It’s hard to believe that fall is upon us. It’s time to put away the sunscreen and pull out the sweaters! To many, it will be a welcome relief from those 100+ degree days. There’s nothing better than crisp autumn days and all things pumpkin!
Fall not only ushers in cooler temps and maybe a little snow on some mountain peaks, it also marks the beginning of state, regional and national lodging association conferences. These conferences provide a great opportunity for both aspiring and experienced lodging providers to come together to exchange ideas, learn new business strategies from respected speakers and discover innovative products and services.
The first conference will be here before you know it. So get planning and register for a conference or maybe two! Where will we see you?
For your convenience the following list of upcoming conferences has been compiled for you.
Attracting new guests and keeping them coming back has always been an ongoing challenge for the independent lodging industry. This was especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it remains true today.
Property owners and managers have to get creative to survive and thrive. One way to do this is by developing unique experiences for their guests that standout from other lodging properties and B&Bs in their area.
For example, Doug Bagnasco and Jim DeBlasi, the co-owners of the Devonfield Inn, have successfully put this kind of practice into place at their charming inn nestled in the beautiful hills of the Berkshires. By partnering with local businesses, here’s what they offered:
Created a guided horseback trail ride package that provides stunning views of the Berkshire Mountains.
Brought in local musicians to perform lawn concerts.
Offered private yoga sessions from instructors from the Kripalu Center For Yoga & Health.
Hosted kayaking tour down the Housatonic River.
Created a fun ziplining package that has become quite popular.
Here are some other creative ideas for creating unique on-property experiences from innkeepers we’ve interviewed:
Christine Boeke, former owner of the Westcott House Bed & Breakfast, would invite people who work at local attractions to have breakfast with her guests, so they could have an intimate conversation about the area.
Share your passions with guests, and create an offering around it. For example, beer is the central attraction at WildManDan’s Beercentric B&B.
Much of this hard work does pay off. For example, The Devonfield Inn has been a repeated top-rated bed and breakfast by TripAdvisor and Expedia.
To learn more from Doug and Jim on how to create unique guest experiences that will attract and keep your guests coming back, listen to their podcast here.
Today we released v5.0 of the Frictionless Guest App, which allows properties and guests to use text messaging to communicate
The purpose of the Frictionless Guest App has always been to help lodging professionals connect with their guests so they can provide them with an incredible stay experience. Giving guests recommendations for the best local places to visit or information about their property is the fundamental way this is accomplished, and we continue to find other ways to connect guests with their lodging providers.
Frictionless v4.0 gave guests the ability to place orders for any property offering – whether it be breakfast, a bottle of champagne or any other services, packages, etc. – and communicate any special instructions or needs.
The new Frictionless v5.0 continues to build on the mission of connecting guests to their lodging providers by allowing text messaging conversations. A guest or property can initiate a conversation by sending a message through the Frictionless Guest App, which gets sent as a text message to the mobile phone apps of the guest and property. This way, both parties can get notified immediately and the conversation can continue through their mobile phone text apps or through the Frictionless Guest App.
The new Frictionless Guest App v5.0 allows the messaging to occurs seamlessly and keeps the entire conversation for the guest or property to reference or continue later on. In addition, the property can establish groups of people they wish to be a part of the conversation. For example, if a guest sends a message to Housekeeping, multiple people can be set up to receive the text message on their mobile phones and everyone can respond to be a part of the group conversation.
Ready to connect with your guests through text messaging? Please contact us here to learn more about the amazing new v5.0 of the Frictionless Guest App!
Today we released v4.0 of the Frictionless Guest App, which greatly helps Innkeepers to improve revenue and the touchless guest experience
When the Frictionless Guest App first launched, it was built on the premise that innkeepers can enhance the guest experience by offering recommendations on the best places to eat, play and shop during their stay.
With the rising need for guests and innkeepers to communicate with minimal physical interaction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, v4.0 of the Frictionless Guest App makes major improvements to enhance a touchless connection with guests. And the great news is that innkeepers have the added benefit of generating additional revenue through the app while improving the guest experience!
The launch of the new Frictionless Guest App v4.0 includes many new features and benefits, and we are excited to highlight some of them here:
Property & Offerings Information: With a new Property & Offerings section that guests can easily access, innkeepers can prominently show important property-specific information they wish to communicate to guests.
