Located inside Grand Canyon National Park near the South Rim, Yavapai Lodge’s 358 rooms are spread across six buildings. Each afternoon, nearly every arriving guest checks in during the same one-hour window so they can settle into their rooms before heading out to watch the Canyon’s iconic sunsets.
This consolidated afternoon rush led to long lobby lines, frustrated travelers and put pressure on front desk staff. To speed up arrivals, Yavapai Lodge operator Delaware North implemented four of Canary's Self-Service Kiosks alongside AI Guest Messaging. We spoke with Assistant General Manager Jeff Fortin to learn how operations have changed.
The Yavapai management team knew that getting guests checked in before sunset was a challenge. Their first solution was to staff more check-in desks, but on the busiest days, more desks still wasn’t enough. With Canary's Self-Service Kiosks, two team members can now assist up to five guests simultaneously, dramatically increasing efficiency.
"Our number one complaint was that it regularly took guests 30 minutes just to get to the check-in counter,” Jeff said. “It would even come up in our public reviews. The kiosks fixed that, and our speed of service has increased tenfold. I haven’t gotten a single complaint about waits since then."
Long waits used to cost Yavapai twice: once in guest frustration, and again in the breakfast vouchers and room discounts agents offered to smooth things over. Since switching to Canary, that spending has stopped entirely.
“Over the course of a year, those meal vouchers and discounts really add up,” Jeff said. “Now we don’t have to compensate for wait times at all.”
Because the property is so remote, unreliable in-room phone lines often forced guests to visit reception for routine requests. Canary's AI Guest Messaging eliminates that friction. Guests communicate with the front desk instantly through text or WhatsApp in their preferred language, while staff can send hotel-wide alerts in seconds when sudden weather hazards or other important updates arise.
"Being able to text guests has been a game changer,” Jeff said. “We used to get so many calls — and that was if the phones were working. Now guests can text us with questions, and we can easily message out any property-wide updates.”
When exploring a kiosk solution, Delaware North was intentional about providing a self-service option for guests while maintaining in-person hospitality from Yavapai staff. Team members are staffed in the lobby to answer questions, guide guests through the kiosk process and provide assistance as needed. As a result, the lobby has a welcoming environment that’s less stressful for travelers and for the team.
“Now our staff actually has the opportunity to do what they love: provide great hospitality,” Jeff said. “They’re much happier, there’s less stress, and it’s reduced our turnover too.”
