Certain hotels manage to successfully combine tradition and modernity, without losing their identity. The Hôtel des Saints Pères is one of them.
We look back on Bowo's collaboration with the hotel, which is part of the Esprit de France collection. Inna Doroshenko, hotel manager, and Camille Binz, digital marketing manager at Esprit de France, explain how Bowo is helping them improve the quality of the hotel's service and tie in with their brand.
“Luxury is in the detail and this kind of detail provides a real plus” - Inna Dorochenko.
About the hotel
A treasure trove of art and tranquillity in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, the Hôtel des Saints Pères is unique by virtue of its history and its exceptional location.
The owner started renovation work when he purchased the hotel in 1983. The workers then discovered, in one of the rooms, a magnificent mural dating from the 17th century, and depicting the Good Augur crowned by Virtue, under the gaze of Intelligence. The room with the Fresco is turned into a suite, the only one of its kind in the world, and offers overnight guests the privilege of falling asleep under a work of art.
The 4-star Hôtel des Saints Pères is the first hotel in the Esprit de France collection, a collection of hotels and residences founded on the values of heritage, art and history.
With its 38 rooms and works of art that line the corridors and adorn the rooms, the hotel attracts many artists, writers, architects and a mostly international, wealthy clientele.
The challenges
Before Bowo, the hotel communicated with its guests using traditional landline telephones and a set of paper documents in the rooms (room directory, signs, etc.). Although the documents were very high quality, they were not always used, nor were they really in line with their CSR approach.
Mindful of its guests' expectations, the hotel soon set out to find a communication solution that was fast, easy to use and immersive.
However, according to Inna, the director, "there were few solutions on the market and those that did exist were half-measures compared our needs. Only Bowo offered a complete solution that could communicate with customers, inform them and entertain them."
Apart from the solution's features, Inna was especially looking for a provider with responsive customer service. It was vital for the hotel to ensure that the user experience was seamless and that they could rely on their service provider to be responsive in the event of a technical bug.
A previous successful partnership between Esprit de France and Bowo, on a project to digitise another establishment, helped convince the management at the Hôtel des Saints Pères
The Hotel des Saint Pères chose the guest app + tablets combo for the rooms
Given these challenges, the Hôtel des Saints Pères chose Bowo to develop a guest app (web app for use by the guest) and make tablets available in all rooms.
The web app format has the advantage of being accessible, without downloads, from any device, right from the moment the guest is booked.
The tailor-made guest app displays all of the hotel's services. An entertainment section with access to Netflix, Spotify and Press Reader is included. Notification features also help the hotel to promote its services. In addition, the hotelier can manage the application independently through the back office.
The must-have? A city guide features more than 300 concierge addresses, carefully selected by the hotel (including the best baguette in Paris, the best croissant, a selection of restaurants for different occasions, shopping venues and of course all the surrounding museums).
Brand universe and personalised services for a high quality guest experience
According to Inna and Camille, the main benefits of the Bowo application are the construction of the brand universe and the customisation available to guests, which is essential nowadays.
“Thanks to Bowo we got rid of quite a lot of documents from the rooms - also because of Covid - and we poured the whole brand universe into the tablets."
The application is customised with the brand's visuals, and has more immersive content (thanks to multimedia), which is more modern than paper. “This allows us to share what Esprit de France is with guests, to convey our values, to explain the hotel's works of art to curious guests without having them having to call reception. The tool means we can do more than simply providing practical information about the hotel. This enables us to build the brand universe ”.
Inna particularly likes the possibilities of personalising the customer experience and shared a memorable anecdote about using notifications. "In our bar, we give guests the chance to create cocktails and name them after themselves. One day, one of our customers got a push notification saying “Come and enjoy our cocktail of the day, cocktail X”. The cocktail was named after him, and the customer was very touched by the gesture.” This kind of attention is practically impossible without a digital tool.
Another feature is that the application is available as soon as the guests book, so they can get familiar with it before their stay. They can select the services that interest them and therefore design their day-to-day life to suit their own preferences and habits, with the city guide or the digital press (via PressReader) for example. “For international customers, it is a real plus to be able to find their favourite newspaper in their language. This is very much appreciated by our guests.”
“Luxury is in the detail and this kind of detail provides a real plus” Inna Doroshenko.
Bowo in 3 words
We asked Inna and Camille to sum Bowo up in three words. Here's what they said. “Responsive, keen to improve the product, and professional” is how Inna described us. As for Camille, “The first thing that comes to mind when I think about Bowo is “problem solver”: there are no problems, only solutions.” She completes the 3-word series with “continuous innovation” and “friendly”.
Inna concluded: “There is always this responsiveness and desire on the part of Bowo staff to meet our needs. We feel that's really important in our day-to-day activity, and it takes a lot of pressure off us."
Are you also looking for a solution to digitalise your hotel's services and make your guest experience more memorable? Just ask for a demo, it doesn't commit you to anything.
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