HiJiffy

The hotel industry has proven to be resilient despite the challenges it had to overcome during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the industry has recovered from the effects of the crisis, the shortage of skilled workers remains an intractable problem that continues to affect many hotels.  This article takes a closer look at how the staffing shortage affects the front office and reception, the associated challenges, and how hotels can address those challenges. After all, reception is not only the first point of contact for guests but also an important part of the guest experience that contributes significantly to their satisfaction. How to extend a warm welcome to guests at your hotel even when you are experiencing a shortage of staff Despite staff shortages, it is essential that guests receive a warm welcome at your hotel. Reception is central to the guest experience as it is the first point of contact. Not only does it deal with check-ins and check-outs, but it also offers personal attention by answering guest inquiries and solving problems. Friendly and efficient service is crucial to making sure guests feel comfortable and valued from the moment they arrive until they leave. The front desk faces significant challenges due to staff shortages, which can affect the team as well as guest satisfaction. Given the mounting difficulty of attracting qualified personnel, AI technology offers a promising, supportive solution that increases efficiency. What challenges does a hotel reception face? A hotel’s front desk is confronted with many and varied challenges that can have a significant impact on the guest experience and team efficiency, such as Extended waiting times: if there are not enough staff available, there may be longer wait times when checking in and out. This can lead to dissatisfaction and frustration among guests. Decreased quality of service: an overworked reception team can struggle to maintain high standards of service. This can lead to an overall deterioration in the quality of service, including slower responses to guest inquiries and complaints. Language barriers: in an international hotel environment, the lack of multilingual staff can lead to communication problems, especially if the available staff do not speak the languages of the guests. Delays in resolving issues: Staffing shortages can lead to guest complaints and issues not being resolved in a timely or effective manner, which in turn can affect guest satisfaction. Susceptibility to errors: staff shortages often affect the accuracy and care with which tasks are performed. This can lead to errors in bookings, billing, and other administrative tasks. These challenges can significantly impact a hotel’s guest experience and reputation. However, technologies such as AI and automation can help alleviate some of these problems by automating standard processes and deploying the remaining staff more efficiently. How AI can effectively solve challenges caused by staff shortages at hotel receptions. As digitalisation and the use of AI advances, new opportunities are opening up to improve guest service while addressing staffing shortages. Efficient online check-in and check-out  Implementing online forms for pre-registration and check-out allows guests to provide their details in advance, significantly reducing waiting times at reception. The HiJiffy solution uses WhatsApp to automate these processes, with about 60% of check-ins being handled digitally, significantly reducing queues. 24/7 contact with AI AI-supported systems can provide a contact for guests around the clock. Even in the event of staff shortages, this ensures that guest requests are received and processed at all times, ensuring a continuous and high-quality guest experience. Language barrier lifted Language barriers are a major challenge at the front desk, where clear communication is vital. AI-powered technologies such as HiJiffy’s digital concierge, which is available in over 130 languages, make it much easier to interact with international guests. Automated upselling and cross-selling Automated campaigns allow the digital concierge to offer additional services to guests during their stay. The virtual concierge not only supports the booking of additional services but also offers personalised recommendations, which helps to increase sales. Automated complaint handling and satisfaction surveys  AI-powered chatbots automatically detect guest complaints and forward them to the right person for quick resolution. Additionally, satisfaction surveys can be sent automatically during the stay to collect direct feedback and continuously improve the quality of service. Integrating AI into the front office not only provides an effective solution to staff shortages, but also increases customer satisfaction by automating repetitive tasks and reducing the burden on employees. This allows your team members to focus on what matters most to create an outstanding guest experience. By using AI technologies, your hotel can not only overcome operational challenges but also sustainably improve service quality and stand out from the competition. About to roll out AI tools at your hotel? HiJiffy’s conversational AI as the key to overcoming staffing shortages If your hotel is currently facing staff shortages at the front desk, using AI technologies offers a promising solution. These innovative tools not only improve communication and customer service, but also reduce your staff’s workload by taking on repetitive tasks and handling guest inquiries efficiently. The integration of HiJiffy’s conversational AI increases efficiency and allows staff to focus on delivering a first-class guest experience. Investing in AI-powered solutions is, therefore, not only a response to current challenges but also a strategic decision for the future of your hotel. More articles on this topic:

