ACME - Voyage

This is a graduate student group project, made in collaboration with Grace Maloney and Kayleigh Carlone.

The problem space we have chosen to focus on is within the hospitality industry, specifically the hotel check-in/check-out process, as well as the process for guests requests of items such as towels, toiletries, room food service, stay extensions, cleaning service, and more! We believe digitization of these processes will enhance the overall guest experience while streamlining operations for both guests and hotel staff.

Hotels still rely on manual check-in and check-out processes, which have proven to be inefficient and inconvenient for guests that find themselves fatigued after traveling and eager to just unwind. Guests typically have to wait in lengthy lines, provide personal information to confirm their booking, and wait for a physical key card, which will likely just end up being lost or demagnetized, leading to added inconvenience for both guests and hotel employees. While familiar to many people, the check-in processes used by hotels today seem more complicated than necessary and are a source of pain points for hotel guests.

Current check-in processes also require hotel companies to spend significant financial resources to ensure hotel front desks are adequately staffed, despite it being wasteful to have hotel staff constantly standing at the front desk waiting for guests to arrive. With the digitized solution we imagine, these staff members could be better utilized and address other needs around the hotel to improve the overall guest experience.

An additional problem space within the hotel stay experience is the need to use the phone within a hotel room. Hotels’ landline phones are incredibly outdated for many consumers, and after COVID-19, people are very weary to touch things like germ-ridden, public phones. Requesting toiletries, room service, or other necessities often involve an annoying phone call to the front desk, but with the digitized solution we imagine, guests could simply use their own phones to make requests. 

We are excited by the opportunity to revolutionize these processes by leveraging digital solutions. By introducing streamlined and contactless check-in options, such as mobile check-in and digital key card access, we can reduce wait times and minimize physical waste. Additionally, a user-friendly mobile app or feature integrations could facilitate the fulfillment of guest requests, allowing for a seamless and efficient way for guests to communicate their needs without picking up a landline phone.