EXCLUSIVE: New online platform now allows guests to choose their own rooms before checking in

Hamish Kilburn
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The new platform, Hotel Room Chooser, enables hoteliers to own customer relationships and data, increase direct bookings, maximise brand experience and encourage loyalty…

Hotel Room Chooser is a newly launched online platform that allows guests to choose their own hotel room prior to check-in.

The technology, which was recognised and shortlisted for The Brit List 2018’s Innovative Use Of Technology award, has been developed by London-based Filter Digital. Its innovation has is already being utilised by several leading hotel brands and chains, including GLH.

The platform provides guests with a visual choice of location for their booking, so they can pick the best individual room or environment for their stay and enjoy complete peace of mind.

Guests using the service are presented with bespoke interactive floorplans, photography, 360 experiences and more so they have everything they need to choose the room they want – and the entire experience is also optimised for mobile.

A built-in notification system uses email and SMS to communicate with guests throughout the room choosing process, including confirmation once complete.

“Hoteliers using Hotel Room Chooser also benefit from integration with reception desks at individual locations.”

For hoteliers, Hotel Room Chooser has the flexibility to be either fully integrated into their existing CRM and booking journeys or sit outside of them as a post-booking process. It’s also fully scalable, with the option to add booking locations and apply multiple branding.

The platform is hosted externally, with live API and network integration possible – crucially, all customer data is fully encrypted via SSL, making Hotel Room Chooser extremely secure.

Hoteliers using Hotel Room Chooser also benefit from integration with reception desks at individual locations, all the while capturing customer feedback, with detailed real-time and monthly reporting available via an interactive dashboard.

And this new technology has the power to dramatically increase direct bookings. In a recent survey of 500 customers where Hotel Room Chooser was available:

  • 75 per cent of customers did choose their own room
  • 96 per cent found the experience enjoyable
  • 98 per cent said they would use it again

“We’re incredibly pleased that since its initial launch we have processed tens of thousands of bookings through Hotel Room Chooser, and it has been an unequivocal success for our partners,” said Filter Digital CEO Oliver Morrison. “In five years’, allowing guests to choose their own room will be a baseline offering, and hotel groups that aren’t able to offer this will be left behind as customers gravitate towards those that can provide this choice. We’re thrilled to be able to offer the platform for license to all hotel chains, particularly those looking to maximise the potential of direct booking channels.”

Put simply, Hotel Room Chooser taps into the growing demand of interactivty and guests wanting a personalised service from check in to check out.

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Hamish Kilburn / 04.12.2018

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