The Lucerne delivers 5 star service in a 120 year old landmark for 21st century guests with Fetch.
The Lucerne Hotel offers excellent accommodations in the heart of Manhattan's lovely Upper West Side. It's not everyday that you can experience the grandeur of old New York in a landmark building originally built in 1904!
But a hotel is much more than 4 walls with some furniture in it. The Lucerne wants to deliver the service of old New York as well as the ambiance, starting all the way from the greeting of a kind doorman. That required a 21st century platform to meet the expectations of today's travellers.
Ross and his team wanted to ensure they delivered the best guest experience possible. Especially in a competitive market like Manhattan! The only problem was none of The Lucerne's many amazing staff could read minds. Things had been done in a more traditional way for years. Aside from the PMS, most staff did not have much daily interaction with software of any kind.
The Lucerne had three key objectives to cement their legendary service: (i) be pre-emptive whenever possible, (ii) be readily and easily available, and (iii) accountability on delivery.
(i) Pre-emptive
Historically the front desk would only hear about opportunities if guests were to visit/call and tell the front desk, or if they read about it online. But five star service called for getting in front of these things for a truly seamless guest experience.
They implemented Fetch's proactive on-site SMS pulse check. 2 hours after guests arrive they are automatically prompted to share their experience so far, and if anyone isn't fully satisfied, Ross and his team are alerted in real time. Now they are able to get in front of opportunities when they are small sparks instead of large flames.
(ii) Availability
Traveller's behaviour has changed a lot over the years. At one point being "just a call away" was plenty, but today's travellers like to do the talking with their thumbs. So The Lucerne leverages Fetch's 2-way texting as a 24/7 chat concierge. Guests can text them at any time for any reason and instantly be speaking with a team member. This has been particularly effective through the pandemic when guests have truly embraced digital communication more than ever before.
(iii) Ensure Completion
Finding the opportunity is one thing, but actually executing on it makes all the difference. So The Lucerne's entire team uses Fetch's ticket management system to track open opportunities, work through them internally, and close them off to confirm completion. The entire system updating in real-time gives them an accurate pulse on what's happening at the hotel and what still needs to be done.
The impact was noticed immediately. Within hours of launching guests had embraced the messaging with open arms, finding it more convenient than ever to chat with the front desk any time from anywhere for anything they may need. Staff were just as quick to adopt the platform as well--especially the analytics, which have been used extensively since day 1 to keep a pulse on satisfaction, team performance, and even find trends in specific locations using the Room Analysis.
And the numbers speak for themselves. Guest satisfaction is up, defect rates are down, and online reputation is higher than ever. All with double digit gains!
Doug Brookman
Area Director, Empire Hotels