapioneerin
hotel/motelcheck-in.IBMworkedwithseveralmajor
hotelchainsincludingHilton,StarwoodandMarriott
aftertheturnofthe21stcenturytoprovideself-servicesolutionstothosehotels’customers.Morethan
8,000IBMe-accesskiosksareinstalledworldwide.
With17yearsintheself-servicebusiness,IBMhas
experienceinthetravelandtransportation,government, utilities, finance and retail industries.
Kiosk Marketplace, ownedandoperatedby
Louisville,Ky.-basedNetWorldAlliance,isthe
world’slargestonlineproviderofinformationabout
andforthekioskindustry.Thecontent,whichis
updatedeverybusinessdayandreadbybusiness
andindustryprofessionalsthroughouttheworld,is
providedfreeofchargetoreaders.
Published by NetWorld Alliance.
© 2008 www.networldalliance.com
All photos courtesy of IBM Corp. and Hilton Hotels unless otherwise specified.
Written and edited by Patrick Avery, Kiosk Marketplace
Dick Good, CEO
Tom Harper, president and publisher
Bob Fincher, executive vice president and general manager, Technology Division
Joseph Grove, vice president and associate publisher
3
Introduction: Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
ThelasttimeIwalkedintoahotel,the
lobbywasclutteredwithtiredtouristsandbefuddledbusinesstravelers.
Thehotel,atanupscalecasinoinLas
Vegas,lookedlikeazoowherethe
zookeeperhadgoneAWOL.
ahighpremiumtostayatan
expensiveestablishment,butin
theendyougetverylittlebuck
forbuck.
Thishotel’squeuelineforcheck-in
swervedbackandforth,resultingina
minimum30-minutewaitforthemany
individualsthathadjustarrivedafter
aday-longplaneride.Withchange
clankingintheirpockets,manyofthem
justwantedtohittheslotsandblackjacktables.Instead,theywerestuckin
aprocessionthatseemedtogonowhere.
Butifyoutalktotheindustry
experts,andevenmanybusinessandothersavvytravelers
whohaveexperiencewithselfservice,theywillsay,whendone
right,self-serviceisthewayto
go.Notonlywillitpleasethe
customersofthehotels,itwill
evenpleasethestaff,astheywillbe
abletodomoreimportanttaskssuch
asgreetingcustomersawayfromthe
frontdesk.
Unfortunately,thisscenehasbeen
alltoocommonplaceinthehospitalityindustry.Hotelsandmotels,small
andlarge,havebeencongestedwith
guestswantingtocheckinafterlong
daysoftravel.
Thefollowingresearchguidewillgive
youinsightintohotel/motelcheck-in
self-service.It’sdesignedtogiveyou
the five most important things you need
toknowtohaveasuccessfulkiosk
deployment.
Despitethechaos,thesehotelsoften
arecompetentbusinesses.Theyhave
acapablestaffandexcellentfacilities.
But in today’s service-first environment,
manyaremissingoneimportantingredient—self-servicekiosks.
Therealsowillbeexamplesfrom
severalhotelchainswhohaveimplementedself-servicesuccessfully.They
eventalkaboutsomeofthethingsthey
It’snottoohardtoimaginethatmany
ofthesehotelsarefearfulofself-service.Therehavebeencriesbymany
thatself-servicewillreplacethehardworkingindividualsthatworkinthe
hospitalitybusiness.Othercriticshave
saidthatself-serviceisreallynoserviceatall;therefore,youarepaying
A guide from Kiosk Marketplace
|
Patrick Avery,
editor of Kiosk Marketplace
When done right, self-service is
the way to go. Not only will it
please the customers of the hotels,
it will even please the staff, as
they will be able to do more impor
tant tasks such as greeting custom
ers away from the front desk.
Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
|
Sponsored by IBM Corporation
Introduction: Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels did wrong and how they fixed them.
Afterreadingthisguide,thebasics
todeployingakioskinthehospitality
environmentshouldbeclear.
I’dliketothankIBM,whosesponsorshipofthisguideenablesustoprovide
ittoyouatnocharge.
A guide from Kiosk Marketplace
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Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
|
Sponsored by IBM Corporation
Chapter 1: A short history of hotel self-service Thehotelindustryisconstantlychanging.Newhotelbrandsareemerging
to target specific age groups and
lifestyles.Boutiquehotelsfocuson
high-endbrandmessaging,luxurious
amenities,chicdécorandhipcocktail
lounges.Extended-stayhotelsfocus
onlowcost,businesstraveleressentials,comfortandsecurity.
Withinthischanginglandscape,hotels
arelookingtodifferentiatetheirbrand.
Understandingandsatisfyingguests’
needsisattheheartofagreatmarketingvision.Oneofthedifferentiators
isself-service.Withtheproliferationof
self-serviceintheairline/airportindustry,guestsarelookingforaself-serviceoptionwhentheystayatahotel.
“Manypeoplehavealreadybeen
exposedtoitinmanyforms,”said
RobertChan,practiceleaderforIBM
Canada’se-accesssolutions.“The
naturalevolutionistoextendittohotel
servicesandgivetheguestchoice
andcontrol.”
The beginning
Self-serviceinahotelisnotnew.
Ithasbeenaroundinthehospitalityindustryforsometimeandhas
shownupinmanydifferentforms.In
itsearliestdays,publicphones,house
phonesandvendingmachinesserved
asself-servicedevices.
Manyargue,however,thatthedawn
ofautomatedself-service,ingeneral,
cameattheadventoftheautomated
tellermachine.ATMs,whichallowed
A guide from Kiosk Marketplace
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The introductory screen of a hotel check-in kiosk greets customers
and tells them to simply touch the screen to begin the transaction. IBM has more
than 8,000 IBM kiosks installed or on order at more than 200 locations worldwide.
customerstodepositchecksand
withdraw significant sums of money,
became the defining device for what
peoplecalled“self-service.”
Inthemid-tolate1980s,NCRCorp.
first delved into the hotel self-service
arena,byplacingATMsinthehospitalityenvironment.TheATM,whichis
whatNCRwasmostknownfor,had
beenoutonlyforashorttime;therefore,manypeoplewereunfamiliarwith
self-servicetechnology,saidClyde
Dishman,NCR’sdirectorofhospitality
industrymarketing.
Backinthosedays,self-serviceeven
frightenedpeople,hesaid.ATMswere
knownfortakingpeople’screditcards
and“eatingthem,”Dishmansaid.
“Somepeopledidn’twanttousethem
becausetheymightbetravelingand
didn’twanttolosetheircreditcard.So
Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
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Sponsored by IBM Corporation
Chapter 1: A short history of hotel self-service wehadtochangethecardreaderand
makesomeadjustmentsthere.”
So NCR’s first involvement with selfserviceinthehospitalityspacewas
notanoverwhelmingsuccess.However,NCRgotinvolvedinitagainin
2000,beforetheairlinesandthetravel
industryreallyembracedself-service
atahighlevel.Butthistime,since
personalcomputingandInternetuse
wereatall-timehighs,people’sabilitytouseself-servicemachinesand
kiosksreallytookoff.
“It just seemed to kind of fit well with
whateveryoneelsewasdoinginthe
travelarea,”Dishmansaid.“Itgave
hotelstheoptiontogivecustomers
betterservice.”
Two powerful solutions for hotel
check-in
IBMCorp.alsowasapioneerinhotel/motelcheck-in.IBMworkedwith
severalmajorhotelchainsincluding
Hilton,StarwoodandMarriottafterthe
turnofthe21stcenturytobeginprovidingself-servicesolutionstothose
hotels’customers.
Morethan8,000IBMe-accesskiosks
areinstalledworldwide.With17years
intheself-servicebusiness,IBMhas
experienceinthetravelandtransportation, government, utilities, finance
andretailindustries.
IBM’shardwarerangesfromcustom,
self-servicekiosksforonlinetransactionprocessing,towireless,handheld
A guide from Kiosk Marketplace
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“Delivering multichannel self-service is
the future in the hotel industry. Build the
business logic once and deliver it across
a variety of touch points that suit your
guests’ needs.”
— Robert Chan,
practice leader for IBM Canada’s e-access solutions
devices.IBM’steamhasdevelopeda
suiteofsoftwareandhardwareproductsthatallowsIBMtodeployselfservicesolutionsquicklyandreliably.
Thesesolutionsarebothconventional
andWeb-based.
IBM’sSserieskiosksweredesigned
speciallyforthehospitalityindustry.
Thisparticularkioskrunsapplicationssuchashotelcheck-in/check-out
andcompredemptionforcasinos.
Standarddevicesincludemotorized
cardreaderandroomkeyencoder
andthermalprinter.Optionaldevices
includebarcodescanner,roomkey
dispenser,signaturecapturepadand
chipandPINreader.
Servicingthelargestcustomersinthe
hospitalitysector,IBMhasdelivered
solutionsacrossthetravelandtransportationindustry.Inthepast,IBMhas
helpedleadthedevelopmentoftheInternationalAirTransportAssociation’s
CommonUseSelfService(CUSS)
standard,enablingairlinesandairportstoenhancetheguestexperience
whilehelpingensurethatitsinvestmentwithIBMandself-servicewill
havelong-termprotection.IBMisthe
Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
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Sponsored by IBM Corporation
7
Chapter 1: A short history of hotel self-service marketleaderinself-servicecheckinkiosksforthetravelindustry,with
morethan8,000IBMkiosksinstalled
oronorderworldwide.Largehotel
chainHiltonHotelshasbeenoneof
IBM’sleadingdeployers.Twohotels,
withmorethan3,00roomsbetween
them, were the first stage for Hilton’s
kioskimplementation.
Byinsertingacreditcardortypingin
your HHonors number for identificationpurposes,guestscanfollowaset
ofsimpleon-screeninstructionsand
usethetouchscreentocheckin.The
kioskdisplaysthetraveler’sreservation,selectsaroombasedonthe
customer’spreferences,issuesoneto
fourroomkeysandprovidesprinted
roomdirectionsandinformation.Atthe
endoftheirstay,travelerscancheck
outatthekioskinthesamefashionby
reviewing and confirming their bill and
printingoutareceiptfortheirrecords.
ThekiosksaretiedintoHilton’sown
technologyplatform.Thisgivesthe
kiosksaccesstoreal-timeinformation
regardingguestpreferencesandservice-recoveryalertsandthusprovides
accurateservicetoincomingguests.
Self-servicekiosksallowedguest
serviceagentstofocusonproviding
value-addedservicestothoseguests
whopreferredorchoseit.IBMalso
providedprojectmanagementservices,developingtheself-service
user interface and helping define aprocessmodelthatimprovesthe
guestexperience.
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AccordingtoIBM,hotelself-service
kiosksolutionscanbeapowerfuladditiontoahotel’son-demandstrategy.Theycanenablehotelstooffer
check-inandcheck-outcapabilitiesto
customersondemand,increasingcustomerconvenienceandsatisfaction,
reducingtimespentwaitinginqueues,
improvingcustomersatisfactionand
maximizingemployees’effectiveness.
Forthetypicalairline,kiosksprocess
approximately0percentofcheckins,reducingcostsapproximately$32
millionannuallyonabaselineoflabor
costsforcheck-inof$118millionper
year.
Thehotelself-servicekiosksolution
alsoofferspotentialrevenueuplift.It
giveshotelsupsellroomcategories
basedonavailabilityandguests’buyinghabits.Inaddition,asfunctionality
improveshotelscanmakedynamic
one-to-onemarketingoffers—such
asspa,restaurantandlocalattractiontie-ins—atacriticalguesttouch
point.
OneoftheproductsNCRdeploysfor
hotelself-serviceistheNCREasyPointXpressCheck-In.Thekioskwas
designedtoallowtravelerstocheckin
andoutwithoutstaffassistance,which
thrillsmanyconsumersandpositively
impactsacustomer’sbottomline.