Have you ever feared that artificial intelligence (AI) could replace your job? Or heard your hotel teams raising such concerns? This article shows how AI can be used in hospitality as a tool to spend more time on the real purpose of your work and be better organised – not to replace humans. Achieving greater efficiency with AI Integrating AI into hotels introduces a complex dynamic that impacts work results and the employees’ experience. By implementing such technology, certain tasks previously carried out by humans are automated, which not only has the potential to increase efficiency but also to improve the quality of work output. Many workers in the hotel industry, who spend a great deal of their time on repetitive tasks such as answering similar questions over email, social media and phone calls, will be relieved by the use of AI. However, this also requires hotel staff to adapt and develop their skills and competencies in order to be able to work effectively with new AI-powered systems.  The future of the hotel industry lies in the harmonious integration of technology and human expertise, with both sides complementing each other to ensure the highest standards of guest service. To better illustrate this collaboration in practice, it is crucial to look closely at what benefits AI can offer in addition to what your staff are offering. The digital concierge: Use staff resources effectively Using a digital concierge, such as a chatbot that processes guest enquiries autonomously around the clock, not only represents a better use of resources but also increases guest satisfaction and loyalty by responding quickly and accurately to their requests. This functionality extends beyond hotel websites to popular social media channels making the service even more accessible to potential guests. In the 2023 summer season (June to August), HiJiffy’s AI processed 1,707,204 conversations. This enormous number of interactions would otherwise have been processed individually and manually by hotel staff, using up time and resources.  The use of AI therefore makes a decisive contribution to finding the balance between dealing with tasks efficiently and excellent customer service. This technology-supported increase in productivity can also take the pressure off staff during stressful periods such as the peak season. Increase sales and improve the guest experience Planning the perfect holiday can be a challenge, especially when potential guests are confronted with information overload. Answering their questions quickly and in detail can make the difference between a successful booking and a missed opportunity. Artificial Intelligence plays a crucial role in this context, not only by answering enquiries promptly but also by recognising and responding to individual needs. By providing a seamless direct booking process supported by AI, hotels not only improve their guest experience but also significantly increase their revenue. In addition, the use of AI in the hotel industry opens up new opportunities for personalised marketing campaigns, which leads to greater guest loyalty. Automated welcome messages that contain targeted offers for upselling or cross-selling can increase the value of every booking. At the same time, integrating guests into loyalty programmes through AI enables greater loyalty and encourages repeat visits. Data for personalisation: Foreseeing guests’ needs and wishes AI offers the opportunity to process data faster and recognise patterns that humans may overlook. It can help to analyse the behaviour and preferences of guests and offer tailored recommendations and services. Thanks to storing considerable amounts of your guests’ data, you can create a more personalised guest journey and fulfil wishes that have not even been expressed yet. But ultimately it is the staff who deliver these personalised experiences with warmth and personal attention. In a study by Oracle which forecasts the hotel business up to 2025, 47% of consumers stated that AI-supported promotions based on previous purchases would improve their shopping experience. However, when using this data, it is crucial to protect data privacy and ensure that the data is used responsibly. At HiJiffy, data protection and security are of paramount importance. We ensure the secure transmission of confidential data to provide your guests with a protected online experience. A fast service to guests means they are more satisfied Another study by Oracle Hospitality highlights that 74% of hotel guests favour the use of technology to speed up service delivery. By using AI, check-in and check-out processes can be automated, which leads to a noticeable reduction in waiting times at reception. In addition, many travellers prefer this type of contactless service. Another important aspect is social anxiety or so-called “telephone phobia”, where guests may hesitate to call reception to order something for their room. In such cases, a quick text to a chatbot could make these guests feel much more at ease, and they get a positive experience that they are more likely to remember. AI can also improve the satisfaction of your hotel staff. Studies have shown that AI and related technologies have positive effects, such as increasing the work performance of employees and productivity. This also increases job satisfaction and motivation.  Automation of feedback and reviews Feedback and reviews play a decisive role in travellers’ booking decisions. As many as 81% of guests regularly read reviews before choosing accommodation. This figure underlines the importance of guest feedback as a key factor in the decision-making process. It emphasises how essential it is for hotels to create positive experiences and actively collect and manage reviews. By using AI, hotels can make this process more efficient by sending automated WhatsApp messages with feedback campaigns. Guest reviews and satisfaction surveys can be sent during and at the end of the stay to obtain reviews for internal monitoring or external platforms such as TripAdvisor or Google.  Overcoming language barriers for effective guest communication Language barriers pose a challenge for international travellers who need help communicating in English or the local language. Uncertainty about whether information has been understood correctly often leads to repeated queries. Communicating in the guest’s native language would simplify many things. However, it is unrealistic to expect hotel employees to be able to communicate fluently in all languages. Here, the use of AI-supported translation tools offers a practical solution by enabling immediate and accurate translation, thus facilitating communication with guests from all over the world. A solution that supports you and your staff. The strategic use of artificial intelligence to complement human skills enables close collaboration. The ethical and transparent use of AI can bring significant benefits to your hotel without replacing people. Instead, it aims to take over repetitive and monotonous tasks in order to give employees more room to be creative and offer more personal interaction. At a time when guests’ expectations are constantly growing, the targeted use of AI technologies represents an indispensable competitive advantage. HiJiffy’s Guest Communications Hub perfectly embodies the philosophy of optimising the use of AI in the hotel industry. This tool was developed to support hoteliers in coping with repetitive tasks and offers various advantages through the use of conversational AI. The platform can increase direct bookings, send out campaigns, make check-in processes more efficient and save time by reducing incoming enquiries. This allows hotel staff to concentrate on more important tasks, such as personalising the guest experience and creating a unique experience.

