Software company Metova has released the results of a new blind survey of more than 1,000 people in the United States who have stayed at a hotel, resort or casino in the past two years regarding their sentiment about COVID-19 practices, concerns, and technology in the hospitality industry.
“COVID-19 has accelerated customer demand for technologies such as mobile check-in apps, keyless entry and mobile concierge services that enable a contactless experience while adding convenience that did not exist in the past,” said Jonathan Sasse, chief strategy officer at Metova. “And not only are these technologies a deciding factor when a customer has the choice to pick one hotel, casino or resort over another, but the overall desire for them is here to stay.”
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Survey Results
According to Metova’s fall 2020 hospitality survey, 78 percent of respondents have avoided staying in a hotel, casino or resort specifically due to COVID-19. Ninety percent say it is very or extremely important that the facility they stay at enforces COVID-19 safety policies, and nearly 90 percent prefer that the hotel they stay at has a mobile app offering the ability to completely manage a stay without having to interact with a person.
Eighty-six percent say other things being equal, they would choose one hotel over another if one offered the option of a fully contactless mobile check-in, concierge, check-out and facility reservation app. Sixty percent have stayed in a hotel, casino or resort in the past six months, while 82 percent feel the COVID-19 pandemic will bring about changes to the onsite lodging experience that will last well into the future.
In terms of changes travelers feel would be of most value to in a future hotel stay, mobile check-in and alerts for on-site amenities (68 percent), access to room via mobile app (61 percent), and online concierge services via mobile app (55 percent) ranked highest.