Success through teamwork and good preparations

As a self-check-in provider, Ariane has, somewhat unintentionally, been at the forefront of what is now known as “artificial intelligence” or A.I. While we’re not doing the things that ChatGPT is doing, our solution relies on a complicated set of logic, rules, and integrations, just like the chatbots and A.I.-driven products starting to come to market. And much like the A.I. technology that is making headlines today, with our application, what goes in greatly affects the result that comes out.

Three ways to make a self-service installation successful

The Ariane team is made up of kiosk and online check-in and check-out experts. From Europe to North America, our deployment managers, support specialists, and product designers and developers have a deep knowledge of what makes an automated guest experience work (and work well). Beyond that, we have also become experts on property management, key, and payment systems, even though those aren’t products we make or sell. Why? Because our software doesn’t work without well-working integrations with other systems. If those relationships are broken – be they direct integrations, API interfaces, or otherwise – we have disappointed clients and our clients have disappointed guests.

So how do we maximize success during a deployment? At Ariane, we’ve found that being proactive is the best approach. We’ve spent years building strong partnerships with other vendors to better serve our mutual clients. We embed ourselves with our clients’ I.T. teams so that we can help and assist however and wherever we can. We work with our clients every step of the way, from PMS interface installation to installing kiosks in their reception area. Even after deployment, our team works hard to help our clients maintain their interfaces. If our application’s connection to the PMS or key system breaks, we’re not able to continue providing a fast and easy way for guests to check-in or out.

It’s a team effort, though, and especially when it comes to the systems Allegro Cloud connects to, we rely on our client partners to help keep their interfaces up and running. So how can Ariane users best work with us to make sure everything works for their guests? It all starts with people.

Designating an Ariane technical champion

Designate Ariane champions – for most Ariane users, this might be two people, one operational champion and one technical champion. For smaller properties, this might be one person. What’s important is that you have a person dedicated to making sure your self-check-in/out solution is working. Technical champions will be the ones we work with closely to make sure we’re connected to your hotel’s systems. They will be the primary point of contact for the Ariane team, and they will be the person making introductions to other vendors (think PMS and key system) so that we can work together to resolve any issues causing your kiosk and online systems not to work. The Ariane team will work directly with your other vendors to make sure everything is 100% at all times. But what happens when your other vendors aren’t able to help us solve the problem?

Technical readiness and documentation

That’s when Ariane works with your technical champion to determine environmental readiness. These issues can range from power problems to network configuration. When doing a new deployment, Ariane deployment specialists conduct a full site survey to get the information we need about your property to ensure a successful deployment. These site surveys also have a second benefit: we work with our users to identify any system changes they will need to make to be ready for their new kiosk and online check-in and check-out solution. From firewall settings to setting IP addresses, every client has to make preparations in their environment, and we’re here to help.

After deployment, these site surveys become valuable tools for comparison should anything change in a user’s environment. Using the site survey as a reference, we can work with your technical champion to quickly identify what might have changed. Often, these changes are planned, and downtime could have been avoided. What then?

Good change management

Keep the Ariane team in the loop when you make changes in your environment. Ariane deployment and support specialists are embedded in your I.T. team. We share your goal of delighting your guests with a simple and easy-to-use automated check-in system. Sometimes, you will make changes and upgrades to your other systems – maybe you’re migrating your PMS to the cloud; perhaps you are updating your key server software. Many times, even small adjustments to your systems that we connect to will cause interface downtime or even change how we communicate with those systems. By keeping the Ariane team in the loop, we can partner with you to ensure minimal to no downtime and keep your kiosks and online check-in and out up and running.

These three things – designating an Ariane technical champion, working with Ariane to properly document and prepare your environment, and making sure the Ariane team is aware of any changes you’re making – are the foundation of ensuring your Ariane-powered automated check-in and out solution is always ready to welcome your guests and help your front-desk teams deliver a quick and easy reception experience. Having these things in place will ensure that the connections Ariane maintains with your PMS, key system, and your environment are running at peak performance, and more importantly, it ensures that Allegro Cloud gets the input it needs to give you the best output possible – a happy guest.

The future of self-service for hotels

The future is bright for check-in and check-out automation. While it’s not yet something that would be considered full-fledged artificial intelligence, the possibilities for our clients and their guests are expanding by the day. Allegro Cloud is a living software that our team is constantly improving and enhancing. As interfaces between systems become more and more robust, the list of things Allegro can do to enhance the guest experience grows. And as that list grows, with the help of our client partners and their Ariane champions keeping everything connected, guests will continue to be delighted by a truly “intelligent” and efficient way to check-in and check-out.