For hotels, switching to IP phones is more than just a VoIP solution for phone calls. IP phones offer a wealth of benefits for guests, but, perhaps more importantly, also cost savings and revenue enhancement opportunities for hotels.
For guests, having an IP phone in the room not only appeals to techies, but it can also provide a wealth of information and services. Room service menus can be made available on the phone’s screen, allowing guests to browse the offering and order right on the phone. This means lower costs for hotels because they don’t have to print up menus, which also allows for more frequent updates or daily specials from the kitchen. It also means that since the guest’s order will be done in writing, there’s much less chance of someone getting the order wrong. That’s good for customer service and the hotel’s bottom line.
Some systems also allow guests to send short e-mail or text messages directly from the phone. They also allow for real-time weather, stock and news information to be accessed and displayed.
Hotels can also use IP phones to provide much of the information the front desk or concierge is normally called upon to provide. Detailed information about the hotel and local area, complete with maps, can be provided. Restaurant, show or attraction information and recommendations take the burden off of the concierge. The IP phone can have one-button dialing to the particular attraction, allowing the guest to make his own restaurant reservation immediately, for example.
Unique advertising opportunities are also available. IP phones can display special offers for hotel products and services, such as the night’s dinner specials in the restaurant, or advertising can be sold to local businesses.
IP phone systems also have lower maintenance costs, and provide a whole host of benefits to hotel management and employee operations, which we’ll discuss in a future post. The implementation costs for a 100-room hotel have been estimated to be around $200,000, though are highly dependent upon individual situations.
See also this case study from Cisco Systems of the IP phone and networking implementation of the Langham Place Hotel in Mongkok: PDF