In this Product Highlight series, we take a closer look at the various features and functionalities of the Console, the interface of our Guest Communications Hub. This is a practical approach that shows you how easy it is to optimise communication with your guests using our conversational artificial intelligence. In this article, we explore the AI Text Refinement feature. Where can you find it in the Console? If you go to the Inbox tab, you will find a magic wand icon on the right side of the bar where you normally write your messages. By clicking on this button, you’ll be able to choose one of the options available to refine your communication. A natural and correct translation Professionals in the hospitality industry usually speak at least two or three languages. But in an increasingly globalised world with a growing number of communications channels, it is impossible to demand that your team is fluent in all the languages there are. This is no longer an impossible feat. With our new AI-powered tool, it is possible to translate your messages. With just one click, your staff will be able to answer correctly and naturally sounding in languages currently including English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German and Italian. Avoid losing a potential booking due to a poor translation or inability to understand a message in a foreign language. Say goodbye to grammar mistakes Even if you are fluent in the language but have doubts about an accent or verb conjugation, it’s possible to click on the Check Grammar option and make sure your message is 100% correct before it reaches the guest. The less common the language of the guest with whom you are communicating, the easier it is to make mistakes. Unless you use this advanced AI functionality, of course. Tone up the quality of your messages To communicate most efficiently with your guests, you need to adapt your language and tone of voice according to their travel intention, demographic, and the channel through which they reached you. Now, with the Change Tone functionality, your reception or reservations teams can choose whether they want to use an informal, professional, empathetic or even informative tone. Personalising your messages is now even more accessible and quicker to customise. Raise the quality of your communication With so many interactions we sometimes have with our guests, it is easy to become repetitive in answering them and providing information. It used to be difficult to find the time (and even the patience) to be innovative with your writing style. But with the “Rewrite” option, this has become a quick and automatic solution that will allow your teams to offer your guests an original, interesting and more human way of communicating. More direct messages? Or more complete information? You decide! Often, guests are given too much information about the different services hotels offer. Now, you can shorten your messages so that your guest receives only the most relevant information in a form summarised to their needs. However, the opposite is also possible. You can also expand your information without having to invest extra time in the process. It comes particularly useful when you don’t have the time to write longer messages, but want to offer a more comprehensive answers. Automatic messages: the basis of your automated interactions Take advantage of all the messages you create for your interactions with your guests, save them and send them whenever you need to. This tool aims to optimise your processes and save you time on the most repetitive tasks, making automatic messages an excellent tool. The good news is that you can also create messages that both you and your colleagues can use, thus avoiding duplication of effort. Or, if you prefer to write and send messages in a personalised way, you can do so in your private tab. Need assistance with making the most of the AI Text Refinement feature? Browse our Help Center and access over 200 articles exploring the practical side of using the Guest Communications Hub. From onboarding videos to step-by-step guides to troubleshooting, it packs valuable information available to you instantly at any time. If you need further assistance with making the most of your solution, reach out to your Customer Success representative.

In the Product Highlight series, we have a closer look at various features and functionalities of the Console, the interface of our Guest Communications Hub. It’s a practical take illustrating how easy it is to improve your guest journey with the support of our conversational AI. This product highlight focuses on the sentiment analysis feature. What does sentiment analysis offer? This innovative feature gives the Console user an overview of the dominant sentiment expressed in conversations, associating emotions with every interaction with your guest or potential guest. Aplysia analyses a sample of dialogues and, based on key indicators, classifies each conversation with a Happy or Unhappy sentiment This artificial intelligence tool is essential to help you and your team prioritise guest conversations, transforming every interaction into an opportunity to improve your communication and guest satisfaction. Imagine that you have an emotionally intelligent assistant that improves prioritising your communications and makes them more effective! Where can I find sentiment analysis in the console? This function can be found in the Inbox of your HiJiffy Console, where you can filter conversations by sentiment analysis. How does it really help me? The chatbot is able to discern the sentiment of guests in certain messages they send. Are they happy or frustrated? The chatbot will tell you when the conversation is transferred to the console with two types of sentiment: A: A sense of dissatisfaction (Unhappy) B: A sense of satisfaction (Happy) This analysis will help you to make more informed decisions, as well as prioritise and personalise your customer service. HiJiffy’s sentiment analysis, available in the Console, is a revolutionary tool that provides deep insight and effective control over guest interactions. Its ability to classify emotions and feelings transforms the way we interact and respond to guests’ needs, from reception to hotel management. Now, conversations have become a valuable source of information and an opportunity to continuously improve the guest experience, which in turn drives operational efficiency, guest satisfaction and, of course, the success of your hotel. Need assistance with making the most of the Sentiment Analysis? Browse our Help Center and access over 200 articles exploring the practical side of using the Guest Communications Hub. From onboarding videos to step-by-step guides to troubleshooting, it packs valuable information available to you instantly at any time. If you need further assistance with making the most of your solution, reach out to your Customer Success representative.