Touchless Guest Ordering: Guests are now able to place orders for any on-property offering – whether it be breakfast, a bottle of champagne or any other services, packages, etc. – and communicate any special instructions or needs.
Enhanced Revenue: With touchless ordering, guests can easily purchase packages and other offerings anytime during their stay cycle, which provides innkeepers the opportunity to greatly enhance revenue.
Improved Guest Communications: Guests are able to communicate more easily, with innkeepers and staff getting instant notifications by email and text when guests place an order.
Share COVID Policies, etc.: With the ability to share any relevant information about the property, innkeepers can highlight what is most important to guests, such as COVID policies, arrival and departure instructions, connecting to WiFi, etc.
Market & Sell!: With it being so much easier to organize on-property offerings in the app, innkeepers can seriously market, sell, and upsell to guests, as well as improve the service they provide to them.
Replace Your Guest Book, Rack Brochures and Maps: Connect guests to all of the information in your guest book, as well as the maps and brochures you currently offer, and remove printed materials like this from your rooms and common areas to limit the risk of spreading COVID.
Ready to enable your guests to truly connect with you in a touchless way? Please contact us here to learn more about the amazing new v4.0 of the Frictionless Guest App!
New Launch Will Greatly Improve Innkeeper Revenues and the Guest Service Experience – with New Property Offerings Information, Touchless Guest Ordering, and More
When the Frictionless Guest App first launched, it was built on the premise that innkeepers can enhance the guest experience by offering recommendations on the best places to eat, play and shop during their stay.
With the rising need for guests and innkeepers to communicate with minimal physical interaction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are making major improvements to the Frictionless Guest App to enhance a touchless connection with guests. And the great news is that innkeepers will have the added benefit of generating additional revenue through the app while improving the guest experience!
The launch of the new Frictionless Guest App will include many new features and benefits, and we are excited to highlight some of them here:
Property & Offerings Information: There will be a new Property & Offerings section guests can easily access, which will allow innkeepers to prominently show important property-specific information they wish to communicate to guests.
Touchless Guest Ordering: Guests will be able to place orders for any on-property offering – whether it be breakfast, a bottle of champagne or any other services, packages, etc. – and communicate any special instructions or needs.
Enhanced Revenue: With touchless ordering, guests can easily purchase packages and other offerings anytime during their stay cycle, which provides innkeepers the opportunity to greatly enhance revenue.
Improved Guest Communications: Guests will be able to communicate more easily, with innkeepers and staff getting instant notifications by email and text when guests place an order.
Share COVID Policies, etc.: With the ability to share any relevant information about the property, innkeepers can highlight what is most important to guests, such as COVID policies, arrival and departure instructions, connecting to WiFi, etc.
Market & Sell!: With it being so much easier to organize on-property offerings in the app, innkeepers can seriously market, sell, and upsell to guests, as well as improve the service they provide to them.
Replace Your Guest Book, Rack Brochures and Maps: Connect guests to all of the information in your guest book, as well as the maps and brochures you currently offer, and remove printed materials like this from your rooms and common areas to limit the risk of spreading COVID.
Ready to enable your guests to truly connect with you in a touchless way? Please contact us here to learn more about our amazing new version of the Frictionless Guest App!
Media Contact: Matt Langan L&R Communications 202-262-3340 matt@landrcomm.com
Historic Boutique Hotel Provides Curated Guest Recommendations for Best Local Places to Eat, Play and Shop in Greensboro, North Carolina
ALEXANDRIA, VA – August 12, 2019 – The Frictionless Guest App has announced that The Biltmore Greensboro Hotel in Greensboro, NC is using its app to enhance the overall guest experience through curated recommendations of the best local places to eat, play and shop.
With a storied history that dates back to 1903, the boutique hotel began using the Frictionless Guest App in May, and has seen enhanced guest satisfaction through the use of the mobile app.
Brian Coleman, GM of The Biltmore Greensboro Hotel, believes in providing very high-touch services for guests, and finds that the app fits perfectly into his vision of always being there for guests.
“The Frictionless Guest App is an extension of our personalized, face-to-face guest services and the response has been highly positive,” said Coleman in this podcast interview. “In addition, the technology is very easy to use and setup, and it allows us to essentially be with our guests when they are not on the property.”
