How to Create a Smart Guest Experience at Scale [Webinar]

Webinar Description

AI messaging, online check-in, digital verification, smart devices—welcome to the future of seamless guest experiences where cutting-edge technology intersects with exceptional hospitality to create unforgettable stays.

Join us for a transformative discussion on how to craft an unparalleled guest experience while managing a large portfolio of properties. In this session, we’ll explore how Jetstream’s integrated tech solutions revolutionize the hospitality industry by enhancing guest satisfaction and streamlining operations. Discover how leveraging these advanced tools not only elevates the quality of your guest interactions but also maximizes revenue and efficiency across hundreds of properties.

Learn how AI-powered messaging and digital check-in processes can eliminate friction and improve guest convenience. Explore the benefits of digital verification for secure and hassle-free arrivals. Understand how smart devices can provide a modern, intuitive experience, allowing you to offer personalized touches and operational efficiencies. This discussion will provide insights into building a cohesive, tech-driven strategy that meets the evolving demands of today’s travelers and sets your properties apart in a competitive market.

Webinar Speakers

Francois Gouelo

As the Co-founder and CEO of Enso Connect, Francois has been at the forefront of the intersection of technology and hospitality. With his extensive experience in integrating innovative tech solutions to enhance guest experiences, he brings a wealth of knowledge to the discussion. Francois will be moderating the session, ensuring that all questions from the audience are thoroughly addressed and providing valuable insights into how technology can transform the hospitality industry. His expertise will guide the conversation, offering practical advice and strategies for leveraging tech to create exceptional stays and streamline operations.

Emmanuel Lavoie

Emmanuel Lavoie, CEO of Jetstream Hospitality Solutions, brings two decades of expertise in management, entrepreneurship, and investing to his role. Under his leadership, Jetstream Hospitality Solutions has become a pioneer in short-term rental solutions, leveraging cutting-edge technology to elevate the hospitality experience. Emmanuel’s rich background in Engineering and Proptech, combined with his extensive industry knowledge, enables him to offer invaluable insights to hospitality professionals. His vision and expertise drive Jetstream’s mission to transform property management and enhance guest satisfaction globally.

Katrin Humal from Minut

Katrin, with a tech background since 2016, specializes in automating workflows and amplifying impact. She joined Minut’s product team in 2022, diving into the short-term rental (STR) industry to champion responsible travel. Originally from Estonia, Katrin now thrives in Sweden’s Malmö tech hub, where she balances her professional life with a passion for the outdoors and the art of baking cinnamon rolls. Her dedication to leveraging technology for sustainability and enhancing guest experiences makes her a key player in the STR sector.

What is Smart Guest Experience

In hospitality, “smart guest experience” refers to quickly understanding and giving guests what they need exactly when they need it. This also means leveraging digital tools and data-driven insights to meet guests’ expectations. More and more hospitality professionals use smart tech tools to ensure their guests have seamless and memorable stays.

Implementing smart guest experience strategies is essential for scaling hospitality businesses, making them more efficient, profitable and competitive.

​Smart Guest Experience Experts on the Webinar

We had three hospitality industry experts, sharing their insights on creating an exceptional customer experience in vacation rentals. Each of them introduced how their companies help vacation rental professionals create, configure and monetize their guest experience in a smart way.

Emmanuel Lavoie introduced Jetstream Hospitality Solutions as a full-service PMS (Property Management Systems) that started as a channel manager. They offer a range of services, including a bumilt-in call center, revenue management team, content and listing optimization, and payment processing. They provide all these services under their partners’ brand in a white-label format.

Katrin Humal introduced Minute as a co-hosting platform that helps care for homes, guests, and the community. They offer a sensor that monitors and alerts about noise, occupancy, cigarette smoke, motion, and temperature in rental properties. This helps prevent parties, enhance the guest experience, and protect properties. Privacy is paramount, and nothing is filmed or recorded.

Francois Gouelo introduced Enso Connect as a guest experience platform, helping vacation rental businesses digitize and monetize their guest experience. The platform provides AI unified messaging, smart automations, with conditions based on guest data collection, guest app, upsells and more. With IoT integrations, security partnerships, Enso-connected users can build custom guest journeys, tailored to their unique needs.

Key Growth Drivers for Vacation Rental Business

Emmanuel shared his vision for the key drivers of growth in vacation rentals and smart hotels. He emphasized that success in the industry hinges on a combination of exceptional hospitality, strategic marketing, streamlined operations, robust trust and security measures, insightful data utilization, and effective third-party partnerships. By integrating these elements, operators can create a compelling and trustworthy guest experience, drive bookings, and achieve sustainable growth in the competitive landscape.

