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 Wyndham Key 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.
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.
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, this will make it much easier to add the mobile keys during checkin.
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.