NCRsaysthattheEasyPointkiosk
makesapositiveimpressionbyprovidinghotelguestswithaneasyand
contemporary approach to efficient
service.XpressCheck-Inimproves
Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
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Sponsored by IBM Corporation
8
Chapter 1: A short history of hotel self-service customerservicebyprovidingfast
check-in/outandshorterlines.The
kioskalsoiseasytouse.Thesolution confirms reservations and allowscheck-inforwalk-inguests.It
encodes,validatesanddispensesthe
roomkeyandprintstheguest’sfolioin
mostcasesinunderaminute.
Thekioskalsocanbeintegratedwith
thehotel’soperatingsystem.Duringthecustomerinteraction,Xpress
Check-Incommunicateswiththecustomer’spropertymanagementsystem.
Thekioskthencompletesaseriesof
tasks:encodinganddispensingofan
electronicroomkey,capturinganelectronicsignature,printinggueststay
informationanddisplayingandprinting
thein-houseguestfolio.
Travel industry as a whole sees
technology use increase
Theimpactofself-servicecanbeseen
acrosstheentirehospitalityindustry.
ThefollowingexcerptfromaSept.
27,2007,USATodayarticlegivesa
briefoverviewofhowself-servicehas
impactedthoseindustries,particularly
hotels,airportsandcarrental.
Traveling? Technology shows
up everywhere
USA Today
Sept. 27, 2007
The business of travel is notoriously
cyclical. So when recession and terror­
ism in 2001 knocked it flat on its back, it
A guide from Kiosk Marketplace
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was just a matter of time before it would
come back.
Travel in the USA has been resurgent for
more than three years. But there’s a dif­
ference in this particular rebound.
From booking the trip to the cab ride
home, technology has changed the travel
experience. Today, technology has be­
come the traveler’s constant companion.
At its best, it eliminates the bottlenecks
of the past, reduces stress and saves
time. It’s a different story when the robot
on the other end of the phone insists
you’re saying Bulgaria, not Baltimore.
Machines today may provide as much or
more customer service to airline passen­
gers, hotel guests and rental car custom­
ers than humans do. It’s now possible
to check into a hotel room — or order
a drink at the bar — without coming in
contact with a hotel employee. It’s pos­
sible to rent a car without human inter­
action. And many air passengers reach
the jet bridge at the gate before encoun­
tering an airline employee — who scans
their boarding pass with a machine.
Machines have been taking over from
humans in other service industries for
years. You can buy a gallon of milk at
the market or a gallon of paint at Home
Depot without a cashier by using a selfserve device at checkout. Many people
are so hooked on ATMs, they never set
eyes on a bank teller.
Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
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Sponsored by IBM Corporation
9
Chapter 1: A short history of hotel self-service But customer service technology has
taken hold in the travel industry only
in the last few years, partly because of
strong labor unions and tradition. In the
disastrous travel downturn following
the Sept. 11 attacks, airlines fighting for
financial survival cut 150,000 jobs and
replaced many with technology.
Voice-recognition software and travel
websites took the place of many airline
reservation agents. Some ticket agents
were replaced by self-service check-in
kiosks at airports. Although the changes
cost thousands of jobs, airlines found
that many travelers love the impersonal
devices that let them zip through the
airport.
A look at how technology is changing
the travel experience:
Hotels
Self-service kiosks cover most bases
Hyatt Place, a new limited-service hotel
chain launched two years ago, shows
where hotel technology is heading.
There, guests check in and get their
room key from a kiosk in the lobby.
They order a snack from the kitchen
and pay for it using a touch screen.
They have the option to order up a
sitcom they just missed on network TV.
Before leaving for the airport, guests may
stop by the lobby kiosk to print out their
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boarding pass.
New technology is sweeping through
hotels up and down the luxury scale. It’s
caught on especially with younger travel­
ers, who have grown up with automa­
tion. Hilton surveys show more than a
third of its customers carry an iPod, 89%
carry a cell phone, and 49% have a highdefinition TV at home.
“Our guests are coming in with new
expectations, because the technology has
really arrived,” says Hilton Hotels execu­
tive Robert Machen.
The hotel industry postponed investing
in major remodels after the 9/11 attacks,
when travel plummeted. In 2004, when
hotels started making money again, tech­
nology and customer acceptance had
evolved to the point where tech upgrades
made sense.
Those self-serve kiosks are popping up
in hotel lobbies everywhere. Hyatt has
them at 70 hotels. Hilton has them at 412
Hiltons and Embassy Suites. Marriott
will have them at 40 hotels by January,
and will test them at Courtyard hotels
later this year.
Tabletop computers may become com­
mon. Sheraton is installing them in
lobbies and bars of its biggest hotels.
Produced by Microsoft, the touch-con­
trolled, waterproof computers go for
$10,000 each. The horizontal screen and
controls are flush with the tabletop, so
Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
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Sponsored by IBM Corporation
10
Chapter 1: A short history of hotel self-service they double as ordinary furniture. Guests
may use them to order a drink or access
the Internet to find directions or the
closing time for a nearby museum.
Boutique chain Thompson Hotels will
install a James Bond-style security fea­
ture at two new sites: a room lock system
that reads a guest’s fingerprints before
opening the door.
They’re coming to Thompson Lower
East Side in Manhattan, which opens in
February, and Thompson Toronto, set to
open in early 2009.
Thompson co-owner Stephen Brandman says they’re installing the locks in
just two hotels initially to make sure they
work. Employing the “latest, greatest
gadget” can backfire, he says, if guests
get confused or a device malfunctions.
Not surprisingly, hoteliers are investing
most heavily in entertainment, equip­
ping rooms with large, plasma-screen,
high-definition TVs. Hilton’s research
shows that nearly 98% of guests have
the set on for more than three hours a
day. Guest rooms at all J.W. Marriott,
Marriott and Renaissance hotels will
have high-definition, flat-panel TVs by
the end of 2009.
Technology has even invaded the bath­
room. The Westin Chicago River North
is testing the Brondell Swash 800, a
$1,000 throne that combines a toilet with
a bidet. It has a heated, germ-resistant
seat, uses warm filtered water to wash,
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and a dryer to finish.
Airlines
Paper tickets may go away
The airlines’ widespread use of new
technology has had at least as much to
do with cutting costs as with improving
the customer experience. In nearly all
cases, the increased use of technology
has allowed airlines to reduce the num­
ber of employees needed to interact with
passengers.
The most noticeable change has come in
ticketing. By May, it will be almost im­
possible to buy a paper ticket from any
airline in the world.
That’s a big change from 2000, when
about 59% of all tickets sold in the USA
were “paperless.” Last month, that figure
was 99%.
In the future, the paper boarding pass
could become as rare as a paper ticket.
Air Canada said last week that for many
of its non-U.S. flights, it’s giving travel­
ers the option of getting what essentially
is a picture of a boarding pass bar code
on their cell phones. To board, a traveler
can call it up on the phone’s screen and
pass it under an electronic reader. The
system is also in limited use in Asia.
Many travelers have come to appreciate
the ability to check in via the Internet
before leaving home or the office. Many
also like airlines’ flight status notifica-
Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
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Sponsored by IBM Corporation
11
Chapter 1: A short history of hotel self-service tions sent to cell phones or computers
hours in advance of departure time.
of planes with systems that can cost up
to $1 million per plane.
But not all travelers think new technol­
ogy is friendly. Ron Stagner, a regional
sales manager who travels about 40
weeks a year on business, hates lengthy
voice menus and websites delayed by
slow-loading graphics. Dealing with
technological overkill “takes a lot of
time I don’t always have, especially if I’m
changing flights,” he says.
In the meantime, enhanced versions of
existing in-flight entertainment tech­
nology are moving into airline cabins
— especially business class and first
class, where airlines can charge higher
fares. Most now offer a wider variety of
movies, music and TV shows in premier
cabins.
Fernando Mariano, an international
public relations executive from Orlando,
says trying to navigate the voice-recog­
nition systems that most airlines now
use to answer calls can be daunting for
those, such as him, who are not native
English speakers.
“When offering voice recognition, air­
lines should also offer an option to use
the keypad,” he says. (Hint: Speaking the
word “agent” or “representative” usually
prompts the system to transfer you to
a human.)
Competition is pushing the evolution
and expansion of in-flight entertainment
technology. When it began flying seven
years ago, JetBlue was the only U.S. car­
rier offering live television programs.
Several carriers, including Frontier,
Virgin America and, on transcontinental
flights, Delta, now offer similar program­
ming. Others are watching consumer
reaction to decide on following. Holding
them back: costs of retrofitting hundreds
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The next frontier: in-flight broadband
service. In 2006, aerospace giant Boeing
shut down its money-losing broadband
service, which had been available to pas­
sengers on several foreign carriers. But
now, airlines and service providers are
making a new push to make the service
available to passengers. They’re working
with improved technology that costs less
to install and maintain.
Cars
Bypassing the lines
Rental car companies are looking to
technology to improve efficiency and
save travelers’ time.
At three airports, Alamo Rent A Car last
year began testing self-service kiosks
that allow travelers to avoid lines at
rental counters when checking in. The
company now has 152 kiosks at 60 air­
ports. Hertz opened its first eight kiosks
Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
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Sponsored by IBM Corporation
12
Chapter 1: A short history of hotel self-service at Orlando’s airport this month.
Avis said this month that it has a new
online booking tool that will make it
easier to make, check or change a reser­
vation with a BlackBerry or other Inter­
net-enabled portable device. In the past,
data sent from the Avis website did not
fit mobile devices’ small screens.
National and Alamo began offering them
in January, and Enterprise introduced its
Garmin StreetPilot c340 system last year.
Inside rental cars, upgrades such as
improved navigation systems, toll-col­
lection devices and satellite radios make
drives more relaxing. The devices also
bring in extra revenue for car rental
companies. All charge daily fees for the
navigation and toll-collection devices,
and Hertz charges for satellite radio.
Avis last year unveiled a “Where2” sys­
tem, which, it said, was the first naviga­
tion system with “real-time traffic alerts
and Bluetooth connectivity.” A Garmin
navigation system introduced by Dol­
lar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental
in July offers traffic information and
Bluetooth connectivity. Business traveler
Jeff Griffin of Connersville, Ind., likes a
navigation system and a satellite radio
in his rental cars. “I enjoy having both in
the car so I don’t have to take mine,” says
Griffin, who is in the software training
business.
In January, Avis announced a portable
device that, for $10.95 per day, provides
wireless Internet access. The device plugs
into a car’s power outlet or uses another
plug for any electrical outlet, providing
Internet connectivity “anywhere,” includ­
ing hotels and restaurants. Renters can
also get wireless Internet at 40 Hertz
airport locations for $4.95 daily.
Electronic toll payment began appear­
ing in rental cars last year when Avis and
Budget installed transponders in vehicles
at 117 locations in the New York and
Houston areas. The companies expand­
ed the program to all locations in the
Northeast, Chicago, Florida, Colorado
and Puerto Rico. Renters pay $1.50 to $2
daily, plus tolls.
Hertz introduced the first navigation
systems in 1994. It now has more than
60,000 NeverLost units in service. Trav­
eler Larry Hotaling, who assists com­
panies entering the Asia market, says
Hertz’s NeverLost system is great to have
in an unfamiliar city.
Hertz offers electronic toll payment for
vehicles rented at 10 East Coast airports,
its Manhattan locations and in Houston.
The cost for renters is $2.50 daily, plus
tolls. Dollar and Thrifty offer electronic
toll payment in Dallas, Houston and
Denver. They charge $8.95 per day, and
tolls are included.
The seven other major car rental com­
panies also offer navigation systems.
