Dubai-based hotel to digitalise guest journey from pre-arrival to check-out

Dubai-based INK Hotel has signed an agreement with HITEK, a subsidiary of the UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) group Farnek, to use its ground-breaking hospitality app, Flexi-Guest, to digitalize the hotel’s guest journey from reservation to check-out.

The app, developed in-house by HITEK, will communicate with the hotel’s property management system (PMS), allowing guests to access a variety of services such as uploading travel documents such as vaccination certificates, ordering a car upon arrival, room service, and laundry. The hotel app can also send the guest automated electronic updates and alerts, as well as e-registration documents, e-invoices, and e-receipts, all in one place.

“One major factor for adopting Flexi-Guest, is that it can interface with our property management system and our point-of-sale terminals, affording a seamless process, from order to delivery and ultimately guest folio,” said Judit Toth, General Manager of the INK Hotel.

“Flexi-Guest supports our key strategic operational objectives. First and foremost, it offers an enhanced customer experience, providing a seamless pre-arrival and check-in procedure, which will appeal to our guests. 

“During their stay, they can order room service, laundry, request late check outs, invoices or even order a car to go to the airport. And because the app manages secure online payments, guest can settle bills without visiting reception to check out.

“The hotel benefits are clear. We operate more cost-efficiently, with the added advantage of driving incremental revenue through room service and e-concierge services,” added Toth.

Vivere Hospitality, a Dubai-based hospitality management company, created INK, a dynamic, tech-led brand aimed at tech-savvy Millennials and Zoomers. The INK Hotel, which opened earlier this year in the Al Jaddaf waterfront community, is a boutique property with 63 rooms, one restaurant, Bistro by INK, a coffee bar – INKSPRESSO, as well as a rooftop swimming pool and pop-up gym.

HITEK completed a six-month pilot of the app at the Expo Village, managing reservation services, concierge, front office services, and housekeeping for the 2,273 apartments at Expo 2022.

“Another outstanding aspect of Flexi-Guest is the sustainability feature. The app can estimate the carbon emissions generated by any guest during their stay and provide a cost should the guest wish to offset their carbon footprint,” commented Javeria Aijaz, Managing Director of HITEK.

The INK Hotel already has outstanding environmental credentials. It has solar panels on the roof, organic soap and shower gel, and room key cards. Staff uniforms are made from environmentally friendly materials, and there is a zero-plastic policy in place, with refillable glass water bottles.

“We are also looking at adding Farnek’s Hotel Optimizer software, which can record, analyse and benchmark our energy and water consumption, as well as waste generation, which will support our ambitions to operate more sustainably and limit our impact on the environment,” said Toth.

Farnek is also a preferred partner and auditor for Green Globe, a global sustainability accreditation system that is based on internationally accepted criteria for the sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses.