Is the Guestroom Telephone Obsolete? Park Hotel Weggis Says No

Nestled on the banks of Switzerland’s Lake Lucerne, the Park Hotel Weggis offers a comprehensive portfolio of amenities to provide the superior services its guests have come to expect, and to maintain both the five-star ranking and a member of Relais & Chateaux. But luxury has come to mean much more nowadays. Remaining among the world’s most elite hotels also means offering the benefits of cutting-edge technology. And one area that often falls short is the in-room telephone.

 

It’s no secret that the influx of cell phones and smart computing devices has essentially made the in-room telephone obsolete. For years, hoteliers have been grappling to find ways to offer a room-based telecommunications device that is tailored to a hotel’s unique needs, is simple and intuitive to use, and sophisticated enough to offer a range of multi-media options that will pique guest interest and generate more revenue opportunities. While some have tried to leverage the in-room TV to accomplish these goals, it can often fall short in guest acceptance and usage.

 

In early 2010, after researching several options, the Park Hotel Weggis began deploying a touch-screen device from Avaya known as the Guest Media Hub. The installation, deployed by the hotel’s IT team which worked hand-in-hand with Avaya Professional Services in October 2010,  made this property the first site in Europe to offer this solution. The Park Hotel Weggis chose it because we believe it will enhance the guest experience, drive staff productivity and generate new revenue sources.

 

The Guest Media Hub is a multi-media device that enables guests to: find and request services, communicate with hotel staff, and access services and personalized content based on prior visits in their preferred first language. German, Italian, French and English are the languages that are available to Park Hotel Weggis guests. In addition to making phone calls, guests can access real-time information and entertaining applications, order services, place “Do Not Disturb” notices, and set alarms. It also has applications for things like getting stock quotes, checking the weather, and discovering hotel-related amenities and local attractions. And lastly, Park Hotel Weggis guests use the Guest Media Hub to browse menus at any of the hotel’s and area restaurants. Guests can view the hotel's extensive wine list, featuring an award-winning assortment of 2,600 precious wines recommended by one of the best sommeliers in Europe. 

 

The Guest Media Hub also offers live Webcam feeds of our property’s natural landscape, as well as beach and shoreline views of Lake Lucerne and other famous vistas in the Swiss Alps. Because guests can access content in a number of languages, it has also come to serve as an easy entry point for collaborative marketing partnerships with local venues. Since it is integrated with our property management system and environment, there are myriad partnership opportunities via split-revenue models, where off-site shopping, recreation and other non-hotel attractions can be promoted via the Guest Media Hub.

 

The Park Hotel Weggis is already benefiting from productivity savings and environmental benefits by shifting paper-based services like the guest directory, in-room menus, doorknob placards and other information to a digital format. We are also able to offload some of the work from the front-desk staff and the guest-services contact center by offering technology-driven self-service options and shifting non-value-add transactions to the Guest Media Hub. This ensures that we will maintain our technological edge and provide the most superior service for our guests over our competitive set across the continent.