Case Study: How The Wigwam Increased Guest Satisfaction & Revenue

The Wigwam is an iconic luxury retreat surrounded by the beautiful desert landscape of Arizona. A comfortable oasis in the rugged southwestern American landscape, the 440-acre property provides a complete array of recreational amenities, pools, three unique restaurants, a spa and 54-holes of championship golf. For more than a century, the resort has offered guests an outstanding getaway experience with a special emphasis on white-glove service.

“We’re quite busy,” said Kendall Clay, Director of Rooms at The Wigwam. “We probably average 125 people per day coming and going,” he continued. 

The team at The Wigwam has a long standing tradition of paying special attention to the needs and preferences of their guests. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team realized that modern consumers were more comfortable with technology than ever, and this presented a fantastic opportunity to improve the guest experience and staff efficiency at the same time.

At the time they began their search for new technology solutions, the management team at The Wigwam wished to achieve three main objectives: improve the guest experience, increase staff efficiency, and boost revenue. They soon realized that each one could be met with just Canary Technologies’ comprehensive Guest Management System.  

One Simple Platform to Replace Multiple Point Solutions

It’s Canary’s unified platform of guest-facing solutions that Kendall pointed to as one of the greatest values the company provides.

“It’s very helpful that the same platform our sales team uses for secure digital credit card authorizations is the same one we use for Contactless Check-In and Digital Upsells. We already use so many different interfaces; the fact that Canary bundles so much together, and it all works flawlessly, is a real advantage.” 

According to the Director of Rooms, it only takes new staff a day at most to learn Canary’s system and guests categorically find it very easy to use.

The Exclusive Guest Management System for Preferred's Alliance Partner Program

Kendall pointed to a number of reasons why The Wigwam selected Canary, such as ease of use, implementation time and a web-based experience. However, there was something else that set Canary Technologies apart from other solutions for the team at the luxury Arizona property.  

“It’s very reassuring to know that so many other Preferred Hotels & Resorts member properties are using Canary,” said Kendall. “The fact that they are Preferred’s exclusive provider for guest management solutions really sets them apart from all of the other options out there.”

A Better Guest Experience With Contactless Check-In 

“We needed a way to meet our guests where their expectations are,” said Kendall. “And what they expect is a front desk experience that has less paperwork and more personality. We knew that a mobile, contactless check-in solution of some kind would help us create a more streamlined experience,” he continued. “When we found Canary’s Contactless Check-In solution we knew it would do the trick.” 

After implementing Contactless Check-In, the Wigwam was quick to see big benefits for both their guests and staff.

“Shortly after the launch of Canary’s solutions at our property, we noticed a 50% increase in front desk efficiency and a 10% increase in guest satisfaction scores,” said Kendall. 

Impressive Impact on Revenue 

Kendall stated that an additional value Canary provided is a boost to revenue through the upselling of early check-in and late checkout. 

“The ability to offer early check-in and late checkout seamlessly at points of high buying interest in the guest journey is incredibly helpful. Canary is driving that revenue that we don’t have to think about. It’s all pre-automated and the desk agent doesn’t have to do the selling themselves,” said Clay.

The Wigwam currently charges $35 dollars per early check-in and late checkout at its property, and with the volume of guests coming and going, this results in $1000’s of new revenue every month. 

Summing Up 

Clay and the team at The Wigwam see Canary as one of their better technology investments thanks to the platform’s breadth of capabilities, PCI compliance, reliable customer support and impact on revenue. 

“The Canary team is very responsive and has addressed all of our needs quickly,” he stated. “It’s been a fantastic experience working with Canary’s platform and we can’t wait to see what their team releases next. We’re generating $1000’s in revenue each month from Upsells and seeing so many other benefits from their other fantastic products.”