The problem is not new: nothing annoys hotel guests more than having to wait at reception. Whether it’s to check in on arrival or to get information during their stay, queuing at the front desk is an unpleasant experience that can quickly have a negative impact on your hotel’s reputation. And the shortage of staff in the hotel industry (estimated at 1.2 million hospitality workers in 2022 by the European Travel Commission) doesn’t help matters. Fortunately, there are technological solutions that can help you reduce queues at the reception, supporting both your guests and staff.So, how do you clear the endless queues at your hotel reception and make sure your guests leave with a smile? Here are a few ideas.1. Offer online check-in and check-outAccording to a study conducted by Coach Omnium, a French firm specialising in consultancy and marketing and economic studies for the hotel industry, 53% of hotel guests are irritated by the time wasted on arrival and departure. That’s understandable. After a long journey, no one wants to have their patience tested by waiting in line at the hotel reception. Whether you want to rest in your room or drop off your suitcases before going to explore the city, check-in should be as simple as it is fast. And similarly, at the end of the stay, travellers are often in a hurry, with tight schedules to meet for their return flight or train, and certainly don’t want to waste time queuing to check out. What’s the solution? Offer online check-in and check-out! How does it work? All you need to do is to send an online pre-registration form to your guests.  They can then enter all their personal information directly on the form before they arrive. Once they arrive, they won’t need to do this again, which means less time spent at the front desk. The same applies to checking out. All you have to do is send an online check-out form, and that’s it. But you still have to remember to send these forms in advance of the guest’s arrival. HiJiffy’s solution automates the sending of pre-check-in and check-out forms via WhatsApp, thanks to integration with your PMS. No more worries! This AI-powered solution takes care of it for you, saving time and work for your hotel teams. With an opening rate of more than 80% on WhatsApp, this allows hotels to digitise around 6 out of 10 check-ins, which significantly reduces queues at reception when guests arrive.2. Offer a digital keyBut, even if your guests manage to self-check in via a pre-check-in form sent before their arrival, don’t they still need to go to the front desk to pick up their key? Not necessarily, because it is also possible to offer digital keys, thus avoiding any visit to the front desk when guests arrive or leave. What is a digital key? As the name suggests, it is a digital key that allows guests to access their room without the need for a physical key. Instead of using a magnetic card or any other type of key, hotel guests open the door to their room using their smartphone or mobile app.With HiJiffy’s Guest Communication Hub, you can combine the automatic sending of the pre-registration form with a digital key. And just like that, no need to wait in line at your hotel’s reception. 3. Offer self-check-in terminalsIn the same vein, another way to avoid queues at reception by automating check-in and check-out is to offer automatic check-in terminals. Unlike with online check-in, here, guests check in on-site but do not need to be assisted by your reception staff. How? They can check in themselves on arrival by entering their personal details directly in the terminal. They will be then assigned a room and a key without the need for them to go to the front desk.The same goes for check-out. They can pay their bill and put their key back in the terminal, thus avoiding queues at reception. 4. Engage a virtual concierge Waiting at the front desk doesn’t only happen at the time of arrival and departure. During their stay, guests may have questions, want to book other services in your hotel or ask for local recommendations. That’s when a virtual concierge can turn out to be a handy support to your staff. But what is it? A virtual concierge is an AI-powered technology that helps assist hotel guests by handling their requests. In other words, it allows guests to get answers to their questions completely digitally without having to go to the front desk. Need to ask what time breakfast is served or book a table in the hotel restaurant? No problem! Guest requests and queries are processed automatically at any time of the day or night. The HiJiffy in-stay solution is available 24/7 in over 130 languages. Say goodbye to front desk queues! This applies not only to on-site guests but also to future guests who want to get information over the phone. HiJiffy’s conversational AI automatically resolves more than 85% of questions, significantly decreasing the number of incoming calls. Lake District Hotels, a group of family-run hotels in England, implemented HiJiffy’s solution and observed a decrease in incoming calls by 70% while increasing its direct bookings. Yes, having a virtual concierge will not only allow you to reduce the waiting times at the front desk but also increase your revenue.5. Offer a dedicated queue to customers who are members of the loyalty programmeFinally, another way to minimise the queue at the front desk of your hotel is to set up a dedicated queue for guests who are members of the loyalty programme. This makes it possible to better manage the flow of customers at the front desk while offering a personalised service for loyal customers. Offering a dedicated queue for loyalty programme members can also give you a competitive advantage. It incentivises more guests to choose your hotel over the competition, and, at the same time, it encourages guests who are not members of your loyalty programme to join. ———–By applying these tips, you can put an end to long queues at the reception and, above all, ensure your guests arrive and leave your hotel with a smile (and hopefully leave a glowing review!).

