Beacons in Restaurants & Hotel Location-based marketing platform -Swivio

The hospitality industry has always been built on responsiveness to specific client needs,  whether the time-sensitive requests of a person dining at your restaurant or the preferences of a guest at your hotel. Beacons allow for the flow of targeted, real-time information between hospitality clients and the people and places accommodating them, unlocking ways to mutually improve these experiences. These innovations may include offering loyalty rewards to frequent guests, enabling automated check-in or offering special deals based off past activity—though the opportunities are endless.

 

1.    Marriott International

 

Marriott International recently deployed beacons around the lobbies and other areas

within their hotels to push geo-targeted in-hotel discounts and offers from nearby

retailers to their loyalty club members.

 

The company revamped its loyalty program by adding two new features – LocalPerks and FlashPerks—that were built on a program that linked loyalty points to social media activity on Facebook, Instagram etc. Among them, LocalPerks allowed customers to reap the benefits of offers that were available in local neighborhoods around that specific hotel. FlashPerks, on the other hand, allowed them to use reward points as virtual currency redeemable on offers such as a discounted stay at the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai or a test drive of luxury cars such

as Porsche and Lamborghini.

 

2.    Starwood Group

 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is implementing a new pilot program that will see two key hotel locations in Manhattan and Silicon Valley allowing guests to enter their rooms with their smartphones. After installing the Starwood Preferred Guest (SGP) App, guests will receive a virtual key on their iPhone, which can then be used to unlock a door with a tap using Bluetooth 4.0. The Bluetooth Low Energy specification, first introduced with the iPhone 4s, has been used in a similar way for many home locking products like the Lockitron and the August Smart Lock, but this is the first time it’s being used on a larger scale.

  

3.    The James

 

The James Hotels, with locations in New York, Chicago, and Miami, has just released a new app, the James Pocket Assistant, featuring iBeacon integration. The app uses beacons to give hotel guests a concierge-like experience, providing location-based suggestions for dinner, shopping, and activities. The app also offers basic features such as the ability to check-in, check-out, extend one’s stay, view the hotel map, order room service, book a spa appointment and, of course, use one-button communication with the front desk. The app can also give guests a ‘self-guided art tour’ through the hotel’s art collection and send users offers and perks based ontheir location.

 

4.    The Mook Group

 

Mook, a German restaurant group, recently integrated iBeacon technology with their existing mobile app to reward their customers for spending time at the restaurant. Beacons were deployed at various parts of restaurant to keep track of the amount of time customers generally spend at the group’s establishments. The app is programmed to use this information to assign ratings such as ‘addicted connoisseur’ and ‘guest’, rewarding customers with higher ratings with offers such as a free drink or a quick table allotment on their arrival.

Future plans: They are planning to learn what people eat and drink, when peak restaurant hours are, and how often a customer comes into the establishment.

Key strategy: Add value and excitement to each visit, rather than simply offering a

discount.

 

5.    Eggcellent

 

Tokyo-based Eggcellent recently started allowing customers to order food and make mobile payments via iBeacon technology. To implement this, they placed these bluetooth-enabled devices on each table at the restaurant. As soon as a customer places his mobile device close to the beacon, the menu app opens up. It even allows customers to view dishes liked by their friends, since it links the app to social networking sites that the customer frequently visits. Once done, the restaurant has a cashless checkout facility by paying through the app.

  

6.    McDonald’s

 

There are 26 McDonald’s franchises in Columbus, Georgia that are integrating iBeacon technology with a custom mobile app to give customers an improved dining experience. In the trial, beacons were used for sending special deals for McChicken Sandwiches and Chicken McNuggets. This pushed McChicken Sandwich sales up 8 percent and Chicken McNuggets up 7.5 percent.

  

Questions to answer before getting started with beacons at your Restaurants & Hotel

 

·         Does the profile of your average guest change seasonally? If so, how can you adjust your campaigns accordingly?

·         What processes can you automate with beacons in order to delight your customer or guest?

·         What concerns may guests have with engaging with beacons (i.e. privacy) and how can you mitigate those concerns?

·         How can you use beacons to directly generate more revenue to increase ROI?

·         What strategic partnerships (i.e. aggregator apps, local business, etc.) can you develop to enhance your beacon campaign?

·         What do you want to measure using beacons? This can include things like

·         demographic breakdowns, bounce rates, offer / coupon redemptions, date of visit, frequency of visit

·         How do you wish to identify and reward returning customers?

6 beacon campaign ideas

 

·         Create an interactive pub crawl by partnering with other local bars and restaurants willing to offer promotions to participants.

·         Push automatic check-in notifications to hotel guests when they enter your lobby.

·         Gain insight into popular menu items, peak hours and other metrics to inform decisions in your restaurant.

·         Push tailored offers based off a restaurant customer’s favorite dishes or past purchase history.

·         Deliver custom menus and prices to valued customers at your restaurant.

·         Engage customers in your cafe waiting in line with exclusive offers and updates.

 

Launch your beacon pilot campaign today with any developer’s help! SWIVIO makes it easy to order and deploy beacons.