Contactless Ordering and Payment at Your Hotel

The hotel industry is nonstop. From the searing heat of the kitchen to the hustle and bustle of the lobby—dozens of hands are working around the clock so that everything from the temperature of the pool to the fluffiness of the pillows is spot on.For operators, running a hotel is about keeping track of a thousand details, and in-house hospitality services are a big chunk of that. So what if there was a better way, not only to keep track of details but to simplify and modernize the hotel dining experience?That’s where contactless ordering and payment comes in.

Introducing A Digital Menu: How It Works

The old days of flipping through a paper menu are a thing of the past. Let customers browse your culinary delights on their smartphones by offering QR codes that link directly to a digital menu.Whether guests are sitting in your highly-acclaimed, four-star hotel restaurant clinking wine glasses or just looking for a quick breakfast before their morning meeting, the experience can be streamlined and enhanced through contactless solutions.We can breakdown the contactless dining experience into a few simple steps:

• Scan and Browse – Have your server or waitstaff drop off a scannable QR code or better yet have one waiting for your guests when they first sit down. They’ll have the opportunity to scan your menu immediately and save your staff a trip to the table.
• Tap To Order – Once the guest picks their item of choice, there’s no need to wait around for someone to take their order. Guests simply tap their phone screen and put in their meal requests. With modifier options added to the digital menu, guests can make dietary requests and choose between item options (rare or well-done, add cheese) with a few simple swipes of the finger.
• Delivery and Payment – If that first round of appetizers went a little too quickly, QR codes let guests continue ordering at any point during the meal. When they’re ready for the check, a few more taps on their phone and the guest can pay for the meal with their preferred credit card or digital payment method.

7 Benefits of Contactless Ordering for Hotels

When it comes to the benefits of contactless ordering for hotels, the spread is as enticing as your specials menu.

#1 Pristine Presentation

Presentation is everything in the hospitality business, and no guest wants to be handed a menu that still has bits of a previous guest’s tiramisu speckled over it.Through a QR code menu, operators can eliminate pesky problems like:

• Outdated or misprinted menus
• Torn, smudged, or stained pages
• The need to clean and sanitize menus

Even better? A QR code can be designed within a hotel’s aesthetic to add an extra level of elegance and refinement to the guest experience.

#2 Up-to-Date Menus From Opening to Last Call

Menus can be updated at any time, so as soon as an item runs out, it can be taken off the menu. That means more happy customers and fewer staff interactions that start with “I’m sorry, we’re unfortunately sold out.”

#3 An Environmentally Friendly Approach

Looking to go a little green? By cutting out unnecessary printing you’re saving a whole lot of trees.Paper demand adds up to around 350 million tons per year globally and contributes to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions during the manufacturing process.By significantly reducing your business’ paper consumption through contactless ordering, you’ll be doing your part to cut down on paper waste. Not only that, but your guests can take pride in supporting a business dedicated to making a positive ecological impact.

#4 Cutting Down On Paper Menus Cuts Down On Cost

Paper doesn’t grow on trees—well not exactly at least. Paper costs have risen steadily over the years and can cost businesses thousands of dollars per year.A monthly paper bill used to be an accepted business expense, but it doesn’t have to be anymore. Contactless ordering allows operators a technical solution to save time and money without sacrificing any of the quality services you’re known for.

#5 Cut Out The Funnel

Putting out orders with speed and efficiency is no easy task. Traditionally, there are major choke points when orders make it to the kitchen.We’re thinking about the big three:

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

The daily rushes are unavoidable but the problems are. Here’s exactly how contactless ordering cuts out the funnel that causes kitchens to crash and dining services to slow:

• Cut Down The Steps – Table. Service Station. Table. Kitchen. Table. All the back and forth can make you feel like a ping-pong ball. Cut down all the trips by letting the customers put in orders for themselves, that way your staff can focus exclusively on great hospitality and quality service.
• Eliminate The POS – If your hotel dining options are more extensive than a vending machine, chances are you’re dealing with a point-of-sale system. POS systems are the old way of managing orders—slow, prone to problems, and the frequent cause of long wait times. You’ll be astounded how much smoother things can run when you eliminate the POS system in favor of a simple QR code-based ordering system.
• Forget The Errors – To err is human, that’s why we’re taking the human error out of the ordering process. Throw away the notebooks and let your staff breathe a sigh of relief, with contactless ordering guests can place their orders, double-check their selections, and make sure no one ever has to feel bad about getting the wrong dish.

#6 A True Contactless Room Service Experience

You may be thinking, “Isn’t room service already contactless?”Sure, previously guests would:

• Scrounge up a menu from the nightstand drawer (if they can find it)
• Pick up the phone and try to punch in the correct number
• Stay on hold while a busy staff member writes down the order
• Wait for who-knows-how-long and hope they got the order right

But a true contactless room service experience means:

• Scanning a QR code
• Choosing your items from the digital menu
• Tracking your order from the kitchen to your door.

It’s just like with dine-in service options, but with the added luxury of staying in bed. Plus, digital menus can encourage item pairings, allowing operators to recommend a bottle of champagne to pair with the lobster or an unbeatable ice cream sundae to top off the perfect meal.Who else is hungry?

#7 Communicate Seamlessly With Your Guests

Sometimes snags in the kitchen can cause serious delays and dissatisfied customers. Eliminate the possibility of hiccups with direct digital communication with your guests.With contactless ordering you can inform your guests:

• If an item is no longer available
• About substitution options for unavailable items
• If the kitchen is running behind

Guests can even track their order so they’ll know exactly when the dish will hit the table. Not only that, your guest can communicate right back to you with their requests and even helpful feedback.There may be some compliments in your future when you implement contactless ordering.All the conveniences your guests are used to, from substitutions to bill splitting, are all available through contactless ordering options and even easier to implement. Guests can feel empowered through all the personalized convenience, while operators benefit from a smooth and stable dining service. That’s what we call a win-win.

Simple Ways to Make the Most of Your Contactless Ordering System

The hotel industry is about making memories for your guests, going above and beyond, and providing a luxurious experience to keep guests returning to you for their travel needs.Make your guests feel like VIPS by offering loyalty options catered directly to them through your contactless ordering system. Through QR codes hoteliers can offer:

• Partner-Centric Digital Deals – Give your guests the deals that make them feel like part of the family. By creating a contactless ordering and payment program, you can reward your most loyal customers with amazing offers to make their next stay even better than the last.
• Specially Branded Content – A hotel can represent an entire lifestyle. Let your business display exactly who you are with branded content from images and text to video, all through the same app where your guests order their dinner.
• Personalized Offers – What your customers are interested in, what services they purchase, and what food they like to order can all be used to create personalized offers. Track real-time data to stay up to date with your guests’ most loved items and services.

Complete the experience of contactless ordering by reminding your guests exactly how you stand out and why they should choose you for next time.

Designing An Unparalleled Hospitality Experience With GoTab

We’ve shown you all the benefits of contactless ordering, from better customer service to lower costs, what more could you want?Oh, how about a company dedicated to providing unparalleled service for all your hotel dining needs?GoTab is your trusted source for turning your dining operations into a lean, mean, hospitality machine. By offering contactless ordering and payment methods, custom digital menus, data analytics, and unbeatable service, we’ve distinguished ourselves as the one-stop-shop to bringing your hotel into the new era of dining.Learn more about our free two-week trial and bring five-star service to your guests with a tap of a finger. Visit GoTab today!Sources:

• Penn Libraries. The environmental sustainability of paper. https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=gsjod
• Chron. The average cost per month for office supplies. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/average-cost-per-month-office-supplies-12771.html