Exceptional Hospitality

The core purpose of the short-term rental and hotel industry is to deliver exceptional hospitality and ensure guest delight. Reviews from major OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) offer valuable, real-time insights into how a business is performing. Consistently delivering outstanding hospitality and garnering excellent reviews is crucial for sustainable growth. If your business fails to meet these standards, it will struggle to attract and retain guests, hindering long-term success and expansion in a highly competitive market.

Operations

If you have from one to five units, you probably don’t need much technology to start with. As businesses scale, they need tools, technology, processes, and systems. This includes having great cleaners, keyless entry, noise and party monitoring like Minut, and structured data management. This needs to be topped with seamless and quick-responding guest communication.

For example, Jetstream mandates for all partners to have contactless access, as it removes the friction of not finding the keys under the doormat, etc. They are also big fans of noise and party monitoring technology. It helps not only to nip parties in the bud, but also backs up Airbnb damage or insurance claims. It’s important to have the data.

Marketing and Distribution

Emmanuel highlighted the critical importance of multi-channel distribution and the risks of relying solely on platforms like Airbnb. A robust Property Management System (PMS) and channel manager are essential for effective multi-channel distribution. While many hosts depend heavily on Airbnb for their bookings, at Jetstream, only 55% of our thousands of monthly bookings come from Airbnb. The remaining bookings are sourced from other platforms such as Vrbo, Booking.com, Home2Go, our own LeafTown.com, and various partner websites. This approach underscores the value of diversifying distribution channels to reach a broader audience and maximize booking potential.

Content, Pricing, Photos, Reviews (CPPR)

Emmanuel shared that in Jetstream they have the acronym CPPR: Content, Photos, Pricing, and Reviews. Following this approach is the best way to stand out from the competition.

• Content: Concise, engaging, and to the point.
• Photos: Only professional, well-edited images that stand out.
  In Airbnb’s early days, they struggled with reservations despite many listed properties. To boost bookings, they invested in sending professional photographers to capture high-quality images of the properties. If competitors have top-notch photos and you don’t, you’ll rank lower in guest preferences or attract budget-conscious travelers.
• Pricing: Use dynamic pricing software, like Wheelhouse, but it’s also essential to understand revenue management for promotions and discounts.
• Reviews: When the first three are done right, positive reviews follow.

Mastering these four elements ensures consistent success against competitors.

Trust and Security

Katrin from Minute highlighted the significance of trust and security. Hosts need to trust their guests, and vice versa. Minute’s monitoring system helps deter problematic bookings and ensures guests and neighbors have a peaceful experience. The system alerts hosts about potential issues, allowing them to address them promptly. This fosters a sense of security and trust within the community, promoting growth for the rental business.

Using tools like Minut in listing descriptions has led to fewer problematic bookings for hosts. Data from Minut devices shows that about 90% of noise incidents are resolved within 20 minutes, preventing them from escalating. This not only ensures neighborhood peace but also provides guests with peace of mind. They can enjoy without worrying about unintentionally causing disturbances. This proactive approach enhances the guest experience, turning potential negatives into positives. It also fosters trust within the community, ensuring they feel secure and are more accepting of short-term rentals in their vicinity, benefiting your business.

Centralizing Data

For any size vacation rental business using a PMS or a tool like Jetstream, you’ll need to hire reservation agents. You might also hire offshore VAs for additional time zone coverage. It’s crucial to have your data centralized and easily searchable, especially for property-specific questions outside the PMS. For example, what is the check-in process or where is the remote. This structured data is essential not just for your agents but also for current and future AI models.

Emmanuel discussed the need for a centralized database for efficient business operations. While Jetstream initially used Notion, they are working towards integrating more data capabilities within their own tool. This centralized data will be more accessible for an AI-powered chatbot and other third-party tools.

Different operators use various tools to centralize their knowledge base, ranging froam Google Docs to Notion, High Table, and ClickUp. The key is to build the database around the team’s needs while ensuring it’s centralized for future scalability.

Tools like EnsoAI can process various data, including PDFs. While many operators centralize data using platforms like Notion or their PMS, EnsoAI prefers to internalize this data, recognizing that each operator has a unique knowledge base system.