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But not all frequent travelers are in love
Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
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Sponsored by IBM Corporation
13
Chapter 1: A short history of hotel self-service with car rental companies’ new widgets.
Steve Crawford of Bend, Ore., says the
technology varies a lot by car rental
company, so there’s a “learning curve”
that’s not always worth the effort.
“The last thing you want to do when
you pick up a car is sit in the parking
garage and learn a new system,” says
Crawford, whose company makes mili­
tary souvenirs.
“Heck, sometimes it’s a big enough
challenge to find the gas-door release.”
Dozensofcompaniesareoffering
self-serviceinthetravelarenawiththe
sameorslightlydifferentfeaturesand
theyarereadyfordeployment.Butto
receive the benefits of deploying selfservicekiosks,therearemanystrategiestofollow,accordingtoindustry
experts:Makesurethekioskdoes
whatcustomerswant,makesureit
works,makeitlookgood,putitin
avisiblelocationandtrainstaff
tounderstandwhatthekioskdoes
anddoesn’tdo.
Asawhole,thetravelandhospitality
industryisinaself-servicepattern.
Airlineshavebeenstrongwithhotel
check-inandcar-rentalkioskscoming
upwithasolidshowing.
IBM has the benefit of living through
theairlineself-servicegrowthand
hasusedthoselessonswiththehotel
environment.
“WestartedoutwithBritishAirways
inthemid-1990s,”Chansaid.“Since
then,wehavegrownourairlineapplicationbusinessindoubledigitsyear
overyear.ButIBMisalsofocused
heavilyonhotelself-service.Hotels
arelookingforalternatestomaintain
andimprovecustomerservicewhile
minimizingwaittimes.”
“Deliveringmulti-channelselfservice
isthefutureinthehotelindustry,”he
said.“Buildthebusinesslogiconce
anddeliveritacrossavarietyoftouch
pointsthatsuityourguests’needs.”
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Chapter 2: Make sure it does the right thing
For guests to embrace a hotel check-in
kiosk, the kiosk must give guests an
experience better than what they find
from a front-desk employee.
M
any people find themselves
oftenwaitingin
linesatgrocerystores,retailsstores,banksandhotels.
Theygetfrustratedandimpatient.
So,iftheyhaveaself-serviceoption,
theyaskthemselvesifisitbetterserviceornoservice.
“Inmymind,andtomanypeople,it
isbetterserviceifIhavetheoptionto
go(toakiosk),”saidClydeDishman,
NCR’sdirectorofhospitalityindustry
marketing.“Isitbetterservice?Icertainlythinksoinmanyscenarios.”
However,tobesuccessfulatgiving
peopleasuperioralternative,itneeds
todoeverythingthatafront-desk
personcoulddoand,inmostcases,it
needstodomore.Atthebeginningof
aself-servicedeployment,NCRlooks
atwhattheneedsandrequirements
arreforsuccessfullydeployingkiosks
inhotels,Dishmansaid.
Customer attitudes
Withaninstallbaseofmorethan800
hotelcheck-in/outkiosksinapproximately00hotelproperties,IBMhas
learnedinvaluablelessonsforsuccessfulrollouts.
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“Bothguestsandstaffexpectthe
kiosktodotherightthing.Eachgroup
hasadifferentsetofexpectations,”
saidRobertChan,practiceleaderfor
IBMCanada’se-accesssolutions.The
guestexpectsthekiosktoperformas
wellasorbetterthanastaffmember
person.Itshouldoffertheguestcontrol,choiceandconvenience.
“Thebarhasbeensetbythe
airlinecheck-insuccess,”hesaid.
“Hotelkiosksmusttakeadvantage
ofthemanyyearsofairlinecheck-in
refinement.”
Anotherimportantthingforcheckinkiosksisthattheyneedtorun
smoothly,rightaway.Mostpeople
takethisstepforgranted.
“Hotelshaveasmallwindowoftimein
whichtoimpresstheguestortheywill
nottrythekioskagain,”Chansaid.
“In my mind, and to many people, it is
better service if I have the option to
go (to a kiosk). Is it better service? I
certainly think so in many scenarios.”
Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
— Clyde Dishman, NCR’s director of
hospitality industry marketing
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Sponsored by IBM Corporation
1
Chapter 2: Make sure it does the right thing
Muchlikeanewstaffmemberthat
hasundergonetraining,hotelstaffs
expect the kiosk to perform efficiently.
abletoassistthemashighly
frustrating,accordingtotheNCR
researchstudy.
“Onewouldassumethekiosk
hasbeentrainedproperly,”Chan
said.“Thismeansthecheck-inand
check-outsuccessrateneedstobe
high,withthewidestpossibleacceptancecoverage.”
Surveyparticipantswereaskedto
estimatehowmuchtimetheywaste
standinginlineorwaitingforservice.
Onaverage,respondentssaidthey
wasteaboutonehourstandinginline
orwaitingforserviceinatypicalweek
—ormorethantwodaysperyear.
Nearlyhalf(9percent)oftherespondentsestimatethattheywastebetween30minutestotwohourseach
weekwaitingforservice.Tenpercent
ofconsumersbelievethattwoormore
hoursoftheirtimeisspentwaitingfor
serviceinatypicalweek.
Therewillbesomeexceptions,such
ascashpaymentorrequirementof
photoID.Inthosecases,thestaff
needstounderstandallthelimitationssothatthekiosksarelookedat
inthemostpositivelightversusbeing
deemedafailure.
“Thekioskistheirteammate,”Chan
said.“Itistheretohelpduringthe
busiesttimes.Forsimpletransactions,
thestaffshouldencouragetheguest
tousethekiosk.Formoretimely
interactionslikeacustomerservice
issue,staffwilldealwithguestsface
toface.”
Recent trends
Tounderstandkiosksandself-service,
itishelpfultounderstandsome
trendsaboutcustomersandwhy
theyuseself-service.Arecentstudy
commissionedbyNCRCorp.explored
theattitudesofcustomerswhohave
towait.
Whenaskedaboutwaitingforservice
orwaitinginline,mostconsumers
rankedthelackofemployeesavail-
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Thatseeminglyendlesswaitinline
hascausedmanypeopletochooseto
bypassthelinesanduseself-service
devices,industryexpertssay.
NCR’ssurveyaskedrespondents
abouttheirlevelofinterestinusinga
time-savingtechnologysuchaskiosks
orotherself-servicedevicestoreducetheirwaitinlines.Anaverageof
39percentofrespondentssaidthey
wouldbeextremelyorveryinterested
inusingsuchtechnologyifitwas
availabletoreducewaittimes.
Whenaskedwheretheywouldbe
mostinterestedinusingaself-service
kioskordevice,consumerssaidthey
wouldbeextremelyorveryinterested
inusingself-servicetechnologyat
thedepartmentordivisionofmotor
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Chapter 2: Make sure it does the right thing vehicles(1percent),followedclosely
by checking in for an airline flight (46
percent)andmakingadepositora
withdrawalatabank(2percent).
Morethanone-third(3percent)
saidtheywoulduseself-servicetechnologytocheckinatahotelormotel.
Potentialdeployershavetotake
alookatthehotelanddoanhonest
appraisalofwhatworksanddoesn’t
work,McCrackensaid.Hesaidyou
havetoaskyourselfifitmakessense
tohaveotherkioskswithmultiple
functions.
Theprospectofgreaterconvenience
and time savings ultimately can influenceaconsumer’sdecision-making
process.Morethan3percentof
surveyrespondentssaidtheyhave
chosenoneproviderofgoodsorservicesoveranotherbecauseitoffered
theoptionofusingaself-servicekiosk
orotherself-servicedevicetohelp
reducewaittime.
LivewireInternational’skeyself-servicedeviceistheeConcierge,which
allowsuserstolookupinformationon
retailshops,restaurantsandmapsof
thearea.Itisconceivablepiecesof
eConciergecouldbeimplementedto
comprehensivecheck-ininformation
kiosks,McCrackensaid.
Forthehotelindustry,theimpactof
thosenumbersisbecomingmore
clear.Deployersareworkinghardto
placekiosksinspacesforthecustomerstouse.Buttheyhavetoask
themselves,whatapplicationsshould
thekiosksprovide?
What’s in the box?
Formuchofthehotelindustry,kiosks
areusedstrictlyforcheck-in.
“Ithinkthatmosthotelscurrentlyhave
justhotelcheck-inkiosks,”saidDave
McCracken,presidentofLivewire
International.“Butmanyhotelsare
beginningtoaddotherapplications.
Thecombinationofcheck-inandother
featuresareonthecuspofbeinga
keycomponentofhotels.”
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“Initially,weplantodosingle-purpose
kiosks,butweareinterestedinlookingatmulti-purposekiosks,including
the capability of checking in for flights
andprintingboardingpasses,”McCrackensaid.“Ithinkitisjustgoing
totakeusertestingtoseeifwecan
makeitsuccessful.
“Youcouldevensetyourkiosksto
onefunctionduringcertainhours,
whileatotherhoursitcoulddoaseriesofdifferenttasks.”
Oneoftheproductsonthemarket
thatusesseveralapplicationsacross
manytravelindustriesistheNCR
XpressHotelkiosk.
TheNCRXpressHotelincludesNCR
ResortPortkioskhardware,now
enhancedwithacompactdesignthat
helpsenablehoteloperatorstoplace
thekioskwhereitbestserveshotel
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Chapter 2: Make sure it does the right thing guests.TheNCRResortPortalsois
availablewithanoptionalintegrated
bidirectionalpassportreaderand2-D
bar-codeimager.
Thesolutioncanbeequippedwitha
CheckInHeremodule,whichprovides
multi-airlinecheck-in,printsboarding
passesanddeliversotherservices
fromanyself-servicelocation.
Additionally,NCRXpressHotelcan
includetheNCRWayFindersoftware
module,aninteractivemappingapplicationthatassistsguestswithlocating
amenitiesaroundahotelpropertyvia
maps,includingidentifyingthebest
routetoaguestroom,pool,hotelrestaurantorotherservices.
Providing something special
Mostofthehotelcheck-inkiosks
todayarelesscapablethantheirstaff
counterparts.
foralargepercentageoftheday,the
kioskisunused.Tohelprecoupthe
investmentcostaswellasmarket
theirpresence,hotelsareaddingnew
attractionstothekiosk.
Oneverysuccessfulfeaturehas
beenairlineWebcheck-in.Leveragingtheairlineandtravelexpertiseof
IBM,theIBMhotelapplicationuses
thesameCommonUseSelfService
platformthatpowersthousandsof
airlinecheck-indevicesin28airports
worldwide.
“UsingtheIBMHotelsolutionalong
withIBMNetCDS,hotelshavesuccessfullyincorporatedamuch-needed
functionforhotellobbies,”Chan
said.“Nolongerdoesaguesthave
torequesttheirboardingpasstobe
printed, find a printer in the business
centerorarriveearlyattheairportto
check-in.”
Todelighttheguestandoffermore
control,hotelsareaddingnewfeaturesthatarenotpresentatthefront
desk.Muchlikehowtheairlines
introducedtheseatmap,hotelsare
lookingatthiscontrolfeaturetomeet
guestexpectations.Mosteveryone,at
onepointintime,hasthoughtofthis
astheyapproachthefrontdesk.
Hotelkiosksarenotutilizedthroughouttheday.Therearepeakperiods
inthemorningwhencheck-outsare
frequent.Check-insthenbecome
frequentlaterintheafternoon.So,
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Chapter 3:
Make sure it works, all the time
T
herearethreewordsthat
shouldnotapplytoanykiosk
deployment:outoforder.
Thosewhoalreadyhavedeployed
kioskswilltellyouthisisonearea
thatwillhamperanysortoflong-term
self-serviceplan.
