Increase online check-in rates & automate your entire guest journey

Capsule Hotel is an innovative hotel that operates in Lucerne, Basel and the Zurich airport, in Switzerland. The brand is mixing the best of both worlds by taking the revolutionary concept of a capsule hotel with the quality of Swiss products.

They are positioning themselves as an affordable and innovative alternative to traditional hotels. The brand attracts mostly solo travelling tourists, but also business travellers who need a place to stay for a short period of time and want to try an original concept in a central location.

The mission of Capsule Hotel is to make it possible for everyone to explore the world while staying in a central place, in a safe and inexpensive way.

The challenge: target the right audience via the right communication channel

The team at Capsule Hotel wanted to take their guest journey to the next level by adding different channels and ways to personalise their communications. They were looking for a solution that allowed them to segment audiences with different characteristics and contact them using more channels.

“For us it was crucial, for example, to send out an online check-in email on the day of arrival at a specific time, and that was not possible before”, said Hendrik, Project and Account Manager at Capsule Hotel.

They were also looking to use more message triggers, a feature that is key in order to automate a guest journey. This means, when a certain action is performed (for example, when a reservation is made), a message is automatically sent. The Capsule Hotel team wanted to send out the check-in details on guest arrival day using different channels instead of just email.

At the same time, there was also a lot of manual work that was consuming their time in an unnecessary way. “We had a large number of channels where messages came through and we could only manage to check a few of those channels one by one, which was very time-consuming and inefficient”, said Hendrik.

Capsule Hotel uses Mews as their Property Management System, and overall, they were looking to provide guests with a seamless and hassle-free experience by automating their customer journey, while helping their staff to have more efficient processes.

The solution: centralise and personalise the communication channels to target the right audience

By implementing the Bookboost Customer Experience Platform, the team was able to find the specific target audience and the right communication channel under one platform.

1. They created specific audiences and targeted them with personalised messages

The team used Bookboost Multi-Channel CRM to create hundreds of possible segmentations, such as the channel they use, if they are first-timers, returning guests, and more. This allows them to personalise the messages. ‍

2. Easy message building with customisable tokens

Through the Bookboost platform the team has access to a wide range of tokens that they can use to personalise messages for a specific audience. On top of that, the email builder makes it easier to personalise and edit every email. “Before, if we had to change a small thing in the message, we needed to enter the right code and it was very messy”, said Valentina, who handles the hotel’s communications.

“Now it's super easy with the builder to do the messages. Doesn't matter if it's e-mail, if it's WhatsApp, it's easy to do it”, added Hendrik.‍

3. They gathered all their communication channels into one big inbox

The hotel’s communication channels are centralised into one unified inbox that allows them to keep track of every conversation without having to switch accounts and login details.

The results: value added to the digitalised customer journey

Some of the results the brand has seen from implementing Bookboost in its customer journey are:

1. Higher rate of online check-in:

After sending communication regarding online check-in through different channels, the brand has experienced an increase in the number of people that checks-in online, which helped them to streamline their processes. Adding WhatsApp as a messaging channel has made a great improvement, since if some people don’t open the email, they do read WhatsApp. So far, the brand is having an average of 60% opening rates regarding online check-in communications.

2. A more efficient use of time:

By bundling all their communication channels into one platform, they are not only saving time but also effort and creating higher satisfaction among their guests. By automating their guest journey, they reduce the time spent there and gain more control.

“Before Bookboost it was not really nice because I needed to check seven different channels. I had to check and refresh one channel after another to see if I have received any message, but now I get an email notification and I reply instantly so it made my time and my work more efficient”, said Valentina.

3. Automated and personalised customer journey:

“For us, an automated guest journey is a crucial point because we don't have a reception at our Hotel in Lucerne. Everything is really automated. This basically means that the customer journey has to be perfect in order to automate it. And that's what I see now with Bookboost”.

4. A more personalised communication:

By being able to target specific audiences, they can create hyper-personalised messages, which allows the communication to be more straightforward and personal. They can truly adapt their messages in order to satisfy the guests’ needs and add value to their guest journey.

After implementing Bookboost into Capsule Hotel, the team is able to spend less time in manual tasks and get a more complete and personalised overview of their communications. “It has made things much easier. I sleep much better, to be honest”, finalised Valentina.

Main takeaways from Capsule Hotel

- Look for ways to enhance your guests’ convenience

For example, you can make check-in easier by using various communication channels like email and messaging apps. This approach broadens your reach and leads to more guests checking in online, simplifying their experience.

- Help your team to be more efficient through centralisation

If you centralise your communication channels, your team can save time and effort. They, just like Valentina, will feel their work makes more sense and is easier. In addition, it gives you better control over guest interactions.

- Don’t miss your chance to personalise

Customising messages for different guest segments doesn’t need to be a pain and it will help you to create more personalised interactions and deliver memorable guest journeys. Valentina's experience shows that personalized messages meet guest needs, increase satisfaction, and build loyalty.