Ask any of your hotel teams dealing with incoming queries, and you’ll quickly realise how hot of a topic it is in the industry. The volume of work keeps on increasing due to peak demand, opening up new communication channels to meet guests’ expectations, and having fewer team members available to manage it all due to staff shortages in hospitality.In this article, you’ll find answers to some burning questions:Why do prospective guests have so many questions about their stay?What matters the most in guest communications? What gets in the way?Why is conversational AI so beneficial to hotels?And finally:What are the most common questions asked by travellers and hotel guests?We decided to share our data about the most common topics that show up in hotel guest questions from the summer of 2023, to help your teams review and improve information about your hotel and be better prepared for the next peak season. If they ever need support answering all the queries, our solution is here to help.At HiJiffy, we work towards the mission of developing the most advanced conversational AI for hospitality. Over 1,800 hotels in 50+ countries around the globe use our Guest Communications Hub to automate responding to incoming queries across the entire guest journey, 24/7, in 130+ languages, and across the most popular social media platforms and messaging apps.Now, let’s dive into exploring the most common guest questions in a hotel:The volume of queries from guests and travellers can be overwhelming for your hotel teams such as Reservations of Front Desk. To illustrate this with data, HiJiffy’s AI engaged in 1,707,204 conversations in the summer season of 2023 alone (June-August). You may wonder, considering your marketing team puts so much effort into providing information about the hotel on the website and distribution channels: why are there still so many incoming questions? Here are some of the most common reasons:Information overload (or gaps). Hotel websites can be cluttered with information or visually overwhelming, making it difficult for visitors to find specific details they are interested in. If they cannot identify it quickly and easily, they are likely to send their questions directly through available hotel communication channels, or seek it on the OTAs platforms. Alternatively, the information they seek may simply not be available on the website.Clarity and reassurance. Even though the information might have been found by a prospective guest, they may want to double-check its accuracy, especially if the details are critical to their stay. Speaking directly to a hotel representative or having confirmation about some policies in writing can provide the necessary reassurance and build trust towards your brand.Language barriers. For international travellers, English might not be their first language. They may doubt their own understanding of the information and seek an opportunity to have the questions answered in their native language or ask as many supplementary questions in English as they need to feel confident they understood it correctly.Unique queries and special requests. Guests often may have questions that require a personal approach and case-to-case considerations, be it a late check-in, organising special events, or arranging a surprise for their companion.Change of plans. After the booking, guests may need to modify or even cancel their reservation. While your hotel may have clear policies and procedures published on the hotel website or stated in a confirmation email, guests may want reassurance that the changes are possible or try to avoid the necessity to pay extra fees due to their circumstances. They could also need more information or advice on some logistics.Promotions and offers. Many of the guests’ questions are related to ongoing promotions, package deals, or loyalty programs. Travellers want to be sure they are getting the most available benefits and the best value for their money.Technological barriers. Although increasingly more people are technologically savvy, some travellers may require assistance with some processes, such as booking a stay online.Feedback and complaints. Following their stay, some guests may want to provide feedback about their experience, especially when it didn’t match their expectations. Processing and answering such queries is crucial to improving customer satisfaction, hotel reputation and client retention.Local recommendations. As hotels are commonly seen as local experts, they may receive questions from upcoming guests regarding nearby attractions, restaurants, transportation and other tips.Responding to incoming queries is of key importance in any customer-oriented service, but the impact is even greater in hospitality, which prides itself on the quality of customer service and care towards the (prospective) guests. What matters the most: Gold standards in hotel communicationsThere is a long list of critical factors that have an impact on the perception of the quality of this service, but these five are essential:Response time. Replying to the incoming query in the shortest possible time shows a high level of attentiveness and increases the likelihood of continuing the conversation, which in turn may lead to a boost in customer satisfaction and increased booking conversions.Accuracy and clarity. Always providing information that is correct, verified, and communicated in a way that is easy to understand, regardless of the language used.Personalisation. Addressing guests by their names and referring to specific details of their queries to show attentiveness.Helpfulness and professionalism. Showing goodwill and a problem-solving attitude, and using inclusive and friendly language when approached with any issues.Consistency across all channels. Having an exhaustive knowledge base or a guide for your teams in place to ensure guests receive the same answers regardless of the channel they use to communicate with your hotel.What gets in the way: The most common obstacle in answering guest questionsOn the flip side, there’s a list of key challenges (many of them amplifying one another) that can get in the way of achieving excellence in all the aforementioned areas:Volume of queries. As a customer-centric industry, there is a particularly high volume of incoming enquiries, especially during peak seasons.Multichannel communications. More platforms give more visibility and open new opportunities, but every new channel brings in more incoming messages needing attention.Language barriers. Not all guests will communicate in a local language, or commonly spoken languages like English, and having all language skills available in your teams is difficult.Staff shortages. In Europe alone, there is a 1.2 million hospitality staff shortage, having a significant negative impact on the challenges listed above.Knowledge gaps. Creating and maintaining an up-to-date pool of information about the hotel and all its services, available at all times to your staff, is a time-consuming task.In the last few years, the hospitality industry saw the arrival of conversational AI being used to enhance the capabilities of standard chatbots with features like sentiment analysis, self-learning, voice assistance, or generative AI (like GPT-4). To call it the emergence of a new era of guest communications would not be an exaggeration.Appreciated by guestsUsing a lot of smart technology in their everyday life, guests show a positive attitude towards – or even preference for – interacting with it while staying at hotels. A study by Oracle from 2022 showed that 67% of travellers are interested in staying at hotels that use AI to deliver personalised service. The same research indicated that 36% of hotel guests would opt for a fully contactless, digital service with hotel staff available only on request.Needed by staffTravellers’ fondness for AI is good news, considering the significant staff shortages of 1.2 million in the