“Youneverwanttoseeakioskthat
saysoutoforderonit,”saidDave
McCracken,presidentofLivewire
International,acompanythat
provideskiosksoftwareandturnkey
self-servicekiosksystemsand
solutions.“That’ssomethingthatwe
trytopreventatallcosts.”
Livewireprovidesself-service
products,highlightedbyits
eConciergeproduct,inthehospitality
sector.Butlikemanyother
enterprisingbusinesses,thecompany
isgettingintothehotelself-service
check-inenvironment.
Livewirehasbeenworkingwith
oneofitstophospitalityclientsas
anextensionofitsITdepartment,
McCrackensaid.Thatclienthas
askedLivewiretocontinueits
relationshipandprovidehotelselfservicecheck-inforitscustomers.
Ithasn’tbeendeployedyet,but
Livewireisintheprocessof
developingthattechnology.
“It’sjustnotgoodpublicityalthough
peopleprobablyexpectitmoreand
moretodayjustbecausealotof
electronicsbreakandpeoplecan
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understandthat,”
hesaid.“Almost
everyonehasa
homecomputerand
theyrealizethatat
somepoint,your
homecomputerwill
break.Isuspect
thatthehotels
themselvesdonot
wanttoseethatand
thattheywillkeep
sparesonhandjust
incaseandwantto
beabletoservice
thekiosksand
keepthemupand
running.”
McCrackensayshegenerally
recommendstodeployersthatthey
havetwotofourkiosksinamidsize
hotellobby.
“Iwouldn’texpectmanyproblems
withthatdeployment,”hesaid.
“Worst-casescenarioisthatyoustill
havetousethetraditionalmeans
ofservinghotelguestswithhotel
clerks.”
There are three words
that should not apply
to any kiosk deploy
ment: out of order.
Those who already
have deployed kiosks
will tell you this is one
area that will hamper
any sort of long-term
self-service plan.
RobertChan,practiceleaderforIBM
Canada’se-accesssolutions,said
hotelsshouldtakealookatworking
thekiosksolutionintothefront-desk
processsothatguestexpectations
aremet.
“Whenaguestwalksintoahotel
lobby,helooksforthefrontdesk,”
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Chapter 3: Make sure it works, all the time
Chan said. “When he finds the front
desk,helooksfortheagent.When
he finds an available agent, he
expectstheagenttobeableto
checkhimin.
“Thisneedstobethesame
forakiosk;however,itismore
challenging,”headded.“Whena
staffisnotavailable,itisobvious
toaguest.Sheiseithernotatthe
frontdeskorismovingaroundor
notmakingeyecontact.Forakiosk,
theexpectationtobeavailableis
higher.Ifthekioskisdown,thehotel
cannotmovethekioskintotheback
roomorputacoveroverit.”
Chansaidthegoalforhotelsshould
betomaximizetheavailabilityof
thekiosk.However,greatdesign
andsoftwarealonewillnotachieve
maximumavailability,hesaid.
Mechanicaldevicesbreakdownand
theywillneedperiodicreplenishment
andmaintenance.
Deployingakioskisnotthatdifferent
fromanyotherkindofdeployment.
Thereisalwaysalearningcurve,said
ClydeDishman,NCR’sdirectorof
hospitalityindustrymarketing.
“Once you deploy it, you are dependent
on it. So it absolutely has to be up and
running all the time. Once your guest
knows it’s there and uses it, they expect
it to be there all the time.”
— Clyde Dishman, NCR’s director of
hospitality industry marketing
Anumberofstaffmembersshould
beonhandtohelp,hesaid.“They
arealsotheearsandeyesforyou
tomakesurethereareanyusability
issuesthatmayhavenotbeen
discoveredduringthetestingphase.
Theycanpickthatupandrelay
itbackinanefforttocontinually
improvethemachinesandtheselfserviceprocess.
“Onceyoudeployit,youare
dependentonit,”hecontinued.“Soit
absolutelyhastobeupandrunning
allthetime.Onceyourguestknows
it’sthereandusesit,theyexpectitto
bethereallthetime.”
Evenwiththemorepopularself-service
devices,thereisalwayssomeone
standingtheretohelpthosewhoare
notfamiliarwiththemachine.
“You’llseethatathotelsaswell,”
Dishmansaid.“Therearealwaysdesk
clerksthatwillbeabletohelpaguest.”
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Chapter 4:
Give it a face everyone’s mother could love
T
hemomentamotherhasa
child,thereisundoubtedlya
strongbondwiththatyoung
one.Andnomatterwhatanyone
says,tothatmother,thatchildhasthe
prettiestfaceintheworld.Butthere
can’tbethatmanyprettyfacesroamingaroundtheworld.
A successful experience is not only about
getting from Point A to Point B. It is
about the journey.”
Thesoftersideofakiosksolution
alsoneedsattention,saidRobert
Chan,practiceleaderforIBMCanada’se-accesssolutions.
catertopeopleofvariousgenerations
aswellastopeople’slifestylesandto
thegoalsoftheirstay.”
Afterahotelachievestheexpectationsofstaffandguests,onestartsto
lookatothercontributingfactors,he
said.Theycanbethesofterrequirementssuchasaestheticsandusability.IBMhasawholedepartment
dedicatedtouserinterfacedesign,
userexperienceandusability.Butit’s
notjustalinearapproach.
“Asuccessfulexperienceisnotonly
aboutgettingfromPointAtoPointB,”
Chansaid.“Itisaboutthejourney.”
Forinstance,ahotelstayisnotjust
aboutacomfortableandcleanbed.
It also is about the efficient design of
thefront-deskarea,thedécorofthe
lobbyandtheroutetotheelevator.If
the front desk is difficult to find, the
décorisuglyortheelevatorlocation
isunclearandpoorlylocated,the
guestexperienceisimpacted.
“Hotelsunderstandthisverywell,”
Chansaid.“Therearevaryinghotel
designandexperiencethemes.They
A guide from Kiosk Marketplace
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— Robert Chan, practice leader for IBM
Canada’s e-access solutions
Thesamelevelofattentionandconsistencyindesign,experienceand
usabilityneedstobeappliedtothe
kiosksolution.
“The graphics need to reflect the
hotel brand,” he said. “The flow of the
applicationneedstobesimpleand
functional.Itneedstobeadelightful
experience.Itshouldofferamenities
attheappropriatetimes.
“Itshouldrecognizemeasafrequent
guest.Itshouldrecognizemyloyalty.
Muchlikemymomknowsmeand
givesmemyduereward,thehotel
kioskshoulddothesame.”
“Easyuserinterfaceisabsolutelyimportant,”DaveMcCracken,president
ofLivewireInternational,said.“Aninterfacelikethatincludesacleanlook,
notalotofclutter,helpstheperson
throughtheprocess.”
Healsosaidclear,preciseinstructionsthatguidethepersonthrough
whattodowithlimitedtextandaudio
promptingcanhelp.
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Chapter 4: Give it a face everyone’s mother could love Kiosks should not look like they came from the garbage dump. Usability and aesthetics are important to factor in when
placing a kiosk in the hotel environment.
“Withatransactionalinterface,Ithink
it’smostimportantthatyoutrytoprovidetheinformationtotheuserabout
whatstepsaretakingplaceandgive
themaclearproceduralpaththrough
theprocess,”hesaid.
Oneoftheotherimportantpiecesof
theuserinterfaceisthatitshouldbe
apartofthehotel’sinfrastructure,
saidClydeDishman,NCR’sdirector
ofhospitalityindustrymarketing.
intothepropertymanagementsystemssothatitisseamlessandas
ifyouweregoingtothefrontdesk,”
Dishmansaid.
“The challenge is to do it so efficiently
andconsistentlythatthehotelstarts
worryingabouttheirfront-deskstaff,”
Chansaid.
“Wehavetoevolvetheinterfaces
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Chapter 5:Put it in the right spot
H
otels,particularlyresorts,
aredealingwithhighlevels
ofcustomers.Whenyougo
toLasVegas,youtypicallystand
inlineforlongperiodsoftime.You
getbusloadsofpeopleallarriving
orleavingatthesametime.Sothe
hotelswanttobeabletoprocess
thosepeoplequickly,saidDaveMcCracken,presidentofLivewireInternational.
Andintoday’sworld,youhave
self-servicecheck-inthrough
variousstagesofthetravelprocess
withairlines.Theyoungergeneration
isgettingmoreaccustomedtoselfcheck-in.Alotofpeoplejustdon’t
wanttodealwithotherpeople.
Theyknowwhattodothemselves.
Yougetfrequenttravelersthat
knowwhattodoandtheywant
quickservice.
But what if they can’t find the kiosk to
useit?
Location,location,location.It’sanold
clichéforsure,butitisanothernecessarysteptohelpcompaniesmake
themostoftheirkioskdeployments.
If customers cannot find the kiosk,
theywillcontinuealonginthelong
linesandremainfrustrated.
It’s important
to put a kiosk in a
place where it will be
seen and won’t crowd
the front-desk area.
deploykiosksthatwererightnextto
thebank’scashiers.
“Thebankjustdidagreatjobin
deployingthosekiosksintermsof
havingonepersonrightnexttothe
kiosktohelpandhavinganother
oneatthebackneartheentrance
tothelinetothemannedbooths,”
McCrackensaid.
“Breakingtheherdmentalityisa
keyconcepttokeepinmindwhen
determiningthepositionofthekiosk
and the flow of guests through a hotel
lobby,”saidRobertChan,practice
leaderforIBMCanada’se-access
solutions.
“Thekioskhasgottobecloseto
wherethefrontdeskislocatedso
youcanredirectpeopletothekiosks,”McCrackensaid.
Fortheairlines,breakingtheherd
mentalitycontinuestodayeven
withthesuccessratestheyhave
achieved.Thechangingairportlobby
modelhasfewercheck-indesksand
morekiosks.
LivewirehelpedabankinBermuda
Onewaytomakesurethatpeople
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Chapter 5: Put it in the right spot
seethekioskistoputitoutsidethe
hotelonthecurb.Thatiswhatone
Starwoodresorthoteldid.
OprylandHotelNashville,partof
theGaylordEntertainmentCompany,
isthelargesthotel-conventioncenter
underoneroofintheworldwith2,883
guestrooms,00,000squarefeetof
conventionspace,9acresofindoor
gardens,aquarter-mileindoorriver,
retailshopsandrestaurants.
Morethanmillionguestsstayinthe
hotelannually.
JohnEslick,directorofstrategicsystemsdevelopmentfortheOpryland
Hotel,saidthehotelneededtodecentralizeitscheck-inprocedures.
“Thereweretwomainissuesthat
promptedustothinkaboutmobile
check-inpoints,”Eslicksaid.“Firstly,
whenyounormallythinkofa3,000roomproperty,youthinkoftowers.
We have only five floors and our
roomsandfacilitiesarespreadout
overasquaremile.
“Secondly,becauseoftheconventions,guestarrivalpatternscanbe
quitedemanding.Weoftenhavea
large influx of guests within a short
timeframe.Forsomeconventions,
wemayhaveover2,000delegates
arrivingintheafternoonorevening
before.Wecommunicatewiththe
meeting/conventionplannersabout
theanticipatedarrivaltimeofdelegates.Thatallowsustopreparefor
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“Breaking the herd mentality is a key
concept to keep in mind when determin
ing the position of the kiosk and the flow
of guests through a hotel lobby.”
— Robert Chan, practice leader for IBM
Canada’s e-access solutions
largegrouparrivalstosomedegree.
“Traditionally,wehavetwomain
desksand,combined,thoseprovide
for2stationaryregistrationwork
areas.Wewouldsetoutstanchion
holdersthatgobackandforthto
createwhatisnotoriouslyknownas
abankingqueue,insteadofhaving
individuallinesbehindeach2stations.Still,withallthatplanning,on
peakarrivaldaysguestsmayneedto
queuefor1minutesbeforetheyare
checkedin.”
