With accommodation locations nationwide, Jireh Hospitality Group’s continued success is built upon ensuring guests receive the very best attention and comfort of stay from check-in to check-out

When the going gets tough, SmartCheck moves in

Reputation is everything, especially amidst Auckland CBD’s competitive hospitality marketplace – because word travels fast and far. Catering to your guests has to go beyond a bed and a pillow for the night – the hotel experience must tick every box from the minute a customer books a stay, to the moment they step through your doors, till it’s time to return the room key. Attention to detail is a must, and so is enlisting the best automated technologies to guide guests from beginning to end.

This is why Auckland City Hotel chose to link with Liverton in January 2019 to begin carving a better check-in pathway for all guests walking through their doors. “We definitely saw the global trend towards automated Smart-service kiosks in hotels moving it’s way towards New Zealand and we wanted our Auckland City Hotel to be one of the first to welcome it,” explains Kevin Brodien, sales manager of Jireh Hospitality Group. “We want our guests to travel and move around – hotel, city, airport – with greater ease; vesting their time where it’s needed most. So, by introducing SmartCheck we’ve helped to make those journeys all the more efficient. No need to line up and wait for service – they hold the controls to check-in and check-out.”

And, with SmartCheck jumping onboard as a permanent staff member, more time and resource has become available for other hotel business and providing deeper customer engagement.
“From a customer’s point-of-view it’s incredibly fluent every step of the way. Receiving their pre-check-in individual QR codes, and then a simple scan of their ID upon arrival – equals all checked in with no fuss,” explains Kevin. “For our staff, this has meant more time to spend on helping guests with other areas of their stay – such as food and tourist suggestions, planning day trips – those personalised experiences we want to put our energies into.”

Checking into the future

With ease in and ease out at the fore of Auckland City Hotel’s thinking, SmartCheck delivered. And, like all smart technology, it was prepared to go the distance – including overcoming a few teething hurdles along the way.
“We knew that being one of the first hotels in Auckland to bring SmartCheck onboard would be revolutionising for us and our guests, but we also knew its wouldn’t be without a challenge or two,” explains Kevin. “Especially integrating it with our old software system, and for our staff too who aren’t used to stepping back and leaving their guests in the hands of a kiosk.”

However, with firm establishment in hospitality and accommodation venues across the globe, Liverton technology is proficient at meeting the edge of its client’s needs with customisable technology adapting to individual operations. For Auckland City Hotel this meant . . .

Strategic integration of automated SmartCheck technologies with existing guest check-in/check-out systems. To ensure staff can maintain a hands-off approach, and invest their energies into other areas of the hotel experience for guests.
Ensuring any issues with automated check-in and check-out processes were rapidly dealt with first time, as they arose.
Ensuring that the kiosk could process photo identification first-time when placed on the scanner – minimising time and potential frustration for guests upon check-in.

Opportunities for greater reach

After nearly a year-and-a-half with SmartCheck onboard, Auckland City Hotels hasn’t looked back on its progressive acquisition. Rather than take away from the ‘contact’ experience in the hotel – the software has brought staff and guests closer together in a more meaningful way. “Our guests are reaching out to our staff for that personal touch – not in a transactional way. They’re interacting because they want advice on where to go, what to see, what’s the best place to get this, that and the other,” explains Kevin. “It’s especially nice for our older staff who thrive on sharing experiences and knowledge. It’s a feel good for everyone.”

”We want our guests to travel and move around – hotel, city, airport – with greater ease; vesting their time where it’s needed most. So, by introducing SmartCheck we’ve helped to make their journey all the more efficient. No need to line up and wait for service – they hold the controls to check-in and check-out.