hospitality sector alone, as announced by the European Travel Commission in 2022. The organisation advised the industry to address this challenge with a strategic solution of integrating AI technologies to support reservation and reception teams. Insights from the usage of HiJiffy’s Guest Communications Hub reveal that hotels using conversational AI optimised for the hospitality sector achieve impressive automation rates. On average, over 85% of incoming queries are autonomously resolved to guests’ satisfaction. Additionally, for the remaining 15% of queries that demand human input, the AI seamlessly transfers guests to the relevant hotel team. This approach ensures that staff members intervene only when their attention is essential, enabling efficient management of guest interactions. Overall, the solution presents a great opportunity for hotels to reduce the volume of work for their teams while maintaining, or even improving their customer service level.Benefits of implementing conversational AI in guest communicationsThe key benefits of using an AI-powered chatbot solution in the context of automating processing and resolving guest queries include:Improved response times and 24/7 availabilityProviding multilingual supportEnhanced guest engagement and satisfactionOptimised staff resources and time allocationData-driven insights for continuous improvementGathering actionable insights from guest interactionsAdapting AI responses based on guest feedbackAutomating processes and facilitating online interactionsBeyond responding to queries, this advanced solution can increase direct bookings, generate more revenue from upselling, boost teamwork, optimise internal communication, and much more by leveraging integrations with other hotel tech solutions.We analysed HiJiffy’s data from the summer of 2023 from over 1,800 hotels across 50+ countries around the world, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of the most burning questions travellers and guests had when contacting hotels. Beyond the most common topics of frequently asked questions (FAQs), we looked more closely at the differences between various communication channels, identified emerging and seasonal trends, and picked a few unusual questions.HiJiffy’s conversational AI has seven years of training in hospitality and specialises in over 200 industry-specific topics, with new ones added continuously.Top 50 FAQs for HotelsCheck-inWhat time is the check-in?Is it possible to request an early check-in?Can I check in online?Bookings managementHow can I manage my booking?I need to update my reservationCan I change my reservation?Meals plansWhat does the all-inclusive include?What’s included in the half board?What is the difference between all-inclusive and half-board?ContactsHow do I contact the hotel by email?Is there a phone number I can call?What is the best contact for the hotel?Transfers, shuttles and car pick-up serviceI need to book a transfer.I need to book a transfer.Do you have an airport shuttle?Can you arrange transportation from the airport?Spa & WellnessDo you have a spa?Where can I see the spa menu and prices?What massages do you offer?ParkingDo you have parking?How much does the parking cost?Is the parking free?Reservations department contactsWhat are the reservation contacts?Who do I contact to make a reservation?What is the phone number for reservations?RestaurantsWhat are the opening hours of the restaurant?Where can I see the menu?What is served at the restaurant?BreakfastWhat is served for breakfast?What are the breakfast hours?How much is the breakfast?Discounts, offers and partnershipsDo you have any special offers?How do I use my promo code?Is there a discount for large families?Check-outWhat is the check-out time?Is there a late check-out option?What time do you have to leave the room?Booking a tableI’d like to book a table at the restaurantWhere do I make a restaurant reservation?I would like to reserve a table for two.Room types and viewsDo you have family rooms?Do the rooms have a balcony?Is there an ocean view or a public pool view from the rooms?Pet policyDo you allow pets?Are you pet-friendly?What’s your pet policy?CancellationWhat is your cancellation policy?I want to cancel a reservation.Is it possible to cancel my booking?Swimming poolDo you have a swimming pool?Are there any swimming pools at the hotel?Is there an outdoor swimming pool?Room amenitiesIs there a fridge in the room?Do the rooms have a hairdryer?Is there air conditioning in the roomLocationWhat is the hotel address?What’s the location of the hotel?Where is the hotel exactly?Children policyFrom what age do children pay?What is your policy regarding children?Until what age is a person considered a child?Payment methods and termsCareersBooking confirmationWiFiBook day use and day visitorsGymBars and loungesAmusement parksKids clubs, playgrounds and entertainmentSpecial requestsGifts and vouchersWeddingsBook amusement parkSpa & Wellness reservationsSwimming pool/beach towels, sun umbrellas, and loungersBed typeSwimming pool opening timesLoyalty programPackagesAccessibilityRoom serviceEvents & Live performancesAbout the propertySwimming pool accessSpa & Wellness menu and pricesGolfDirect bookings and Best ratesMembers area and loginGroup bookingBaby cots, high chairs and strollersDominant categories: What guests want from a hotelLooking at the list, we can distinguish five main categories of FAQs for hotels:Hotel reservations and bookings questionsThis prominent category illustrates how important it is for guests to have clarity on the status of their booking and any changes that can affect it, for example, booking confirmations, group bookings, and cancellations.Questions about hotel amenities and facilitiesThe second main area indicates the guests’ interest in everything the hotel offers and expected service levels, such as breakfast options, swimming pool facilities, gym equipment, and spa menu.Hotel policies and procedures questionsThis group signifies guests’ need to understand their rights and hotel rules, including check-in and check-out times, loyalty programmes, payment methods, and children policy.Questions about hotel services and special offersAdded-value services and promotions that attract guests or improve their guest experience, for example, airport transfers, gift vouchers, packages, and special events.General informationFinally, many topics can fall into this category, from opening hours or facilities to logistics, to finding the right contacts.The most common topics per channelWhile we observed slight differences in the popularity of certain topics across various platforms, it remains clear that you are likely to receive all kinds of questions on each of them. Here are the most common topics of queries segmented by the popular communion channels.The most popular hotel questions on Website chatThough not varying too significantly from the general list of common topics, the website chat appears to have a big volume of enquiries