Here's some quick context on this case study
Here's some quick context on this case study
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Here's some quick context on this case study
As part of my grad school thesis, I decided to showcase an end-to-end experience for a hotel system with IoT capabilities.
To showcase the experience, I considered the interaction from the guests and staff's points of view.
To arrive at this solution and design, I conducted primary and secondary research with travelers, hotel staff, and executives working in the hospitality industry.
Introduction
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To showcase the experience, I considered the interaction from the guest and staff's points of view.
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To arrive at this solution and design, I conducted primary and secondary research with travelers, hotel staff, and executives working in the hospitality industry.
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I worked for three months to prepare this case study.I performed this project entirely alone, from research to wireframe to mockups.
The Process
Creative strategy
Brainstorming and conceptualizing the idea, as well as its execution.
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Information Architecture and Content Strategy
Scoping through the data and writing the content, visualizing the flow of information, and executing the same.
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Communication and collaboration
Served as a point of contact for the partner and ensured transparency in communication channels.
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Storytelling
Creating custom-made illustrations to showcase various features and interactions of people using hotels and the various amenities and features.
Contributions
Built out an entire end-to-end product service ecosystem, which consisted of several elements to enable a contactless hotel experience
Solution
Research
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Secondary research- Tons of readings on sites such as Triopto, Skift, Phocuswright, and others to get background information on the concerns regarding hotel stays.
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Primary Research- Surveys: Short questions targeting travelers of different ages, and understanding their needs and pain points.
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Interviews- Then I conducted interviews with stakeholders working in hotel chains such as OYO, boutique hotels such as White Swan Inn, and executives of Booking.com
Key findings
To showcase my debrief, I could show you some illegible post-its. However, what would be more helpful is to show what people are saying. ​
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What is something that you would expect from a hotel post-COVID?
Mobile check-in on your phone, mobile card key, extra cleanliness!
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I want to stay in a hotel where the attendees and customers also adhere to COVID guidelines. I can trust hotels when I book them, and they say they adhere to guidelines, but I want to ensure that other guests pay the same attention to safety as I do.
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Clean(disinfecting) procedures before and after check-in/out. I think cleanliness has always been a controversial topic for hotels because the procedures are not transparent. Customers don't know what is done and what is not. I think it will be great to see some improvements in the area.
Cleanliness is the foremost priority.
Reduction in the number of touch points
Synergy between personal device and points of scan
The idea
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I conceptualized and designed a product-service ecosystem that provides end-to-end solutions to guests and hotel operators.
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The ecosystem focuses on minimizing touchpoints and simplifying essential functions to make possible contactless delivery of services.
The service blueprint
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To showcase the ecosystem at a macro level, I created a detailed service blueprint.
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The blueprint highlights each stage of the hotel experience in detail, providing a clear perspective on actions, interfaces, their respective functions, and interactions.
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If you are interested in reading the blueprint content, scroll horizontally from left to right.
The story
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I created a storyboard to illustrate the entire experience.
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Clive Lloyd and his wife Thelma are planning a vacation at the Portola Hotel and Spa in Monterey, a few hours away from their home in San Francisco. Working hard at the Portola Hotel is Ravi Patel.
1. The booking stage
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Like most people, the couple looks at prices and compares deals, etc.
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Once the payment is made, they are guided to download the InnPlus app to finish the booking and manage their trip.
2. Documentation
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Once in the InnPlus app, Clive will be guided to initiate the check-in by uploading all the travelers’ documents.
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Around hours before check-in, both will be required to upload a selfie so the images can be matched against the documents.
2.1 Documentation
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As they upload the document and the selfie, Ravi will see all three items on the dashboard and the email sent to the guest with the room number and code.
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After the documents’ authentication, he will send the room details and key code to Clive and Thelma.
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The key code will be unique to the guests. It gives them access both inside and outside the hotel.
3. Room entry
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On travel day, the Lloyds arrive at their hotel and reach their room upstairs without complications.
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To enter the room, they hold the phone near the scanner, and they are in.
3.1 Check-in notification
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Meanwhile, downstairs, Ravi gets an immediate notification of check-in and room entry and initiates the confirmation call.
4. Room service
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The fun thing about any hotel experience is room service. And now it’s a lot easier.
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Click on room service to start a chat.
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Ask for whatever you need, and have it come to your room.
4. Room notification
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If either Clive or Thelma prefers to talk to someone, simply call the front desk.
5. In-room Interactions
The smart room features can be accessed using the app. An example of that here is the lights feature.
6. Public spaces
If Clive and Thelma want to step out and access the public areas, they can find out the crowded areas in real-time by going through the crowd option.
7. Reserve Amenity
Alternatively, guests can make a reservation to use an amenity.
For instance, here’s a screen flow of making a reservation on conference rooms.
6.1 Footfall meters
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This is made possible by placing footfall meters at all access points of the hotel.
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This can give real-time data on the number of people in an area.
7. Employee interactions
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Since there are other staff members other than Ravi, the hotel is committed to ensuring smooth tracking and contact tracing.
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Smart ID cards with a proximity sensor will be given to each employee, who will have the ability to log an entry if someone has been near them for more than 30 seconds.
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The same entry will be time-stamped and saved on an external cloud.
9. Checkout
It’s now time for the couple to check out and leave.
So the couple requests a baggage pickup and leaves their bags outside the room.
The bags are picked up and dropped off at the lobby waiting area. The couple can retrieve the same by using their room key code.
Alternatively, through the app, by clicking special instructions, they can direct the staff to drop the bags at the cab.
CONCLUSION
Some parting thoughts before you move on...
InnPlus aims to empower both guests and hotel staff to safely run a hotel without compromising the enjoyable elements through a range of devices.
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Just like smart home kits, InnPlus can be considered as an intelligent hotel kit, with the elements of scalability. It can be retrofitted to suit a boutique hotel, a motel, or a huge resort.
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Rest rejuvenation and well-being are essential to our mental health and since ‘essential’ has been the watchword of the year, an ecosystem like InnPlus can hope to have a purpose in improving or redefining the travel experience.
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Every traveler is entitled to a safe and enjoyable stay. By integrating key elements, we can work towards enhancing the post-pandemic hotel experience.