Hotel Guest App or App-Free Web Portal? A Decision Guide

Guests now want to order room service, ask for towels or find the Wi-Fi password on their phones. Hotels, in turn, want fewer calls to reception, requests on record and extra services that guests can actually see. There are two ways to get there: offer guests an app to download, or set up an app-free guest portal that opens from a QR code.

Both seem to lead to the same place, yet they work out very differently, from the guest’s first tap to the hotel’s daily routine. When deciding, look less at the feature list and more at what guests will really do.

A branded mobile app can make sense for loyal guests who return often. But guests face several steps, and some give up at each one.

• Guests have to open the app store, find the app and download it.
• They need storage space, often an account, and must accept permissions.
• iOS and Android versions have to be updated separately, and each change may wait for store review.
• Once the stay is over, there may be little reason for the app to stay on the phone.

With an app-free guest portal, guests scan the QR code in the room or tap the NFC tag, and the portal opens in the browser. There is no store, no download and no account. The room’s QR code knows which room the guest is in, so orders and requests go straight to that room.

1. 1

   1

   Scan

   The guest scans the QR code on the bedside table with the phone camera. The portal opens in the phone’s language.

2. 2

   2

   Choose

   They order from the room service menu or send a request for towels, a cleaning time or the spa.

3. 3

   3

   Follow

   They see the status of the order or request live, and the hotel can write to them in the same place.

Security is the most frequent question about app-free portals. In a well-designed system the QR code only opens the door; personal actions need confirmation.

• For orders and personal information, guests confirm with the surname registered at check-in or a PIN; the hotel decides how often this is asked.
• The step can be skipped for guests on the hotel Wi-Fi.
• When a guest checks out, that room’s sessions end.
• A lost or copied QR code can be invalidated in one click and a new one printed.

Your answers to these questions will largely show which path suits your hotel:

• How many nights do most of your guests stay, and how often do they return?
• Which languages do your guests speak, and can the interface open in them?
• Who will publish menu and service changes, and how quickly?
• Which departments will receive requests, and how will delays be noticed?
• Which details do you really need to ask guests for?

Oquto offers an app-free guest portal for these needs: room, table and sunbed QR codes, an interface in five languages, department screens and a management panel on one platform. Each module is switched on or off per hotel.