Encourage team members to try out the app.
Guests are much more likely to adopt new technology if they can see that the team member presenting it is comfortable and confident in the app's abilities. Have each team member experience the OpenKey app from a guest perspective - i.e. downloading the app, receiving the key, exploring the additional information contained within, and opening a guest room lock.
Build additional value for your guests by utilizing the features present in the OpenKey app. Be sure your hotel's Dining and Amenity information are present in the app. If applicable, you can add ongoing Announcements for promotions as well. For example, an announcement with the title "10% off any breakfast item" and a description of "Show this app to the barista to receive 10% off a breakfast item of your choice" gives your guest an additional reason to download and use the app.
Always issue mobile keys by default and only create plastic keys when the guest specifically requests one. Hotels that issue mobile keys as the primary method of guest access have significantly better usage numbers over properties that position mobile keys as an additional amenity. Physically moving the stock of plastic keys away from the front desk (but still accessible when needed) is a great way to transition to issuing primarily mobile keys.
Require team members to ask for mobile phone numbers and email addresses when creating new reservations. If possible, set these fields to 'required' in the PMS. You can also request from your OTA account representatives that they ensure guest information is released to your reservation system - expressly for use with a mobile key. Generally speaking, they will not automatically forward contact information due to contractual agreements not to market directly to guests that stay under OTA reservations.
When entering phone numbers in your PMS, make sure to add +country code for all international phone numbers. If your hotel uses Automated Key Delivery, each reservation should have a country code listed for all international numbers. US and Canada numbers are not required to have the +country code (+1) appended to the front of the phone numbers. NOTE: Adding a + without a country code WILL NOT properly validate in OpenKey HOST, and the guest WILL NOT receive a mobile key. For example, +12145550123 and 2145550123 will both validate. +2145550123 will not validate.
Add mobile key collateral to your pre-arrival emails, sales information, website, and within the hotel common areas. On average, it takes a consumer seeing a message 7x to fully absorb it. Employing different mediums allows you to showcase mobile key as the primary guest access and leads to higher guest adoption rates. View OpenKey’s available collateral Here.
When creating group bookings, always try to get separate contact information (mobile phone number and email address) for each guest within the group. If all reservations have the main person's phone number on file, the mobile keys will not reach the appropriate guests and the main guest will receive multiple notifications.
If you have a PMS integration, always check guests in through the PMS and allow the key to be issued automatically via the integration. Issuing a key directly from OpenKey HOST will not associate the key with the guest's reservation, so any changes made in the PMS will not update the mobile key automatically. As a reminder, if the guest is already checked in when a mobile number is added, they may not be automatically added to OpenKey. Make sure to verify that a mobile key was issued in the HOST platform. More information on PMS integrations can be found Here.
Verify the hotel phone number available within the app reaches a live person 24/7. If your hotel's front desk closes at a certain time, be sure to include an after-hours phone number in Hotel Information.