Traditional hotel room phones seem incredibly out of place in a world filled with iPads and smartphones. But they often remain the main way to get in touch with the hotel staff for specific service requests. But a new smartphone app is hoping to change how hotels manage guest requests.
Neon Technologies CEO Nick DeMonner says that the idea of the app came to him after staying in numerous hotels on a trip across the United States. “I would get to my room, pick up the in-room phone from 1987, and call the front desk—only to be put on hold,” he says. “I never knew the status of my service requests and after I had waited an hour for a towel, I wondered if my request had been forgotten.”
Neon Concierge allows guests to log in via text message, and requires no app download, as it operates in the browser, and works on smart phones, tablets and laptops. Guests submit requests or feedback and communicate with members of the hotel staff in real-time. Hotel staff keeps track of the requests within Concierge, and hotel owners can log in and view insights into their hotel previously unattainable.
Neon Technologies works with hotels to develop an interface that matches a brand’s design and standards. DeMonner hopes that the app will eventually take the place of in-room phones and improve guest satisfaction within hotels.
“We often joke around saying ‘We want to kill the in-room phone,’” he says. “It’s always been a
joke, but some of the team is starting to take it pretty seriously, myself included.”