Oprylandcreatedakiosksolutionthat
allowedthemtohaverovingregistrationpointsforbothcheck-inand
check-out.
“Whenlargegroupsofguestscheck
out,youdon’twantpeoplestanding
inline,”Eslicksaid.“Infact,there
shouldn’tbeaneedforgueststo
cometotheregistrationdeskatall.”
Tohandletheintroductionofself-serviceintoitsorganization,Opryland
chosetheLodgingManagement
Systemasitspropertymanagement
andreservationsystem,toreplace
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Chapter 5: Put it in the right spot
itsinternallymaintainedandcustomizedsystems.Inadditiontohaving
arobusthotelmanagementsystem,
LMSalsoprovidedintegrated
Webreservationsandwasalready
welladvancedinpilotingwireless
check-infacilities.
WiththeLMSMobileExpress,hotelstaffcanwelcomecustomers
throughoutthehotelwithahandheld,
Web-enabledcomputerfromSymbol
Technologies that fits into a pocket
andweighs288grams.Staffcan
usehandwritingandGUIcontrols
toperformacompletecheck-inand
makechangestoareservation,as
wellasothertasksthataretypically
performedatastationarycomputer
atthefrontdesk.ASymbolPortable
EncodingPrinterstrappedaroundthe
shoulderorbeltgivesfullmobilityto
theprocesswiththeabilitytoproduce
receipts,readcreditcardsandprogramroomkeys.
Thehandhelddevicescommunicate
overSymbol’sWirelessLANtoaccesspointslocatedthroughoutthe
hotel.TheaccesspointsonSymbol’s
11-megabytewirelessLANuseTCP/
IPtoconnecttoOpryland’siSeries
thatrunsthecorebusinessLMS
system.
“Theconceptistohaveawelcome
receptionforagroup,andwalk
throughtooffercheck-inregistration,”
Eslicksaid.“Atcheck-in,theguest’s
creditcardisswipedthroughthe
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printer/swiper.Thistriggersasearch
fortheguest’screditcardandname
intheLMSsystem.LMSthenfollows
thenormalcheck-inprocedures,including finding the appropriate room,
verifyingitscleanlinessandreadiness,takingthecreditcardandgoing
outforauthorization.”
Theresultofthisself-servicesystem
isauniquecustomerexperience.
“Wecangreetyouatthecar,assist
youwithyourluggageandatthe
sametimewecancheckyouin,”said
Tom Xavier, director of front-office
operationsfortheOprylandHotel.
“Youdon’thavetowalktothereceptionareaandstandinaline.Wecan
alsomeetyounearbyyourroom,or
dogroupcheckinanyofourlobbies
orrestaurants.Wirelesscheck-insets
a very good first impression.”
“Wemadeiteasierforourgueststo
getinandoutofourhotel,”saidRay
Waters,seniorvicepresidentand
generalmanager.“Thisisjustone
addedfeaturethehotelisproviding
asweenhancetheguestexperience
andcontinueourthree-yearand$80
millionrenovationofthehotel.”
Signage to promote check-in
and other hotel amenities
Eachyear,localpoliticalcandidates
placesignsadvertisingtheircandidacyaroundthetownstheylivein.
Theirhope,amongmany,isthat
localdenizenswillseetheirnameson
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Chapter 5: Put it in the right spot
thesignsandmakeacognitiveconnectionwhentheymakeittothepolls
inNovember.
Asimilarstrategyisemployedat
hotelsandmotelswhenpromotingself-servicecheck-in,thehotel’s
eventcalendar,facilitymapsand
otherpromotionsandadvertising.
Thoughmanypreferself-service
technology,theywillnotusethe
kiosksandmachinesunlesstheyare
inclearvieworpointedintheright
directionwithsignage.
“Signage,digitalorotherwise,is
importanttothedeployment,”McCrackensaid.“Butyouhavetobe
carefulthatitdoesn’tdistractfromits
originalpurposeofgettingpeopleto
usethekiosks.”
Manyhotelsandmotelshavebegun
tousedigitalsignageasawayto
attractguestsandcustomers.The
HyattRegencyChicagoisoneofthe
manyhotelchainsthathaveembracedthesignagetechnology.
TheHyatt’sinstallationincluded0inchNECMultiSyncLCD010and
32-inchNECMultiSyncLCD3210
displaystocoverthepublicareasand
228,000squarefeetofmeetingspace
attheHyatt.
Eachday,thousandsofguestsvisit
HyattRegencyChicagoforconferences,eventsandmeetings.Due
to the high-traffic volume, traditional
meansofdirectionalinformation,such
aseaselsandprintedsigns,werenot
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providingtimelyupdatesasinformationchanged,andtheyalsocaused
clutter.TheHyattchoseHospitality
Partnerstointegrateafulldigital-signage, wayfinding solution to better
meettheneedsofhotelvisitors.
“NotonlyaretheNECLCDdisplays
anddigitalsignagesoftwarefunctional and beneficial to hotel guests,
buttheyalsoprovideanelegantly
pleasingadditiontothehoteldécor,”
MartinKwitschau,chiefexecutiveof
HospitalityPartners,saidinanews
release.“Thedisplay’ssleekframe
andthescreenqualityenablean
extremelyhigh-colorscheme,
whichallowsimagesonthedisplayto
matcheachlocationwithinthehotel.
Thedisplayslookgreatandservea
usefulpurpose.”
ThecombinationofNECLCDdisplaysandOmnivexsoftwareeliminatesordecreasestheneedfor
gueststoreadprintedsignsorconsulthotelmanagementfordirections
totheirmeetingrooms.Thesolution
can display real-time traffic, forecastedweatherorup-to-the-minute
flight status. The Omnivex software
customizesallthecontentbasedon
timeofday,locationandclientrequestsandhasthecapabilitytodirect
individualmeetingattendeestothe
propermeetingroomutilizingRFID
technology.
“Ourgoalsforimplementingthis
systemhavebeenfullyachieved,”
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Chapter 5: Put it in the right spot
saidPatrickDonelly,generalmanager
ofHyattRegencyChicago.“Inadditiontoprovidingavaluableservice,
wewantedtoimpressourguestsand
clientswiththetechnologicalcapabilitiesofthesystem,providingthem
streamlinedinformation,captivating
motiongraphicsanddemonstratinghowthehotelistechnologically
aheadofourcompetition.”
expecttogotocheckin,unlessyou
havesomeotherwayofattracting
peopletotheself-servicedevices.
“Ifit’soverbyapostwherenoone
canseeit,aretheyevergoingtouse
it?No,andyou’veprobablywasted
yourtimeandeffortinmovinginthe
self-servicedirection,”saidClyde
Dishman,NCR’sdirectorofhospitality
industrymarketing.
Bottomline,anytypeofkioskdeploymentneedstogowherepeople
Three tips for placing a kiosk
ByRobertChan,practiceleaderforIBMCanada’se-accesssolutions
• Line of sight
Put the kiosks in the flow of traffic from the entrance to the front desk. Don’tputthemwheretheyarenoticedonlyafterthecheck-inisdone.Don’tmake
the position of a flower pot more important than the kiosk. If you have welcome
greetersforguestsastheyarriveintoyourhotel,doyouputthembehindapoleor
attheendofthecounter?
• Position well during wait time
Line of sight and line of flow will help. However, people still will miss the kiosks as
theyarepreoccupiedontheirjourneytothefrontdesk.Whilewaitinginline,guest
attentionfocusestothetaskathand.
A customer’s goal usually is to find an available agent. He may be next in line to be
serviced or fifth in line. In either situation, the customer is focused on getting to the
frontdesk.Butifheseessomeoneinfrontofhimgotothekiosk,hecanbeencouragedtowalkoveranduseit.Whatdoeshehavetolose?He’slastinlineanyway.
Once the first person goes and is successful, the herd mentality kicks in and anotherpersongoes.Don’tunderestimatethepoweroftheherdmentality.Itcanbea
positiveandnegativecontributor.
• Advertise
Usesignagetopromoteawareness.Therecanbelobbysignageorin-roomsignage. For large hotels, put signage near the convention areas. E-mail notification
alsoisagreatwaytoannounceandprepareforguestforarrival.
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Chapter 6:Help the staff learn to love it H
otelbellmenhavelongbeena
stapleatmid-toupper-class
hotelsandmotels.Thebellmen
wouldholdthedooropenforguests,
taketheirbaggageandsomewould
evenparkthecustomer’sswanky
JaguarorPorsche.But,youcan
argue,bellmenareatfewerand
fewerhotels,eventhoughmany
hotelsstillhavethatsamequality
customerservice.
“For a kiosk to be an accepted
member of the team, it has to
function as a team member.”
Oneofthereasonsthisishappeningrevolvesaroundhotelself-service
andtheappropriationofhotelfrontdeskclerksandstaff.
Eventhinkingaboutthatlast
questionwillmakeanemployee
feelthreatened.
Deployingakioskisallaboutoperating the process efficiently and making
itpartoftheexperiencetheguest
has.It’snotdifferent,andit’sseamlesstothewholeprocess,saidClyde
Dishman,NCR’sdirectorofhospitality
industrymarketing.
“Ithinkit’smosteffectiveatthose
placesthatsaythisispartofthenormalprocessandI’mnotgoing
tochangethingsdrastically,”hesaid.
“Iamstillgoingtohavesomeone
outtheretogreettheguestsasthey
comeinandhavethemoutthere,
sothattheycanoffertheself-service
optionandassistthemiftheyneed
help.”
Whenakioskjoinsthefront-desk
team,teammembershavealot
ofquestions.
Whatisit?Whatdoesitdo?Willitdo
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— Robert Chan, practice leader for IBM
Canada’s e-access solutions
thejobright?Willitwork?
DoIhavetoknowanythingaboutit?
Willitreplaceme?
“Forakiosktobeanacceptedmemberoftheteam,ithastofunctionas
ateammember,”saidRobertChan,
practiceleaderforIBMCanada’seaccesssolutions.
Someotherquestionstoconsider:
• Is the kiosk pleasant to look at?
Doesitmeetthehotelbrandand
lobby design? It is a reflection of the
teamanditneedstomeetthesame
levelofexpectation.Therefore,the
design of the kiosk needs to fit the
lobby.IBMhasseveralmodelsof
kiosksfromfreestandingandcountertoptokiosksdesignedintothemillwork.Manycoloroptionsareavailabletosuitanylobbyenvironment.
• Punctual and ready to work? Thesearehandledbythereliability
androbustnessofthekiosksolution.
Asstatedearlierinthisguide,the
kioskneedstoachieveahighlevelof
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Chapter 6: Help the staff learn to love it The staff at the front desk need to understand that installing kiosks are a way to make their jobs better rather
than to take their jobs away.
availability.Ofcourse,thisishigher
thananagent,butthenagainthe
kioskcannotgohomewhenitis
notfeelingwell.
• Does the job and shares the load?
Thisisachievedbymakingsurethe
kioskdoeswhatisexpected.The
kioskmustnotbeadragontheperformanceofthefrontdesk.Itshould
helpclearqueues.
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• Does other things than just
check-in/out?
Thehotelneedstoconstantlylookat
whatelsethekioskcandoduringoffpeaktimes.Ofcourse,during
thepeaktimes,onlythekey
featuresshouldbeofferedwith
theothersdisabled.
• Successful? Trackingtheperformanceofthekiosk
isveryimportant.Hotelmanagement
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Chapter 6: Help the staff learn to love it needstotrackitssuccessesandfailures.Ifitdoesnotpullitsweight,how
cantheteamloveit?Theyknowitis
notperfect.Tellthemwhatiswrong
andwhatisbeingdonetoimprove
it.Youwouldexpectthisifahuman
teammemberwasunderperforming.