that may impact the booking decisions (pet policy, payment methods and terms, meal plans) and logistical pre-arrival questions (parking, transfers, the location of the hotel). Having immediate responses available to those queries at all times can increase booking conversion and guest satisfaction.Check-inMeal plansParkingTransfers, shuttles and car pick-up serviceBreakfastBookings managementDiscounts, offers and partnershipsContactsRestaurantsSpa & WellnessCheck-outPet policyCancellationLocationBook a tableRoom amenitiesPayment methods and termsBooking a day use and day visitorsRoom types and viewsSwimming poolThe most popular hotel questions on WhatsAppThis most popular messaging app in Europe and South America is a preferred channel for many guests. Aside from the overall alignment with general trends, there were a few topics beyond the pre-stay stage of the guest journey, for example, enquiries about the WiFi (#11), breakfast (#13) and luggage (#15), as well requests to leave a review (#8).Check-inParkingManage BookingsCheck-outContactsChildren policyTransfers, Shuttles and Car pick-up serviceReviewsDiscounts, Offers and PartnershipsCancellationWiFiRoom amenitiesBreakfastGroup bookingLuggagePayment methods and termsBooking a tableRestaurantsSwimming poolLocationThe most popular hotel questions on Facebook MessengerOn the list, there are several enquiries about special amenities, such as restaurants (#1), buffet (#5), casino (#16) or activities for children (#8), but general questions about job opportunities (#2) and discounts (#3) are among the most popular ones.RestaurantsCareersDiscounts, offers and partnershipsContactsBuffetTransfers, shuttles and car pick-up serviceBreakfastKids clubs, playgrounds and entertainmentWeddingsCheck-inBookings managementRoom types and viewsPet policyBooking a day use and day visitorsSwimming poolCasinoSpecial requestsEvents and special occasionsLocationRoom occupancy and extra bedsThe most popular hotel questions on InstagramIt probably doesn’t come as a surprise that the number #1 question asked on this platform is related to influencers. After all, Instagram facilitated the rise of influencer marketing. Primary a visual platform dominated by lifestyle content, it is a fantastic platform to showcase your hotel’s ambience and facilities. From tasteful room decor and breathtaking views (#12 popular FAQ topic on its own) to spa facilities (#18), mouth-watering food served at your restaurant (#10 and #16) or colourful cocktails at the bar (#13). Showcasing a strong visual appeal or your hotel on this platform can also inspire questions about organising live events, weddings and celebrating other special occasions (#8, #14 and #11, respectively). Leverage this interest by having a clear list of services and facilities available for events hire.InfluencersCareersContactsBooking a day use and day visitorsDiscounts, offers and partnershipsLocationCheck-inEvents & Live performancesTransfers, shuttles and car pick-up serviceBreakfastEvents and other special occasionsRoom types and viewsBars and LoungesWeddingsPackagesRestaurantsPayment methods and termsSpa & WellnessMeal plansParkingThe most popular hotel questions on Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)This platform is the most immediate way to ask a hotel a question right from the Google search results or while exploring Google Maps. Logistical questions are popular, from confirming the check-in hours (#1) to car parking and transfers (#4 and #5), but they remain in line with the overall trends in topic popularity.Check-inContactsMeal plansParkingTransfers, Shuttles and Car pick-up serviceManage BookingsBreakfastBook day use and Day visitorsCareersRestaurantsBooking confirmationRoom amenitiesCheck-outPayment methods and termsSpa & WellnessThe most popular hotel questions on WeChatThe robust communication platform showed a significant trend in topics related to COVID-19 (#1, #6), likely due to the predominance of the app’s popularity in China and Southeast Asian countries and local changes related to pandemic-related policies in 2023. Another popular topic different to the overall trends was electricity and voltage (#10), probably common among international travellers outside of Asia.Covid testCheck-inContactsDiscounts, offers and partnershipsGetting thereCOVID-19Connecting and adjoining roomsAirportBookings managementElectricity and voltageRoom types and viewsBars and LoungesCancellationRestaurantsCheck-outHiJiffy’s conversational AI integrates with Facebook, Instagram, WeChat, Google Business Profile, WhatsApp, Line, Telegram, SMS, email, as well as offers its own website live chat widget.Emerging questions from hotel guestsWhile HiJiffy’s conversational AI is specialised in over 200 hospitality-specific topics already, we keep on training it in the new ones whenever we notice an area for development. Some of the latest niche topics we added include:Sports lessonsSafari equipmentKey locksLobbyBicycle parkingArtSuitesGuest showersFemale dormsLockersHouse rulesTipsSeasonal spikes of interestCompared to the previous quarter, we noticed a rise in queries related to the following topics:Swimming pool: beach towels, sun umbrellas and loungersLong-term rentalCampingShoppingCuisineHotel reviewsInfluencersTopics related to water (#1) and outdoor (#3) activities are expected in line with the arrival of summer, perhaps also including a rise of messages from influencers (#7). A boost of requests to leave a review (#6) can also be expected in peak season.Guest can also be seen to more often ask about local food and beverage recommendations (#5) and the best places to shop (#4). Interestingly, there was a spike in interest in long-term rentals (#2), which could be associated with the increase in mobility and remote work; however, it remains a subject for another research.Unusual and weird questions hotel guests askEvery guest-facing team has a few good anecdotes about the most unusual and odd guest queries they received, and so does our conversational AI:“Can you make sure my room number is odd?“Can I bring my own sheets and pillow?”“Brought 2 dogs weighing less than 7kg. What do you think?”“Can I bring my exotic pet?”“Are small hands allowed?”“Can you remove the bed frame and just keep the mattress?Whenever our conversational AI cannot successfully resolve a quest query, it can seamlessly pass on the conversation to your staff. On average, the need for assistance from hotel staff is below 15%.This report identified the most common questions travellers and guests contact hotels about. This data can guide you and your teams while reviewing publicly available information about your properties or improving supplementary information provided after the reservation.If processing the volume of incoming queries remains a challenge for your teams, reach out to us and arrange a personalised demo to see how our Guest Communications Hub can help you by:We hope you succeed in a mission to leave no guest queries unanswered!

