The Summit Hotel in Cincinnati is restoring guest confidence with the adoption of low-touch technology, enabling guests to order and pay for food and beverage as well as other services with their own smart phones.

“We’re modernizing in room dining to put the ordering experience completely into the hands of our guests,” said General Manager Denise Bayless.  

“The transformation should see an end to door hangers and other old fashioned customs, replacing them with streamlined operations, communications and faster delivery.”

A mobile ordering and payment platform that allows guests self-service via their own smart phone, RoomOrders does not require app download. Guests simply scan a QR code or tap an NFC tag to order food and beverages through a digital menu in the cloud.

The solution is used in hotels, restaurants, bars and cafes, in a variety of locations, including lobbies, suites, rooms, poolside deck-chairs or rooftops.

“Of all the solutions we were looking at, RoomOrders had the most seamless integration process and quickest start up,” said Director of Finance, Rebecca Hagerty.

The corona virus has had a major impact on hospitality providers, with many forced to close completely in nationwide lockdowns. Many surveys indicate that every other traveller would be more likely to order room service or dine-in at a hotel restaurant if mobile ordering were available.

Hoteliers have resisted digitalization fearing it would remove a key ingredient of hospitality - ‘human touch.’ However, new solutions tap into customer habits and behaviour in the ordering process, leaving hospitality staff more time to tend to the guest experience.

 “We wanted to take the front desk out of the equation, allowing the guest to order directly to the In-Room-Dining terminal,” said Brad Muchnicki, Director of Food and Beverage.

RoomOrders is used in more than 100 leading hospitality brands across the world, from Hilton to Marriott and Accor - including hotels and resorts from Boston to Belgrade and Barcelona.