• A threat?Mostimportantly,the
kioskmustnotthreatenthehuman
teammembers.Theymustnotfeel
likeitcouldtakeawaytheirjobs.
Thepeopleatthebellstandneed
tobecognizantoftheself-service
processbecausetheycanbeofassistancetoguestsinthekioskarea,
aswell.Youneedtohaveeveryone
onboardandmakesuretheyunderstandhowtooperateaself-service
environmentproperly.
Butoneofthemostimportantaspects
istomakesurethestaffunderstands
thepurposeofthekiosk’sjobisnot
getridofthem.
“Thepeopleatthefrontdeskneedto
understandthatthisisawaytomake
theirjobbetterratherthantaking
theirjobaway,”Dishmansaid.“Selfservice,inmostcases,doesn’treally
reducelabor.Itjustallowsyoutodeploythatlabordifferently.NowIcan
takesomeonefrombehindthatfront
deskwhousuallyhastostandthere
alldayandletthemgooutandgreet
people,ifthat’sthekindofpersonality
thattheyhave,andnowtheycanbecomearevenue-producingemployee
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insteadofstandingbehindadesk
andreceivinginformationandpunchingitintoacomputerallday.”
TheHyattHotelsbrandisoneofthe
hotel chains that have benefited from
self-serviceandmovingstaffduties
fromthefrontdesktootherareas
wherecustomerserviceisneeded.
MattAdams,vicepresidentandmanagingdirectoroftheGrandHyattNew
York,saidheseesthekiosksasabig
stepinhiscompany’splantoserve
itsguests.
TheGrandHyatt,locatedintheheart
ofmidtownManhattan,contains11
check-inkiosks,10inthelobbyand
one on the hotel’s club level. The first
twowereinstalledinearly200,with
theotherscomingasguestusage
increasedsteadily.
“Inthisdayandage,thetraveleris
moresophisticatedandtheyaremore
self-empoweredtousetechnologyto
maketheirtravelprocesseasier,”Adamssaid.“Wefollowedtheairlines’
leadwiththecheck-inkiosks.”
Thereare211Hyatthotelsandresortsaroundtheworld.HyattHotels
Corp.anditssubsidiariesoperate,
manage,franchiseorlease120
hotelsandresortsaloneintheUnited
States,CanadaandtheCaribbean,
accordinganewsrelease.Inearly
200,thehotelchainaddedselfservicecheck-in/check-outkiosksto
morethan100ofitslobbiesinHyatt
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Chapter 6: Help the staff learn to love it RegencyandGrandHyatthotels.
“Customersexpectquick,easy
check-inandcheck-outprocesses,”
GaryDollens,vicepresidentof
productanddesignforHyattHotels
Corporation,saidintherelease.
“Investmentintechnologysuchasthe
kiosksgivesHyattgueststheunique
opportunitytocontroltheirentirearrivalanddepartureexperiences.”
Hyatt’sself-servicekiosksaretied
intothecompany’sreservationsystem, Hyatt officials said. Much like
theairportkiosksthattravelershave
becomeaccustomedto,thekiosks
readinformationonacreditcardthat
aguestswipestobeginbothcheckinandcheck-out.Oncethesystem
recognizesthenameandreservation,
uponcheck-inguestscanreceive
theirroomkey,entertheirfrequent
stayHyattGoldPassportnumberand
requestanupgradeorroomchange.
Whilecheckingout,thekioskgives
gueststheabilitytopay,printouta
completereceiptandreceiveafolio
oftheirstay.
“Inmostcases,Hyattguestscan
completetheircheck-in/check-out
transactionsinunderaminute,”said
TracyFlynn,vicepresidentofhospitalitysolutionsatNCR.“NCRis
excitedtobepartneringwithHyatt
togivetravelersanewservicethat
differentiatesHyattHotels&Resorts
fromotherhospitalitycompanies.”
Theproprietarytechnologyinstalled
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inNCR’sEasyPointXpressCheckInkioskssoonwillallowcustomers
tochoosethenewspapertheywant
deliveredtotheirroom,makedinner
reservationsandselectfromavariety
ofactivitiesatHyatt’sresortlocations.
Theself-servicekiosksareasupplementtothepersonalattentioncustomersreceivefromemployeesat
HyattHotels&Resorts.Forthose
seekingtraditionalface-to-faceinteractionatcheck-inandcheck-out,
theirexperienceswillnotbeaffected
bytheadditionofthenewserviceto
Hyattlobbies.Thisisanotherplus
tothekiosksenteringthehospitality
area,Adamssaid.
“The front-office staff is now able to
focusonofferingpersonalizedguest
serviceinsteadofjustchecking
peopleinandout,”hesaid.
Fortheemployeesthemselves,many
haveembracedthechangetoselfservice.MikeKieselisthedirectorof
roomsattheHyattRegencyinLouisville,Ky.He’smannedafrontdeskfor
1years,fromthetimehoteldesks
first were automated via computer.
Sincethen,computershavecrept
slowlytothefrontofthedesk,where
customerscannowcheckthemselves
inviakiosk.
Butmosthotelsstilloffertheoptionof
havingsomeoneatthefrontdesk.
“OnethingI’vefoundis,thereare
alwaysgoingtobepeoplethatdon’t
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Chapter 6: Help the staff learn to love it wanttodoitthemselves,”Kieselsaid.
“Theywantsomeonetheretoassist
them.Wearehappyifpeopleuse
it(thekiosk),butwereallylikethat
personalinteractionsowe’realways
goingtohavefront-deskpersonnelto
assistone-on-one.Ourwholepurposeistoprovideanotheroptionfor
peoplewhowantit.”
Eventhoughthekiosksarenot
intendedtoreplacethefrontdesk,
“itispossibletheywillleadtosome
laborcostsavingsovertime,”said
TomConophy,formerchieftechnical
officer at Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Worldwide,whosebrandsinclude
Sheraton,Westin,St.RegisandW
Hotels.“Itwoulddependonoverall
adaptationtothekiosktechnology.”
thecomingyear.
Labormakesuppercentofhotel
operatingexpenses,accordingtothe
Atlanta office of hospitality consultantsPKFConsulting.
Expenses — payrolls, benefits and
training—arerisingfasterthan
inflation rates, PKF said, with labor
costsperavailableroomclimbingto
anestimated$13,83in200from
$12,0in2002.
Butthefocus,regardlessofthebottomline,shouldremainoncustomers
andtheirexperienceatthehotelor
motel,Dishmansaid.Thatcustomer
focuswilllaterbreedloyaltyand,
furthermore,abottomlinethatwillnot
beeasilymeasured.
If front-desk staffing is cut back, thoseemployeeswouldlikelybe
“repurposed”intoservingguestsin
otherways,Conophysaidina200
USATodayarticle.
Laborhasbeenagrowingissue
forlargeU.S.hotels,manyofwhich
havefacedprotractedlabordisputes
fromunionspressingforhigher
wages,betterworkingconditions,
shortercontractsandbetterhealthcare benefits.
Whileunionactivitieshavefailedto
put a damper on a strong profit recoveryinthehospitalityindustry,wage
increasesareloomingasoneofthe
biggestchallengesfacinghotelsin
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Chapter 7:
Case Study: Hilton Hotels
H
iltonHotelsCorp.isaleadingglobalhospitalitycompany,withnearly2,800hotels
and00,000roomsinmorethan7
countries.Morethan2,300hotelsare
owned,managedorfranchised
intheUnitedStateswithaportfolio
ofpopularhotelbrandsincluding
Hilton,Conrad,Doubletree,Embassy
SuitesHotels,HamptonInn,Hampton
Inn&Suites,HiltonGardenInn,
HiltonGrandVacations,HomewoodSuitesbyHiltonandThe
Waldorf=AstoriaCollection.
TheHiltonbrandfeaturesabout
00full-servicehotelsandresorts
inlocationsthroughouttheworld.
FlagshippropertiesincludeThe
Waldorf=AstoriaandHiltonHawaiian
VillageBeachResortandSpaamong
others.
Morethan00IBMhotelcheck-in
kiosks,themajorityofthemIBMAnyplacekiosks,aredeployedbytheHiltonbrand.Allofthekiosksarelocated
atEmbassySuitesandHiltonhotel
locations.Thosekioskshavebeenin
deploymentsincetheendof200.
ThegoaloftheHiltonkioskdeploymentswastoprovidechoice,convenienceandcontrolforguests,said
DavidWalpole,directorofself-service
developmentforHiltonHotels.And
they’vealmostgottenthere.
“It’sbeenaworkinprogress,buttoa
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largeextent,it
hasbeenasuccess,”Walpole
said.“ButIknow
wecandoeven
better.”
Inthelarge“big
box”hotelssuch
asthepropertyatChicago
O’HareAirport,
manyoftheguestsstayforshorter
periodsoftime.Atthosehotels,the
check-inkioskshavebeenanamazing
help,Walpolesaid.
“They’vebeenabletoincorporatethe
kiosksasteammembersthemselves,”
hesaid.“Asopposedtoreducingstaff,
andHiltonandEmbassySuiteshave
neverseenitasawaytoreducestaff,
they are increasing the efficiency of
gettingguestscheckedin.”
More than 500 IBM
hotel check-in kiosks,
the majority of them
IBM Anyplace kiosks,
are deployed by the
Hilton brand. All of the
kiosks are located at
Embassy Suites and
Hilton hotel locations.
Muchlikealivestaffmember,the
hotelshaveadailychecklistforthe
kioskstomakesuretheyare
“groomed”properly.
“Muchlikeyouchecktoseeifyour
staffhastheirhaircombedandtheir
shirttuckedin,youcheckthekioskto
seeiftheyhavepaperandiftheyare
workingcorrectly,”Walpolesaid.
Oneofthemorerecentfeaturesofthe
Hiltonkioskisitsabilitytoprintairline
boardingpasses.
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Chapter 7: Case Study: Hilton Hotels Thetechnologyinterfaceswith27majorairlines.Toprintboardingpasses,
hotelguestsfollowthesimplestep-bystepinstructionsonthekiosk.Using
theairlines’ownWebpages,they
can check in for their flights, change
seats,requestupgradesandprinttheir
boardingpassesatthekiosk.Thereis
nocosttotheguestforthisservice.
Additionalexistingfeaturesofthe
Hiltoncheck-inkiosksincludeenablinggueststoviewtheirreservation,
checkintothehotel,obtaintheroom
keyandviewpre-arrivalmessages.
Attheendofthestay,travelerscan
checkoutatakioskbyreviewingtheir
bill, confirming or changing the paymentmethodandprintingore-mailingacopyofthereceipt.Hotelstaff
istrainedtogreetguests,answer
questionsandassist,ifneeded,atthe
kiosks.Traditionalfront-deskservices
andguestassistancewillcontinueto
beavailabletoallcustomers.
OneofHilton’suniqueself-service
situationsisattheHiltonHawaiian
VillageBeachResort&Spaandthe
HonoluluInternationalAirport.Some
oftheHonolulucheck-inkiosksare
locatedintheairport’sbaggageclaim
areasopassengerscancheckinbeforetheyarriveatthehotel.
“Theyhavedoneanamazingjobof
incorporatingthekioskintotheirsituations,”Walpolesaid.
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“Much like you check to see if your
staff has their hair combed and their
shirt tucked in, you check the kiosk to
see if they have paper and if they are
working correctly.”
— Robert Chan, practice leader for IBM
Canada’s e-access solutions
The following is a copy of a news
release Hilton issued when the kiosks
were placed at the Honolulu airport.
