What time is checkout? What times are the pool open? Do you offer an airport shuttle service?
Answering questions like these is a major part of a hotel front desk staffer’s day. And, with multiple communication options like texting, email and social media, it’s harder than ever to keep track of it all.
So, what if there was a simpler way to handle it?
A unified inbox for guest messaging may be the solution your hotel needs. Keeping all guest communication in one place—no matter the source—streamlines communication management for staff and lets guests converse in the way they prefer.
It’s easy to forget that real-time guest communication hasn’t always been the norm. Before the internet, guests had two main options: picking up the phone or heading straight to the front desk. With the rise of email—first through slow dial-up and later with faster connections—communication started to speed up.
Now there are more ways than ever for guests to initiate conversation, including:
This variety of options is great for guest satisfaction. Allowing travelers to contact your hotel through their preferred channel enhances their experience and showcases your commitment to meeting their needs. But it isn’t without its challenges, too.
With a great number of channels comes great responsibility. After all, if they aren’t properly managed, it can create communication bottlenecks and even lead to miscommunication.
Here are some common pain points that come with multichannel communication:
Every hotel staffer aims to provide the best guest experience possible, but there’s always a risk of miscommunication. Here’s an example of how segmented inboxes can make a communication breakdown more likely:
This example is a worst-case scenario—but it is illustrative of how things can easily slip through the cracks without an organized communication process.
A unified inbox is designed to alleviate the difficulties that often come with multichannel guest communication. Unified inboxes for hotels channel all guest messages into one unified view across multiple channels. So, even if a guest jumps from messaging through an OTA to texting your team, hotel staff can see it all in the same place.
See it in action—schedule a demo today. →
Keeping your communication channels organized is one of the best ways to be proactive about preventing miscommunication. Here are four key benefits of a unified inbox:
1. Streamline staff workflows: Staff no longer need to log in and out of different messaging accounts to manage guest communications. With all your hotel’s accounts connected, they can avoid switching between multiple apps and OTAs every day.
2. Enhance conversational context: Because all message threads can be viewed at a glance, any staff member can gain context into previous conversations and provide consistent, high-quality guest service at all times.
3. Automate guest messages: Automating and scheduling messages gives you the ability to communicate key information to guests without lifting a finger. Messaging templates also make it easier to answer commonly asked questions with a few clicks.
4. Elevate the guest experience: Implementing a unified inbox makes it easier for your hotel to maintain multiple communication channels so guests can always message in the way that’s most convenient for them.
Unifying inboxes is a strong first step toward more efficient guest communication management, but forward-thinking hoteliers are going even further by introducing AI-powered guest communication solutions.
All signs point to AI as the newest frontier in the hospitality industry, and guests are on board with this change—over half of them already feel that AI technology improves their experience! Hoteliers agree too: 73% believe AI will have a significant or transformative impact on the industry.
Integrating AI into your guest messaging platform can transform how your hotel interacts with guests for the better. Here’s how:
Implementing a unified inbox is a game-changer for managing guest communication, but not all platforms are created equal. To ensure you choose the best solution for your hotel, here are some key features to look for:
1. Centralizes All Channels Look for a platform that integrates every communication channel your guests use, including text messages, OTA messaging, WhatsApp and website chatbots. This ensures that no message gets overlooked, no matter the source.
2. Seamless PMS Integration A great unified inbox should connect directly with your property management system (PMS) to match guest inquiries with their reservations. This streamlines service requests and ensures accurate communication.
3. Supports Automation and AI Choose a provider that incorporates AI capabilities for automated responses to guest queries, proactive upselling and multilingual support.
4. Customizable Messaging Your unified inbox should allow you to create templates and automated responses that align with your brand voice so every interaction feels personalized and professional.
5. Robust Analytics and Reporting
Look for a platform that provides insights into messaging trends, response times and guest satisfaction. These metrics can help you identify areas for improvement and demonstrate the impact of your communication strategy.
6. Enhances the Guest Journey
Choose a provider that extends beyond basic messaging to deliver solutions for every stage of the guest journey. Features like Mobile Check-In, Smart Checkout and Dynamic Upsells ensure a seamless, connected and convenient experience from start to finish.
By focusing on these features, you’ll find a unified inbox provider that enhances your team’s efficiency, simplifies guest communication and delivers the exceptional experience your guests expect.
Is your hotel ready to upgrade its communication strategy? Setting up a unified inbox for your staff — especially one powered by AI — takes guest messaging to the next level and provides a consistently exceptional experience for every traveler. If you’d like to learn more about Canary’s guest messaging capabilities, schedule a demo today!
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