THE EXPERIENCE THAT GAVE BACK ME THE CONFIDENCE TO STAY IN HOTELS AGAIN.

I chose a hotel and made a reservation on the hotel's website, simply because besides the usual photos and description of accommodations, I had photos of outside, the surroundins, gradens, that beautiful bench under the trees inviting me to read a book there and photos and comments from the guests themselves.

Once the dates and accommodation were chosen, I received an email with confirmation and booking number as well as a link make a pre check-in. I filled out the form which was pretty fast.

On my arrival at the hotel, right at the entrance I noticed the usual alcohol gel dispenser and temperature gauge (what a delicious fragrant and moisturizing alcohol!), which we are used to for our own safety. On the side I saw individual luggage carts. I liked it. I usually travel a lot and I'm pretty independent, I like to do things myself. As I had already done the pre check-in by cell phone, it was pretty fast at the reception desk, I just needed to show a document to confirm data. I got my key and headed to the elevator.

It's impossible not to comment on the details of decoration once it wasn't exactly the luxury that caught the attention but the details. In the lobby there was a room with a sofa and two armchairs, in the center a small table with a huge vase of beautiful fresh flowers, a mixture of colors that made the room even more beautiful. Next to the sofas I saw small totems to charge cell phones or laptops and next to it, a sideboard with a self-service coffee machine, water thermos botthe for tea, some serving items and some chocolate. All my friends know how much I love coffee, so this detail won me over. Across the aisle, individual armchairs and small tables with daily magazines and newspapers. In every detail, you could see the desire to make the environment as pleasant and personal as possible.

Arriving to my room, I saw the bed. It lookd so smooth and inviting. On the bed I saw a handwritten note: “Rosecler, welcome to our hotel, we hope your stay is the best possible. Please point your cell phone's camera to the QRCode and access extra info such as the menu, room service and your reservation information”. Next to it a newspaper of the day.

On a piece of furniture in front of the bed, a television and a small fridge beside it. On the left, the door to the bathroom. By the way, there was a nice perfume on the air, amenities on the sink and fluffy white towels hanging, just perfect!

I follow the instructions from the note and to my surprise, I don't need to download any apps. I now have on my screen the weather forecast, options to open the restaurant and bar menu, room service and hotel bill statement. Great. I like being able to work things out like that.

After a quick shower, I'm ready to explore the curiosities of the world, starting with this beautiful city!

Upon returning to the hotel, after visiting charming places (and, of course, some shopping), I picked up my cell phone and chose my dinner, I would enjoy it in the comfort and safety of my room. I confess, I got a little tired that day, I was not used to traveling anymore. When I visit new places I really like to do it on foot. While I wait for room service, I decide to enjoy a nice, refreshing bath.

Before long, my dinner was served, exactly as I had requested, the waiter who brought it in asked me if everything was to my taste. When he was leaving he suggested that I went down to watch the light show which would be projected on the hotel's façade. Of course I wanted!

When returning to the room, I realized that the maid had been there giving a touch up, my bed was already prepared for my sleep, the towel had been changed and the chamomile tea on the nightstand. The show was beautiful: the music and images seemed to play on the hotel's facade. What a pleasant night, I took this opportunity to answer the customer satisfaction survey and thank them for the service during my stay.

Next day I checked the entries in my hotel account, through my cell phone, everything is correct. I made the payment and went down to the reception desk, there the attendant was very cordial. She asked about my stay, checked the check-out and informed me everything was ok. It was a wonderful stay, I was very happy to be able to travel again, be in a hotel, enjoy it and feel safe and the opportunity to evaluate my experience at the hotel at . In addition, the hotel allowed me to evaluate my experience through out it.

Despite the little personal interaction with the hotel staff, which is understandable at this point, I felt the care and affection of the team as a whole: the ease of booking and check-in, monitoring the account statement and making the payment online, which made checkout at the reception desk quite quick, not to mention the welcome note, the local newspaper, being able to order dinner in the room, tea when I got to the room, everything organized for my comfort.

This was all possible because this hotel uses iService. Through the link sent, it was possible to pre-check in, and through QRCode access restaurant and bar menus, room service, account statement and even a satisfaction survey.

In addition, iCamareira is connected to a PMS, enabling the housekeepers to receive a cleaning or refinishing request on their cell phone and the maintenance team to intervene, if necessary and without delay. This all makes a guest stay safe and very pleasant!

The next time I stay at this hotel, my data will have already been stored, including the information that I like to have tea before bed. Even if there is a problem on the local computer, everything is stored in a cloud service, so no data is lost.

This experience also debunks the myth that “everything is impersonal”. It is possible to keep the guest feeling cared for, well taken care of, even without all the personal contact we had before. If this is our "new normal", let it be with care and affection, even if physically distant.

Hotels returning to their normal activities with high occupancy, this is the “new normal” we want.

Get in touch to learn about the solutions that many hotels are already using to serve with great security and the personal touch from before.