HONOLULU, Sept. 8, 2004 — Hilton
Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa
and the Honolulu International Airport
will offer self-service kiosks that will al­
low Hilton guests to check into the hotel
and get their room keys — before they
even claim their baggage and leave the
airport. Hilton is installing four kiosks at
the airport, two each in Baggage Claim
areas “G” and “H,” which serve United,
Continental, Northwest and American
Airlines.
The kiosks will be readily identifiable
with Hilton signage. Hilton and IBM de­
veloped the kiosk hardware and software
and began testing it in lobbies of selected
hotels on the U.S. mainland in January
2004. Hilton is on target to install 100
kiosks in 45 hotels by the end of 2004.
Hilton believes this is the first full-ser-
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Chapter 7: Case Study: Hilton Hotels vice hotel kiosk in an airport.
Hilton Hawaiian Village is also installing
three kiosks in its Main Lobby to provide
guests with an alternative to the high
touch service associated with a tradition­
al front-desk check-in. The kiosks may
also be used for check-out or as a private
check-in solution for large groups.
“We are delighted to work with the team
of the Honolulu International Airport
and Hawaii Department of Transporta­
tion on this important leap forward in
the travel and tourism industry,” said
Peter H. Schall, senior vice president
of Hilton Hotels Corporation — Hawaii
Region and managing director of Hilton
Hawaiian Village. “Cooperative efforts
such as this are yet another example
of the commitment by the state and
the tourism industry to keep Hawaii
at the forefront of customer service
and technology.”
The kiosks function in much the same
way as airline self-service kiosks for air
travelers using e-tickets. After inserting
a credit card for identification pur­
poses, guests can follow a set of simple
onscreen instructions and utilize the
touchscreens to check into the hotel. The
kiosk displays the traveler’s reservation
information, offers a room based on the
customer’s known preferences, which the
customer can accept or change, issues
a room key and provides printed room
directions and information. The kiosks
can also offer guests the opportunity to
upgrade to more premium accommoda-
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Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa and the Honolulu International Airport offer self-service kiosks that allow
Hilton guests to check into the hotel and get their room keys
before they claim their baggage and leave the airport.
tions than originally reserved, should the
guest desire. Hilton guest service agents
will be on hand at the airport to answer
questions and assist guests in the checkin process.
Hilton’s long term commitment to per­
sonal service and a warm welcome adds
to the convenience, control and efficien­
cy the kiosk check-in provides. Guest
service agents will also have access to
Hilton’s entire technology platform OnQ
via Xybernaut Atigo wireless, handheld
computers.
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Chapter 7: Case Study: Hilton Hotels At the end of the stay, the traveler can
check out at a kiosk in the same fash­
ion by reviewing and confirming their
bill and printing out a receipt for their
records. At check-out customers can
also change their payment credit card,
enter HHonors and airline frequent flier
account numbers and request an e-mail
copy of their receipt.
“This is the trend of the future,” said
Dieter Huckestein, president of hotel
operations, owned and managed, Hilton
Hotels Corporation. “Seasoned travelers,
whether on business or vacation, value
time and convenience. At Hilton, we
continue to explore new technologies to
meet their needs, and we hope to roll out
this technology in other locations around
the country in the future.”
“These kiosks are an exciting addition to
an array of high-tech services we already
provide our guests at Hilton Hawaiian
Village,” said Schall. “With high-speed
Internet access scheduled to be in place
in all of our of guest rooms by the end
of the month, wireless Internet access in
many of our meeting and public areas
and an impressive array of technologybased services throughout the resort,
even the most tech-savvy guest can stay
connected at the Village.”
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APPENDIX:
Further reading
Hyatt to lean heavily on self-service
SSW: Have you seen any demon
strable effects in cost savings?
By Bryan Harris
MA:We’llseethatbytheendof200
forsureasourdeploymentsandrolloutsinhotelsincreasetremendously.
Ourgoalinconvertingagentsfrom
transactionstocustomerservicewill
definitely create efficiency. There will
be significant cost savings by the time
wehavethemalldeployed,moving
throughthisyear.
This article originally appeared in January
2006 on SelfServiceWorld.com.
HyattHotelsCorp.deployed100selfcheck-inkioskstoitsupscalechainin
February200.Now,thecompanyis
expandingitsdeploymenttodouble
thatnumber,andaddingmoreservicesalongtheway.HyattHotelsvice
presidentofoperationsMattAdams
explainedhowkiosksimproveservice
and efficiency.
SSW: How has Hyatt benefited from
its self-service check-in kiosks?
MA:Aswecontinuetoevolveour
kiosks,weseealargeradoptionrate.
We’realsousingitforallourbackoffice applications moving forward.
Wewanttheplatformtobebased
onthekiosk.Wewantthefront-desk
stafftobelesstransaction-andmore
customer-service-orientedandletthe
kioskmanagethetransaction.
SSW: How have Hyatt’s guests
benefited?
MA: Our guests have benefited from
theeaseandspeedofuse,especially
inourlargerconventionhotels.Iwas
attheHyattMiamitheotherday.
Whencruiseshipguestsareready
todepart,theydon’thavetowaitina
lineoraqueueforfront-deskstaffto
handleit.
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SSW: What features are most
popularly used on your kiosks?
MA:Theabilityofthekiosktomanageroomlocation.Theycanactually
goinandselectwheretheirroom
islocatedinthebuilding,selectby
high, medium, low floor, close to the
elevatorornot.Anotherthingwe’ve
seengoodusageonismakingsure
theirfrequenttravelerprogramsare
loadedproperly,sothatthey’rereceivingtheircredit.Wehaveaseries
ofenhancementswe’realsorolling
outinthenextphaseofoursoftware
releasetochoosefoodandbeverage
amenitiessotheycanchoosewhat
timetheywantitdeliveredandnot
havetousethephone.
SSW: What have you upgraded
so far?
MA:We’reatthenextphase,which
willaddthegoldpassportinformation.
Butwe’reworkingonsomeotherfeatures,thewaythatitprocessesdebit
cards more efficiently. We’re looking
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APPENDIX: Further reading
atthekiosktobecomethebasisfora
boardingpassinterface,soyoucan
alsoprintoutyourboardingpassat
thattime.WewanttodeployaWebbasedboardingpasscheck-inproduct.Ifyou’regoingtoL.A.fromNew
York,youlogintotheWebsite,and
beforeIgototheairportI’malready
checkedinandhavemyroomnumber. We think it will be a real benefit
toourcustomers.
SSW: What is your personal favor
ite hospitality self-service device?
MA:IliketheabilitytoaccesswirelessInternetfromahotellobby.I
don’tlikehavingtogosomeplace
touseacomputer.Itjustmakesthe
portabilityofyourworkplacesomuch
greater.Theotherwouldbetheability
tocheckintotheairlineandgetmy
boardingpassandbypasstheold
operation.
SSW: What will the next step in
hospitality self-service be?
MA:That’sanotherproductwe’re
intheprocessofdeveloping:the
abilitytoretrieveyourguestfolio,
likeyoucandonowwithanyofyour
creditcardstatements.Thatway,ifI
checkout,Icancallmyassistantto
processmyexpenseaccountwithoutwaitingformetogetbacktothe
office. I can completely eliminate the
check-outprocessatthehotel.That’s
thenextwave.
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APPENDIX: Further reading
Behind the screens: Mike Kiesel,
hotel clerk
By Bryan Harris
This article originally appeared in March 2007
in Self-Service World magazine.
MikeKieselisthedirectorofrooms
attheHyattRegencyinLouisville,
Ky.He’smannedafrontdeskfor1
years,fromthetimehoteldeskswere
first automated via computer. Since
then,computershaveslowlycreptto
thefrontofthedesk,wherecustomerscannowcheckthemselvesinvia
kiosk.
SSW: How has the hotel front desk
changed since you’ve been there?
MK:Istartedmaybeayearafter
Hyatthotelsgotacomputersystem.
Before,youhadabigboardwith
alltheroomsonitandkeyson
chains.Andthehousekeeperwould
comedownandtellyouwhatrooms
wereclean.
SSW: What kinds of things do you
talk to customers about?
MK:Youhearalotofthingsabout
justpeople’slives.Sometimesit’slike
beingabartender.DuringDerbylast
year,wehadaladywhohitawinning
ticketforlike$20,000.That’spretty
interesting.Ofcourse,indifferenthotels,(thereare)differententertainers
andcelebritiesthatyougettotalkto.
That’sprobablymoreexcitingforthe
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averageemployee.
SSW: What kind of customers
leave your staff the best tips?
MK:Typicallysomeonewhohas
workedinfoodandbeverage.Froma
guestservicesside,reallyifyougive
goodservice,awealthypersonwill
dowell,butI’veseenwealthypeople
whojustgiveanaveragetip.I’ve
neverbeeninapositiontoreceive
tips,butIknowthey’reusuallypretty
good.Iknowalotoffootballplayers
…aregoodaboutit.Mostcelebrities
areverynice.
SSW: What kinds of customers use
self-check-in?
MK:Iseepeopleintheir0suse
itprettyoften.Really,itjustcomes
downtodifferentgenerationsmight
bemorecomfortablewithtechnology.
Ifsomeoneistechnologicallysavvy,
they’remorelikelytogotoit.Ihave
seenpeopleofallagesuseit.We
haveafastboard,also,whereyou
canprintoutyourboardingpasses
righthereinthelobby.Ithink,maybe,
ayoungergenerationmightlookforit
more.ButIreallyhaven’tseenwhere
thereisthatmuchdifference.Wetry
toputitinplaceswhereeveryonecan
seeit.
SSW: Have kiosks changed how
the front desk works?
MK:OnethingI’vefoundis,there’s
alwaysgoingtobepeoplethatdon’t
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APPENDIX: Further reading
wanttodoitthemselves.Theywant
someonetheretoassistthem.We
arehappyifpeopleuseit(thekiosk),
butwereallylikethatpersonalinteractionsowe’realwaysgoingtohave
frontdeskpersonneltoassistone-onone.Ourwholepurposeistoprovide
anotheroptionforpeoplewhowantit.
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APPENDIX: Further reading
Myth-busting
By Bill Yackey
This article originally appeared in Self-Service
World magazine in July 2007.
SomewhereontheDiscoveryChannel,twoeccentricscientistsareina
laboratory trying to figure out if an
operasingerreallycanbreakglass
withhervoice.
ThereisnolabhereatSelf-Service
World,butamyth-bustingteamhas
beenassembledinanefforttodemolishsomecommonmisconceptions
aboutkiosksandself-service.
Withthehelpofacrackteamofsuper
experts, we’ve identified seven monstermythstoexamineandexposefor
thefalsehoodstheyare.
Myth #1: Kiosks will take every
one’s jobs
Kiosksdoreplacejobs.Buttheyusuallyareoftherepetitivekindandare
machine-likeinnature.Thesecretto
self-servicesuccessisonepreached
byindustryexperts:redeployment,
notunemployment.
TheHomeDepot’sformerCEO,RobertNardelli,fellvictimtothismyth.
Underhisdirection,thehardware
storegiantbeganimplementingselfcheckoutin2003.Manyofitsregular
check-outlineswereeliminated,as
wellasthecashierswhooperated
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them.Theresultwasawaveofdisgruntledcustomerswhowerehaving
troublecheckingout1-footpieces
ofplywoodwiththatlittlebarcode
scannerandnoonearoundtohelp.
Companygrowthwasstunted,share
pricesstagnatedandNardelliresignedinJanuary2007.
Thetruthis,employeesdisplaced
byself-serviceshouldberedeployed
intocustomer-serviceroles.Inastore
asvastasHomeDepot,customerswerelookingforknowledgeable
assistantswhoalsocouldhelpcarry
thatplywood.
