WASHINGTON — Some hotels have come up with an even quicker way to get in touch with the front desk than a phone call: a text.
About 450 individual hotels, including Hyatt Regency locations, are using new technology that allows guests to text room-service or concierge requests, complaints about room conditions or pretty much anything else down to the front desk with their smartphones.
They’re mostly luxury hotels for now, but the idea is heading into the mainstream, The New York Times reports.
Analysts say the technology helps hotels serve customers more quickly: Texts from guests go to about a dozen hotel employees, maximizing the chances that someone will answer promptly. That helps hotels fulfill guests’ requests quickly, resulting in the all-important positive online reviews.
Hotels also hope the technology will keep customers using room service — the average per-room income from room service fell by about one-third between 2010 and 2014, the Times says.
