SmartCheck technology ignites greater communications at one of the industry’s newest and most innovative accommodation providers.

Enhancing a customer’s accommodation experience has to go beyond the traditions of free soap and chocolate. Nowadays, it must be delivered in a more meaningful and innovative way to ensure you’re keeping up with what the competition’s doing. So, when New Zealand-based tourism accommodation and rental car operator, Jucy, sought to improve the check-in and check-out experience for guests at their ever-popular Jucy pod hotels, they turned to Liverton’s automated SmartCheck kiosks. The result? Seamless arrival and departure flow for guests and staff, giving everyone more time to engage on a deeper level – sharing travelling stories, tips, advice and best-kept-experience secrets. Because that’s what the best hotel experiences are made of.


Seeking change beyond just innovation

Heading a successful global tourism empire, with accommodation and rental car options spanning New Zealand, the US and Canada, requires innovative measures that actually matter to the customer journey, explains Jucy Group Limited’s CEO, Tim Alpe. Which is why Jucy turned to Liverton’s SmartCheck kiosks to remove the friction points of the check-in and check-out process.
“For us as a business our core focus has always been on bettering the customer experience – not just being innovative for the sake of being innovative – we want to improve where it matters,” explains. “And one of the most common pain points for our guests when checking into our pod hotels is that delay in service. Many will spend precious time waiting around in a line to check-in or check-out. So, we wanted to provide guests with greater control over their stay with effective automation – including personal control over checking in their own ID.”


Automation bringing people closer

With SmartCheck kiosks now playing an integral role in Jucy’s pod hotels New Zealand-wide, staff have experienced a sea change in their daily roles and communications with guests – and heightened positivity is evident across all channels of their operations.
“When we introduced the kiosks, our desired result wasn’t driven towards reducing staff numbers but actually providing our staff with the opportunity to communicate with guests on a deeper level,” explains Tim. “So, instead of taking orders, our staff can now give information out to customers. They can sit down with guests and help them plan day trips, or book them into this attraction or steer them towards something different. It’s a feel good for everyone.”
Automated even flow from check-in to check-out hasn’t just strengthened staff and customer relations, SmartCheck has also strengthened Jucy’s pulling power in a competitive tourism sector. “Of course, you want a return on investment when you introduce a new automated technology to your business model, but you can’t just focus on financial benefits at a base level i.e. the potential to reduce staff numbers,” says Tim. “With SmartCheck seamlessly integrating into our pod hotels, guests are happier which means they’re happy to provide reviews and recommend us – all positives for repeat business.”


Time of the essence

A venture into something new can come with huge question marks. In the case of Jucy’s pod hotels, they were conscientious about not reducing the human element when bringing SmartCheck kiosks onboard. Instead, they wished to utilise the best of their staffs’ skillset into other areas – of which they have successfully done. “When you are automating processes there’s always that concern that you’re going to be taking away the human touchpoints – which are essential in an accommodation and tourism operation,” explains Tim. “If SmartCheck wasn’t right for us systematically, it could’ve caused huge problems. We needed to get the technology flowing right to ensure a speeder process for our customers, and to create those critical communication opportunities for our staff.”


Fortunately for Jucy everything did flow in the right direction and SmartCheck continues to deliver:


Jucy pod hotel staff have stepped away from the check-in desk and are helping customers map their holidays and travels in a more personalised way.
Guests are enjoying greater peace-of-mind which comes from scanning their own license and passport details into the hotel system – and less time spent in queues!
SmartCheck’s success has set Jucy’s future-forward plans in motion to incorporate an app-based offering into its kiosk in the not too distant future.
The future of tourism is green. People want to travel – near and far, and if you can be innovative and people-centric in your thinking, that’s what’s going to keep you at the forefront of your competition.