Mobile technology company QikServe has announced the world’s first deployment of a mobile app for hotel room-service.
Two Best Western Plus hotels in Scotland are the first to adopt the app, which allows guests to order room service directly from their smartphone or tablet computer.
Already in use by restaurants around the globe, the QikServe App is now being used in the Best Western Plus Bruntsfield Hotel in Edinburgh and Best Western Plus Keavil House Hotel in Dunfermline.
The system uses 2D barcodes (QR codes) in each room, which are scanned by the guest using the Qikserve App on their smartphone or tablet. The QR codes identify the location of the guest, and the app then displays a digital menu to facilitate ordering over Qikserve’s fast, secure and reliable systems.
“We are very confident that the novelty and ease of placing room service orders by this method will increase room service revenue,” said Russell Imrie, Managing Director, Queensferry Hotels. “The Qikserve App is configured to offer many more items of food and drink than are normally offered on a standard printed room service menu, which increases guest choice and improves the chances of a higher average spend.”
The QikServe App connects to the QikServe platform over the internet using either a mobile data or Wi-Fi connection. The QikServe platform is a highly available, cloud-based service which stores and processes orders, routing them to the hotel’s ordering and Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) systems.
“The hotel business is all about differentiating against the competition, giving guest satisfaction and increasing brand loyalty, and QikServe gives us an edge in these areas,” added Imrie. “Adopting innovative technology like this enhances our brand image and while there is an undeniable cool factor around apps at the moment, it is also clear that people are genuinely using them on a regular basis in their daily lives.”
Hotel operators can benefit from using QikServe quickly and easily. The platform is a hosted service so no additional server hardware is required and no hardware needs to be deployed in the hotel. QikServe can be used to capture customer behaviour patterns and to send targeted offers direct to guests.
“We live in a mobile world and people are increasingly using smartphones in every aspect of their lives, from banking to social networking,” said Ronnie Forbes, CEO, QikServe. “The convenience of being able to browse and order room service at your leisure from your smartphone or tablet means that the traditional room service model is transformed to reflect current technology.”
Currently available for Android and iOS (iPhone, iPad), the QikServe App will soon be available for Windows and Blackberry devices.