Is Texting the Right Tool for Your Hotel?

By Nathan Gawlik

Nathan Gawlik's experience includes being a General Manager of a Hampton Inn and other front line roles such as a Banquet Captain, Front Desk Agent, Housekeeper, Catering Event Manager, and Director of Sales

Did you know that the email open rate is somewhere between 20-30%, while text messaging blows that out of the water at 98%? In fact, 90% of text messages are opened within 3 seconds of being received. And 68% of respondents are more likely to buy from a business that offers convenient communications.

I remember when texting became popular among my friend group. I was in college and the form of texting we used was called T9 and you had to hit each key multiple times to get the letter you wanted. Nowadays, smartphones allow for so much more utility. As technology evolves, so too should your business.

However, keep in mind that with any tool, you want to ensure you're using it effectively. If you misuse text messaging, you could be doing more harm than good. Here are a few reasons why your business SHOULD be using text messaging.

The Traveler and Their Texting Habits

Millennials are anyone born between 1981-1996, which makes them the first generation to be brought up with the practice of texting. At the present time, millennials account for half of all travel spending. Their share of travel spending is only going to increase.

Nowadays, Text messaging is widespread. Millennials and younger generations often find it taboo to call someone when a text message will do. Text messaging has become the number one form of communication and has been in the top 10 since 2007.

It's Not Just Millennials; Everyone Texts

RealityMine collected data from nearly 3200 participants on their smartphone usage and found mobile device usage has increased across all age groups. Text Messaging (SMS) is the most used function across almost every generation with the notable exception being the 55-64 year old male.

(source: Generational differences in mobile device use)

Referenced above, a few other notable trends that stick out are that women are more likely to text than their male counterparts of the same age, and of course, the younger generations text at an ever increasing rate compared to the previous generation.

It's worth noting that this study was published in August of 2015, so texting is likely even more prevalent than this study suggests.

And a more recent study, found that Millennials took far more leisure trips than any other demographic in 2020, with the highest reason being just for "change of scenery." Looking at an aggregate of mobile users across generations, 63% of Americans used an app to browse travel information. If 2020 is any indication of what is to come, properties must go where their customers are: on mobile and texting is a big part of that.

Is Texting Right for Your Hotel?

Your business should ask questions to determine if texting is right for you. What is your demographic? Do you cater exclusively to the 55-64 year old male? Do you cater to same day bookings that would benefit from texting? Are you urban or rural with the cell phone service necessary to offer texting effectively?

The answers to these questions need to be considered before you decide if text messaging is right for your hotel.

7 Reasons You Should Consider Using Text Messaging

1. It's Personal

Text messages can be personalized to address the guest by name. When used correctly, text messages often come across as thoughtful and professional. Texting is an inherently personal method of communication; the message you send goes straight to your guest. Make sure whatever message you're sending is worth their attention.

2. Sending Texts is Fast

The convenience of texting can't be overstated. More than 5.5 million text messages are sent every second globally! One of the biggest benefits to texting is that texts can come from easily selected templates without a need for images, formatting, or design.

3. It Saves Time

Texting saves your staff time that would otherwise be spent answering phone calls. The Front Desk Agent can identify if a situation is important by reading a text quickly, during a check in let's say, and then choose to act on it or label it as non-urgent.

Now let's consider an outgoing message scenario. Imagine it is wintertime at your property and a pipe burst adjacent to the main thoroughfare to get to the other side of your property. Hundreds of gallons of water are spilling onto the road causing unsafe conditions. Your team is now tasked with making all 100 of your guests aware of this situation. Chiefly you want them to know to avoid the safety hazard, but you must also make the affected units aware that water will be unavailable until repairs are completed. How long would it take to call each unit and answer all their questions? What about the guests that don't answer? Do you continue to call or try an alternate phone number?

Now consider how long it would take to draft and send a text message to all guests on property. Probably less than 15 minutes. Many properties use text messaging in this way. They use it as a tool to communicate with in house guests individually, and in mass.

Another property in California I've worked with used text messaging to alert their patrons of nearby wildfires. How might your hotel benefit from mass text messaging?

4. Texting is Inexpensive

There are really only 2 methods to connect with someone via their mobile phone: push notifications and texting. Unless you have a few thousand dollars sitting around to design an app for your property, texting messaging is a far better and economical option.

5. It's Future-proof

Text messaging isn't going anywhere. More and more is being done on your mobile device. Texting has been around for nearly 30 years and still one of the top 10 communication channels for smartphone users.

Compared to messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, texting is clearly the preferred communication tool. Comparing all communication channels side by side reveals that all age groups spend between 79-95% of their smartphone communication time on text messaging compared to less than 10% on other messaging apps. Text messaging is the clear winner when it comes to preferred communication channels (excluding phone calls) among all age groups and demographics at a rate over 9 times more favorable on average.

6. It's Contactless

An investment in contactless technology won't be short-lived. Whether it's a push notification via an app or a text message directly to the guest, hospitality companies that don't invest in contactless tech may be left behind. In fact, according to Zingle, "77% of consumers say that in the future, the amount of in-person interaction required at a business will factor into their decision of whether or not they visit the business."

Younger generations might actually have a higher level of anxiety in regards to speaking to someone on the phone. Millennials are dubbed the ‘anxiety generation' and some might actually have a fear of telephone calls, known as telephonophobia.

Generation Z mirrors much of the millennial generation as 73% indicated that they "use their smartphone primarily for texting and chatting."

7. Texting is Engaging and Helps Retain Customers

Texting builds loyalty with customers. They appreciate it when you reach out mid-stay to check in with them and address their needs.

As a Front Desk Agent, I truly wanted guests to enjoy their stay. I knew people only got to take a vacation a few times a year and it was important they get a chance to relax and unwind. As was traditional, I would ask each departing guest, "How was your stay?" at check out. Far too often I was met with, "it was fine, but two days ago I had "fill in the blank" issue."

I'd think to myself, Well, great... What can I do about it now?

For example, a guest complained that the guest above them was being noisy after quiet hours. My only recourse was to empathize with them and explain that if only they had let us know, we would have happily called the guest above them to politely make them aware of other guests or even brought down some earplugs. Now it's two days later, and I can't give you the restless night's sleep back.

75% of guests say they don't report all issues that affect their experience, meaning hotels never learn of areas they could improve. And 42% of guests say they would return to a hotel if it was able to turn a poor experience into a positive one by solving the problem immediately.

If our property had text messaging at the time, that guest could have sent us a message so we could address her concern immediately. Likewise, we could ask the guest mid-stay to rate her experience thus far on a scale from 1-5 on sleep quality or other metrics. This extra line of communication can ensure a guest has a pleasant stay but also help protect our bottom line by reducing service recovery costs.

Conclusion

Today's traveler has become accustomed to personalized and real-time service. Although it is true that business texting isn't for everyone, it can be a game changer for many businesses. There's no better way to stay in contact with your guests while they're on property and a text message is one of the best ways to let guests know you care – just don't abuse the privilege. People don't like giving out their phone numbers, so each number you have represents a guest that trusts you enough to use texting judiciously.

Ultimately, each hotel should compare the pros and cons of text messaging and decide for themselves if it is right for their business.

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