How Meliá improved its quality service through digitalization

Keep providing top quality service to guests despite the pandemic

The pandemic increase Melia’s need to accelerate its process of digitizing their guest experience operations with a very clear goal: keep quality levels of service while reducing physical contact between guests and staff to minimize contagion risks.

Additionally, the difficulties the hotel industry was going through made it imperative to strengthen the chain’s brand perception and build closer ties with already acquired clients.

In this context tools like the loyalty program become key elements for improving relations with guests, but also for getting to know those guests better in order to be able to offer them services specially tailored to their needs and wishes. The digitization of these processes to simplify the guests’ experience, improve communications with them, and be able to gather data about their preferences becomes a very obvious choice.

“We needed to extend the digital experience beyond the planning and booking stages. Before, the digital experience ended when a guest made a reservation. With STAY we’ve been able to incorporate it to their time at the hotel as well”.

Víctor Oliver Rullán
Digital Channel Director Melia Hotels International

Taking all of this into account, one of the main reasons for massively implementing STAY in Melia’s hotels was the need to increase the digital component of their loyalty program “Meliá Rewards” as a way to highlight the added value clients would get for signing up.

Finally, one last element to consider was the need to increase revenues for the upselling of services to guests already in the hotel to offset at least partially the losses suffered because of the pandemic.

“STAY was the most logical solution to the challenge of digitizing and making our process more efficient while at the same time keeping a very close relation with our guests, to provide them the best service possible and optimize the sale of services not automatically included in the All Included Package”.

Annete Koelemeij
Gerente General de Meliá Puerto Vallarta

Massive Stay integration

Even though STAY was already part of Melia’s digital strategy, 3 key actions were implemented:

Today STAY is already implemented in 185 Meliá hotels, and it is being deployed in new hotels each week.

Guests have adopted this new tool to check information about the hotel’s services and, specially, to request services or report issues during their stay. The reasons they mention most for this is the ease of use and the comfort of not having to go in person to the front desk or having to pick up a phone and calling.

Staff members have also adapted very well to using the platform thanks in part to the training sessions held as part of the implementation process of STAY in all of Melia’s hotels.

“The training part was very important for a painless rollout and adoption by our staff. We had training sessions in all hotels. We also had a support team to help solve questions and reinforcement training sessions a certain time after the rollout was done”.

Víctor Oliver Rullán
Digital Channel Director Melia Hotels International