Tracking your hotel metrics involves gathering vital data and interpreting it in order to gain valuable and actionable insights into the performance of your business. With accurate and thorough metrics, you have a solid base from which to set your goals and KPIs. With regular monitoring, you can compare them over time, and see how you are performing compared to your competitors or to average hospitality standards.How to decide which data is most important to keep track of? Let us guide you through the five essential hotel metrics to track that can add value to your hotel data analysis.Occupancy rateWhat it is: Occupancy rate is the percentage of rooms that are occupied at your properties.Why it is useful: Monitoring this metric and comparing it to the industry average can help to highlight particular times when there may be a peak or a drop in expected bookings so that you can plan for making the most out of the situation. For example, if you know you have a lull on weekdays in March, you can launch a targeted campaign with discounts for that period. This metric also helps you to fine-tune your staffing levels and resources.How to calculate it: OCCUPANCY PERCENTAGE = OCCUPIED ROOMS / AVAILABLE ROOMS. For example, if 176 of your 250 rooms are occupied, then your occupancy rate is 176/250, which gives you 0.704, or 70.4%.Average daily rate (ADR)What it is: The average daily rate refers to the average price paid per room in your hotel.Why it is useful: Many hotels do not have set rates for rooms, and instead, the rates change according to the time of year, day of the week, and other factors such as projected occupancy rate. When rates regularly change, it can be useful to compile all this data into one single figure, the ADR, to ensure your prices remain overall competitive, while still being profitable. How to calculate it: ADR = TOTAL ROOM REVENUE / NUMBER OF OCCUPIED ROOMS. For example, if you have 60 rooms occupied with a total revenue of €18,543 then your ADR is €18,543/60, which gives you an average daily room rate of €309.05. Revenue per available room (RevPAR)What it is: RevPAR is a different take on the ADR. This metric takes the overall room revenue into consideration but disregards how many rooms are occupied or vacant. Why it is useful: This figure, which amalgamates the occupation data with the revenue data, offers good insight into the overall profitability of the hotel at current occupation levels. How to calculate it: RevPAR = TOTAL REVENUE FROM ALL ROOMS / TOTAL NUMBER OF ROOMS.For instance, if your hotel has 120 rooms, and you have received €23,500 in total from letting out some or all of these rooms, the calculation is €23,500/120 which gives a RevPAR of €195.83.Gross operating profit per available room (GOPPAR) What it is: GOPPAR gives us another vital view of the per-room finances. Why it is useful: This metric focuses not on the rates but on the profit, instantly showing you how much profit you are making for each room you have available. This figure will include all revenue streams, rather than simply just the room rate, so it will take into account extra services such as restaurant meals, drinks at the bar, and spa treatments. How to calculate it: GOPPAR = GROSS OPERATING PROFIT / NUMBER OF ROOMS. For example, if you add together all the profits of the business from all areas of the hotel and it comes to a figure of €165,543 and you have 92 rooms, your GOPPAR is €16,5543/92  = €1799.38.Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)What it is: This score is a method of measuring customer satisfaction levels.Why it is useful: Measuring customer satisfaction is a many-faceted technique that gives incredible insight into how your customers perceive your business. We explore the importance of the CSAT score in hospitality in a dedicated article.How to calculate it: There is no simple equation to calculate your CSAT score, but systems can be implemented, and software utilised to gather the right data and give you a reliable CSAT score. This is a potentially complex process that needs to be done right in order to extract the most valuable data, but it can be simplified and automated.Metrics can be easy to monitor with the right toolsMonitoring hotel metrics can add significant value to your business intelligence. Benchmarking against industry standards or your competitors can help you identify priorities and areas of improvement. In order to make the metrics as useful as possible, you should calculate and monitor them on a regular basis, extracting actionable insights.However, measuring hotel performance metrics can be complicated and time-consuming. When choosing your tools and systems, look out for which metrics they can monitor for you. HiJiffy’s Guest Communications Hub uses conversational AI to effectively and efficiently automate your CSAT calculations, providing clear metrics and putting them in the context of wider insights from your guest communications.For more hotel metrics and explanations of hotel industry jargon, take a look at our glossary page.

The refreshed brand of HiJiffy also extends to our Console, the interface of our Guest Communications Hub, as well as new streamlined plans that allow clients to best match them for their business needs.In this post, we‘ll take a closer look at the Console updates and the differences between the new plans.When you are about to start working in your Guest Communications Hub, you will notice our new visuals welcoming you on the login page. The new visual style, colours, and fonts continue on in the Console.Some of the changes you can spot in the Console include:In the refreshed inbox, you can use quick filters above the list of conversations to sort them by read/unread status or by channel type at the bottom of the screen.In the contacts tab, you can now see requests and bookings associated with the conversations.There are also a few changes to the widget customisation page, where you can see updated formats and icons.Different plans available within our Guest Communications Hub have also been revisited, streamlined and upgraded, bringing even more benefits to the users of our solution. Our current clients will be contacted about their plan alignment soon.Pro (formerly Booking Assistant)With unlimited FAQ topics, 132 languages supported (including translation of inbox conversations), and powerful API integrations with booking engines this plan allows your guests to book at any time with the guidance of a virtual AI-powered agent on the hotel website, popular social media (Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WeChat) and Google Business.This plan will empower you to make the most of your guest communications in the pre-stay stage, boosting direct bookings and improving guest satisfaction. You’ll benefit from powerful features and capabilities at your disposal, including multiple properties compatibility, the possibility of grouping agents into teams, voice assistant, self-learning AI, and much more.Premium (formerly Full Suite)Our most popular plan covers communications across the entire guest journey: answering FAQs, chat-based booking, personalised pre-arrival and in-stay campaigns, upselling, and automating processes – everything you need to reimagine your guest communications. Channels available to you will also expand from the website and social media to SMS, email, and messaging apps (WhatsApp, Line, Telegram) as well.On this plan, you will get access to our advanced AI features, like sentiment analysis, and be able to take advantage of integrations with standard integrations with popular property management systems (PMS), customer relationship management (CRM), maintenance systems, and more.Basic & EnterpriseWe also have two more plans to accommodate both minimal needs and above-and-beyond requirements. With the Basic plan, you get a light version of our solution with limited features, including a website widget automatically answering common guest queries within 25 standard FAQ topics, direct links to booking engines (no API integration), and basic reporting.On the other side of the scale, you have the Enterprise plan offering the possibility to tailor our solution to your exact needs, including custom automation, reporting, integrations and powerful marketing campaigns.