By offering guests an easy way to find recommendations of the best places to eat, play and shop – using any mobile device or desktop – the Frictionless Guest App allows guests to plan their trip starting at the time of booking and easily navigate to recommended places throughout their stay, so that hoteliers and innkeepers play a significant role in improving the experience of their guests.
“We are proud to have a boutique hotel with such a storied history as the Biltmore Greensboro using the Frictionless Guest App to give their guests an easy way to find the best local experiences,” said Steve Short, Founder & CEO of the Frictionless Guest App. “Brian Coleman is a GM who has transformed his hotel’s culture to become service-obsessed, which has led to phenomenal booking and revenue growth. He has the amazing desire and ability to see things from the perspective of the guest, so the fact that he embraces our app and has made it an integral part of the Biltmore Greensboro’s approach toward improving the guest experience indicates that we are helping lodging providers with a significant need that has previously been neglected.”
About the Frictionless Guest App
The Frictionless Guest App provides innkeepers with an easy way to recommend the best local offerings to their guests, so that guests have great experiences and community places thrive. For more information about this software as a service (SaaS) offering that is available to innkeepers and hoteliers of all types, visit frictionlessguest.com.
For more than 6 years, we have been building and improving the Frictionless Guest App with the core vision of giving innkeepers and hoteliers an app they can provide to their guests that recommends the best local places to eat, play and shop during their stay. And though our determination to improve the guest experience has not wavered over this time frame, it’s been nice to recently get some affirmation and recognition from the hospitality sector that our efforts have been worthwhile.
The affirmation of our quest came in the recent ALICE study indicating that a whopping 81 percent of guests want to get recommendations from their accommodations provider. While the hospitality sector probably didn’t have to see these numbers to realize that they should be addressing this need, it’s good to see a survey that overwhelmingly confirms the assumption that travellers want to be given the inside scoop on where to find the best local experiences.
It’s also great to get some recognition for building an app that specifically addresses this need by offering innkeepers and hoteliers an easy way to provide their guests with their recommendations. That recently happened when Douglas Rice, hospitality technology expert and the founder of Hospitality Technology Next Generation (HTNG), recently recognized us as an “innovative young company” in an excellent article written for Hospitality Upgrade’s “Siegel Sez / Definitely Doug” blog and titled, “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.”
A key point made by Doug is the need to provide curated local recommendations chosen by the criteria of the best available offerings for the guest, rather than based upon advertising or revenue. It’s amazing how this point has rarely been made in industry articles targeted toward hospitality providers, yet it seems so obvious from a guest’s perspective. If you truly believe that helping your guests find the best local experiences is the right thing to do for them (and also something that can build long-term trust and loyalty, which is good for you), then you need to commit to this approach.
This perspective has been at the heart of what we’ve been building for years as the Frictionless Guest App. And it’s good to get some reaffirmation and recognition from the hospitality sector that we have been headed in the right direction.
In May 2018, Lodging Magazine, the official publication for the AH&LA, featured the Frictionless Guest App in its ongoing “App Watch” section.
“Meant to take the place of brochures, the Frictionless Guest App is a 24/7, curated digital concierge that directs guests to local food and experiences and can be accessed via phone, tablet, and PC,” stated the article.
In May, Hotel Business Magazine published an in-depth feature on the launch and value that the new Frictionless Guest App offers to innkeepers, bed and breakfast owners, and hoteliers of all sizes.
The article included a number of quotes from Steve Short, founder/CEO of the Frictionless Guest App, as well as with Michelle Heurung, innkeeper at theLamberson Guest House in Galena, IL. Michelle is an early user and advocate of the Frictionless Guest App.
“Guests trust hoteliers to recommend the best places to dine, be entertained and shop, which creates a major opportunity to make their stays more memorable,” said Short in the article. “The Frictionless Guest App is built upon the idea of enhancing the guest experience by providing trusted recommendations, which will translate into long-term loyalty.”
“I think this app is the perfect way to make sure my guests are all set with all of their vacation plans in advance, from dining to historical tours and more,” said Heurung in the article.
Since the Frictionless Guest App officially launched in February, it has captured the attention of several major hospitality trade magazines.
Hospitality Technology Magazine was one of the publications that covered the initial launch — pointing out how the new app allows innkeepers, bed and breakfast owners, and hoteliers of all types to provide their guests with recommendations for the best local experiences.
