Accor boosting its digital prowess

TRAVELLERS in the Gulf, especially the UAE and Saudi, have moved from laptops and PCs into the mobile era so quickly it’s like they’ve almost jumped two steps ahead in the digital age, observes Jean-Luc Chrétien, executive vice-president, sales, distribution and loyalty, during a chat with TTN.

So what does this mean for Accor?

The completely Arabised Accor website that was launched in January earlier this year, now has to quickly be adapted to its mobile avatar, so as keep up with the smartphone penetration in the region, Chrétien informs.

“We need to go mobile quickly in this region. We expect to have the fully Arabised mobile site ready by the end of this year,” he says.

ONLINE PENETRATION

It is a well-known fact that the penetration of the worldwide web, while browsing for holidays and choosing hotels, is very high. “About 80 to 90 per cent of customers are now using online as a means of choosing their hotels. Not just that, the online medium is now used more and more to make bookings, and it is particularly catching up in this part of the world,” he says.

This means that Accor has to ensure its websites as efficient, consumer-friendly, easy to book and with the right amount of content, continues Chrétien. “Our welcome programme successfully inserts the digital experience into the customer journey even before the stay begins.” At the customer research stage itself, the intuitive Accor website has everything a customer may want to know about the hotel before making the buying decision. This includes, but is not limited to, previews of the property, location maps, access to TripAdvisor to get third-party reviews and details of the chosen destination.

ONLINE CHECK-IN

“By the end of this year, 1,000 Accor hotels – about 40 per cent of our total portfolio – will have the capacity to offer check-in prior to arrival, if the room is booked online and all information details are filled online. This will benefit both busy business customers and leisure guests,” he explains. On arrival, business guests can save time and head to the room that has already been assigned to them. Leisure guests and those who want to know more about the property and the destination will get much more personalised service at the front desk.

“At the end of the stay, the guest will receive an email with all their expenses in an invoice and this will also save time while checking-out. Once the stay is over, guests are welcome to send their feedback to the hotels, post on their site.” This is the basic offering of Accor’s welcome programme that will be offered in 40 per cent of the group’s properties globally.

“The next steps involve being able to insert more services into this welcome programme. For instance, when guests have checked in online, they will be able to pre-order concierge or order room service before arrival.”

DIGITAL MAKES PERSONAL

The general impression is that taking things digital leads to dehumanisation but Chrétien explains how it may actually help personalise services for the user, in a way human interaction cannot. “When a customer uses a smartphone, we have access to the region they are located in and their profiles are fed into the system. Through their profiles and the region, we know the hotels they have stayed in and liked, and we can use this information to send tailor-made packages to our customers.”

The online champion shows us the profile behind the online customer and why it is so important for brands to push online agenda. “We need to go online because all our customers are there – with their laptops, mobiles, tablets etc. Customers who buy online are either business individual travellers or those looking for ease of booking. When we travel to a place where we don’t need a visa, where we speak the language and we know exactly what we’re doing, we book online.”

This, in turn, highlights the importance of tour operators and destination management companies. Tour operators help when we want to book the whole package, from the flights, hotel and activities, he says. When we go to a foreign land with very little knowledge of the place, it is reassuring that a professional is making the arrangements for you, he explains, as opposed to going directly to the hotel or booking with an online travel agency (OTA). Besides, OTAs still have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to tailor-made packages, when compared to traditional agencies.

“Another reason that makes travel agencies very relevant in this region is payment. Booking online requires a credit card and there is still a huge market in the region that prefers to deal in cash. When online bookings started, people told me that the share of the traditional global distribution system (GDS) will decrease over time. At that point, the share for GDS was 9 per cent globally. It is still 9 per cent,” smiles the Frenchman.

By Rashi Sen