PeterSnyder,managingdirectorfor
InternationalKioskGroupforKIOSK
InformationSystems,sawthismyth
bustedwhenoneofAmerica’slargest
quick-servicerestaurantchainstried
itshandatself-serviceordering.The
chainaddedsevenkiosksperstore
inseverallocationstotestandget
feedbackontheperformance.
Theresultofthedeploymentwas
a significant increase in customer
volumeandsalesforthestoreswith
kiosks,Snydersaid.Therestaurants
neededtheformerorder-takersin
thekitchentokeepupwiththeextra
traffic that was moving through the
restaurant.
RufusConnell,industryresearch
directorwithFrost&Sullivan,said
self-servicehasthepotentialofbeing
a“forcemultiplier.”Groceryself-
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APPENDIX: Further reading
checkoutsusuallyhaveoneemployeeperfourmachines.Inasense,
theoneemployeehasbecomefour
timesmoreeffective.Thedisplaced
employeesserveincustomer-service
rolestodrivesalesfromwithinthe
storeandnotjustfrombehindthe
cashregister.“Thetrickistomake
employeesmoreeffective,ratherthan
firing them,” Connell said.
Myth #2: Elderly people won’t use
a kiosk
Olderpeoplesometimesarestereotypedastechnophobes.But,when
approachedtherightway,thisdemographicprovidessomeofthemost
loyalandrepetitiveusersofself-service.Inthisbusiness,agedoesn’t
necessarily define acceptance.
“Theairlinescontinuetodoitright,”
saidFrancesMendelsohn,president
ofSummitResearchAssociates.“The
airlineswhotookthetime—and
patience—toshowtheelderlyhow
to use the kiosks reaped the benefits.
AmericanAirlineswasparticularly
effectiveinbeingproactiveingetting
peopleoutoflinetocheckinatthe
kiosks.”
Itisamyththatolderfolksarenotbig
risk-takerswithtechnology.Theyare
notasapttoembracenewtechnologysuchaskiosksrightaway,butthey
appreciatethatkiosksusuallyprovide
afaster,easiertransactionorservice
withnojivefromtheteenagecashier.
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BillLynch,vicepresidentofself-service for financial and bill-payment
kioskmanufacturerSourceTechnologies,wasobservingapilotprojectof
financial kiosks in a bank. As an elderlywomanleftthekiosk,heasked
herwhyshechosetousethekiosk
ratherthantheteller.
“Ialwaysknowhowlongit’sgoingto
takeme,”thewomansaid.Shepatted
thekioskandsaid,“Plus,thisthing
doesn’thaveanattitude.”
Myth #3: The more features on a
machine, the better
Kiosksusuallyaredesignedtocompleteonetask,suchascheckingout
of retail stores or checking into a flight
attheairport.Imagineifthosemachinesofferedaplethoraoffunctions.
Suddenlyyou’rewaitingtopurchase
agiftcardatakioskwhiletheladyin
front of you fills out a credit application.Moreisnotalwaysbetter.
TheATMindustrylearnedthislesson
thehardway.Inthemid-tolate‘90s,
ATMdeployersintheretailspace
wantedtoenhancethecash-dispensingexperiencebyofferingservices
suchascoupondispensing,event
ticketandlotteryticketsales—most
ofwhichfailedmiserably.
Why?TracyKitten,editorofATM
Marketplace,saidultimatelythe
additionalfunctionsfailedbecause
consumersdidn’twantthem.“Too
manyoptionsledtotoomanychoices
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APPENDIX: Further reading
and longwaittimes.Whatconsumers
wantedwasfast,convenientaccess
totheircash,”shesaid.
Thetruthis,simplerreallyisbetter.
Self-servicemachinesthathavetoo
manyapplicationsandfeatureshave
thepotentialtoannoycustomers
morethanpleasethem.
“Ifyouputtoomanyapplicationsinto
amachine,theoriginalintentbecomesdilutedandconvoluted,”said
Lynch.“Businessesmustknowwhy
theself-servicedeviceisthereand
sticktodeployingapplicationsthat
meettheirobjectives.”
Whenintroducingself-service,Mendelsohnsuggestsbeginningwitha
few applications to see how they fly
withcustomers.Fromthere,youcan
addnewapplicationsortakeaway
unnecessaryones.
“Veryfewkioskswithmultipleapplicationsaretrulysuccessful,”Mendelsohnsaid.“Thekillerapplication
willalwaysrisetothetop.”
Ifindoubt,ask,“Whatisthiskiosk’s
originalpurpose?”Lettransactional
kioskshandletransactions.Let
informationalkiosksprovideinformation.Theoriginalintentbehindmany
kiosksistoeliminatecustomerwait
times.Floodingthemachinewithoptionsandexcessfeatureslengthens
customerusetime,aswellascustomerwaittime.
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“Technologyallowsustodoalot,but
justbecausewecandoit,doesn’t
meanthatwealwaysneedtodoit,”
Lynchsaid.
Myth #4: A kiosk will fix everything
Industryexpertsunderstandthe
benefits as well as the limitations of
self-servicekiosks,butonecommonlydiscussedmythisthatkiosksare
kryptonitetobusinessproblems.
“Nonsense,”Mendelsohnsaid.“Yet
therearedeployersouttherewho
actuallybelieveit.”
Nowforthetruth:Simplyaddinga
kioskwillnotboostyourbusiness,
increasesalesorbringincustomers.
Butintegratingself-serviceintoyour
businessmodelwill.Akioskshould
beanextensionofgoodcustomer
service,notareplacementfunction.
Beforeaddingaself-servicefunction,
Lynchsuggestsdeployersasktwo
questions.First,isthiskioskwhat
thecustomerwants?Second,willthe
kioskimprovecustomerservice?
Theairlineindustry,whereself-servicehasseensomeofitsgreatest
gains,answeredyestobothquestions.Travelerswantedtobypassthe
interactionatthecheck-outcounter,
whichcouldtakeupto1minutes,
exchangingitforaquick,self-controlledprocess.Inthissituation,
kiosksimprovedcustomerserviceby
reducingwaittimes.
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APPENDIX: Further reading
Businessrulesregardinghumaninteractionarestillthesame,however:
Thecustomerisalwaysright;usethe
customer’slanguage;keepworking
untilyoureacharesolution.These
customer-serviceprinciplesmustbe
inpracticewhetherornotkiosksare
present.
Relyingcompletelyonself-service
kiosksisarealdanger,mainlybecausedowntimeisunpredictablebut
alsobecausetherewillalwaysbea
numberofcustomerswhopreferhumaninteractionorwhosimplyhavea
problemthekioskcan’tsolve.
“Travelingaround,Iseealotof
kiosksthatareneverused,”Lynch
said,“[because]thesewerejustput
upwiththeideathatcustomerswould
havemoreaccesstoservice,butthey
stilldon’treplacesomelevelofhumaninteraction....Isn’titinteresting
thatairportsarefullofcheck-inkiosks,butstillhavetheretiredgentlemansittingataninformationcounter
tohelpguidevisitorsaroundtown?”
Myth #5: If you build it, they will
come
Notallcustomersnaturallygravitate
toself-servicetheinstantit’savailable.Incorporatingself-serviceinto
abusinessrequiresthatemployees
provideacertainamountofhandholdingforcustomers.
“Youcan’tploptechnologyinastore
justforthesakeofhavingtechnol-
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ogy,”saidBrianArdinger,seniorvice
president and chief marketing officer
forkiosksoftwaredeveloperNanonation.
EvenATMsdidn’tcatchonrightaway.
MostpeoplefoundoutabouttheadvantagesofATMswhentheymadeit
to the bank five minutes after closing
timeandwereforcedtousethem.
AlamoRent-a-Cardoesn’tplanto
waitforcustomerstonoticeitskiosks.
Arecentadcampaignfeaturescarrentalcustomers“Al”(abeaver)and
“Mo”(abuffalo).Inthecommercials,
thebeaver,thesmarterofthetwo,
triestoconvincethebuffalotomaster
his“herdinstinct,”getoutoflineand
usethekiosk.
Companieswhodon’thavethe
budgetforanationaladvertising
campaignstillcanpromotetheirkiosk
programs.Oneofthemosteffective
methodsofintroducingpeopletoselfserviceistohaveanattendanton
hand to walk people through their first
interaction.
Forakiosktotakeoffinpopularity,
notonlymustitbereliableandeasy
to find, but people must recognize the
advantagethekioskwillbringthem.
Aneffectivesignagesolutiondraws
attentiontothemachineandgives
deployersachancetonotifycustomersofitspurpose.Thesignagedoes
nothavetobedigital,butahow-to
videoisagreatwaytointroducea
kiosktocustomers.
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APPENDIX: Further reading
“Anattractloopcanhelpagreat
deal,”Mendelsohnsaid.“Peoplehave
toknowwhatthekioskisallabout
before they will lay a finger on it. They
arenotasadventurousasyouthink.”
Myth #6: Kiosks guarantee upsell
Theupsell.Oncereservedfortactful
salesassociates,nowmachinesask:
“Doyouwantfrieswiththat?”
Kiosksarebeginningtoshowa
strongerpresenceinthequick-serve
restaurantsectorasself-ordering
machines.Acommonmisconception
amongdeployersisthatthesekiosks
willresultinmorerevenuebecause
theyupselleachtransaction,unerringlypushingmoreofthosevalue
mealswitheveryorder.
“Justbecauseyouhaveakioskaskingthequestiondoesn’tmeanyou
willseeanincreasefromit,”said
StephenGregorie,vicepresidentof
marketingandcustomerexperience
forPro-Tech.“Youcan’tplugina
kioskandexpectmagic;thosewho
believethatandactontheassumptionareoftendisappointed.”
ForQSRsandanyretailkioskdeployment,theartoftheupsellstillmust
includeapersonalizedapproachto
salesthatinformscustomersofthe
valuetheycanreceive.Forakiosk,
itsabilitytoremembercustomersand
offer specific suggestions can help
upselling.
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“Whethertheupsellisacceptedornot
isapersonaldecision,”Snydersaid.
“Withaperson,thecashierdoingthe
upsellcanreacttothecustomer’s
acceptancelevelandthenvaryhis
approach.”
Myth #7: Kiosks are plug, play and
forget
Akioskisacomputerinabox.True,
itismadefor2/7operability,butjust
likeaPC,thekiosk’sinternalCPUis
subjecttolock-ups.Onceinstalled,
kiosksrequireregularattentionand
maintenancefromthedeployer.
“Sometimes,vendorsareguiltyof
settingunfairexpectationsforkiosk
reliability,”saidFrost&Sullivan’s
Connell.
Ingeneral,kiosksaremadeverywell.
Mostoften,downtimeiscausedwhen
expendables—suchaspaperand
ink—runout.Withtransactionalkiosks,itiscommontohavetoomuch
moneyinthemachine,inwhichcase
itwilljambecauseitcan’taccept
anymore.
Itisimportanttohaveamaintenance
planinplacesoyourkioskprinter
cancontinueprintinganditscassette
cancontinueacceptingmoney.When
devisingaplan,startwiththelowest
commondenominator.Whatisthe
weakestlink?Itmaybetheprinter,
themoneycassetteortheCPU.
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APPENDIX: Further reading
Themaintenanceplanreliesonhavingemployeescapableofsimple
maintenance,suchasaddingpaper
orinkorremovingmoney.Ifitisa
more serious problem, employees fill
thekiosk’srole,whetheritisaservice
ortransaction.
Nanonation’sArdingerreminds
deployersthatkiosksoftwarealso
needsmaintenance.“Sincethekiosk
ispartoftheenvironmentofthe
store,deployershavetomakesure
thecontentisup-to-dateandconsistentwiththebranding,”hesaid.“You
havetogivecustomersareasonto
keepcomingback.”
A guide from Kiosk Marketplace
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Self-Service Check-in at Hotels and Motels
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Sponsored by IBM Corporation