Crafting Exceptional Guest Experience Using Technology

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Transparency with Guests

​Katrin emphasized the importance of being transparent with guests about the technology being used. There’s a growing skepticism towards technology, especially AI, in society. It’s essential to demystify it by explaining its functions and limitations. By being transparent about the technology used, hosts can build trust with guests. Many guests, when informed about devices like sensors, understand their purpose and see them as enhancing their stay. This transparency not only boosts guest confidence but also showcases the host or property manager’s professionalism. Such professionalism can elevate the brand, leading to increased trust, future bookings, and brand recognition.

Automation and Standardization

Automating tasks and standardizing situations can help hosts focus on non-standard opportunities to enhance the guest experience. For instance, using sensors to monitor temperature ensures guests’ comfort and helps in cost-saving. Motion sensors can detect guest arrival, triggering welcome messages.

As businesses grow, they often grapple with data scattered across various silos, making it challenging for frontline staff to access information swiftly. By standardizing data sources and processes, businesses can achieve consistent high-quality outcomes, like five-star reviews. A key to successful standardization is driving processes with a primary KPI. Instead of creating complex systems that can break, focusing on a central performance metric ensures clarity and efficiency. This approach, combined with leveraging technology, ensures streamlined operations and consistent guest satisfaction.

Data-Driven Decisions

Using data from sensors and other sources enables hosts to customize and personalize the guest experience in meaningful ways. This data-driven approach allows for proactive adjustments and tailored recommendations that enhance the stay. By leveraging real-time information on guest preferences and behaviors, hosts can anticipate needs and address potential issues before they become problems. For instance, if a sensor detects a change in temperature or humidity, adjustments can be made to maintain comfort without the guest needing to intervene. This proactive management not only helps transform potential negative situations into positive experiences but also fosters a collaborative relationship with guests. By demonstrating attentiveness and responsiveness through data insights, hosts can create a more satisfying and memorable stay, leading to increased guest loyalty and positive reviews.

Balancing Automation and Human Touch

• The panelists agreed that while automation can handle many standard processes, there’s a need for personalized human interaction. Katherine mentioned the potential of using technology to identify opportunities for personal touches.
• Emanuel added that tools enhance the human touch, allowing businesses to focus on hospitality rather than mundane tasks. He also shared that going keyless hasn’t impacted the human touch aspect of their service.

Smart Guest Experience Accommodation Example

As a great example Emmanuel shared the transformation of High Street Townhouse, a project in Manchester involving the three companies. This 19-unit apart-hotel was previously managed by a traditional company that went under. The on-site manager, Allison, remained consistent through the transition. Before Jetstream’s intervention, Allison handled routine tasks like collecting credit cards and driver’s licenses from guests. Now, with Jetstream’s advanced technologies, including Minut and Enso’s keyless access, Allison focuses solely on enhancing guest experience. The result? A staggering 95% occupancy in September and rave reviews about Allison’s hospitality. This shift not only improves guest experience but also opens avenues for new ancillary revenue streams, like upsells. It’s worth noting that guests often allocate only about 25-30% of their budget to accommodation, leaving great opportunity for additional services.

Upselling and Enhancing Guest Experience

Upselling can be a valuable tool for enhancing the guest experience while also boosting revenue. Platforms like Enso Connect enable hosts to offer a range of upsells that cater to various guest needs and preferences. These include options like early check-in, late checkout, and mid-stay cleaning, which add convenience and comfort to a guest’s stay. Additionally, Enso Connect facilitates the promotion of local experiences, such as guided tours, dining options, and entertainment activities. By integrating these upsell opportunities, hosts can provide personalized recommendations that enrich the guest’s experience and create lasting memories. This approach not only enhances the overall stay but also strengthens the connection between the guest and the host, leading to higher satisfaction and potential repeat bookings.

Turning Negative Experience Around

• Katrin emphasized the importance of being proactive. Using technology to spot potential issues early can help address them before they escalate. For instance, noise monitoring tools can alert hosts to potential disturbances before they become a problem for neighbors.
• The discussion also touched on the importance of analyzing guest sentiment to address concerns proactively. Tools that provide sentiment analysis can help hosts identify unhappy guests and take corrective action before negative reviews are left.

The Future of Technology in Hospitality

Discussing the future of new technology in the hospitality business, the current trends focus on using data to enhance the guest experience. With tools like Minit and Jetstream, the aim is to automate mundane tasks, allowing businesses to personalize guest experiences. While technology aids operations, the human touch remains essential. For instance, while revenue management tools provide data, it’s how businesses use this data that determines success. Centralizing information for specific teams is crucial, and tools like Notion help in this regard. However, each team might need its specialized tools for optimal workflow. The key is to ensure that the primary information a team member needs is centralized for efficiency.