What do you like most?
Excellent Technology That Makes Hotel Operations Easier and Enhances the Guest Experience
As a hotel manager, I have found Canary to be an excellent tool for improving operational efficiency, guest communication, and overall convenience for both our staff and guests.
One of the biggest advantages is receiving guest requests ahead of arrival. This allows us to understand their needs and preferences in advance and assign rooms accordingly, creating a smoother and more personalized check-in experience.
AI-powered guest messaging is by far one of our guests' favorite features. Its ability to communicate in multiple languages and handle different types of conversations makes communication much more accessible, convenient, and efficient.
Personally, I particularly appreciate the digital check-in, credit card authorization, and secure payment card handling features. The ability to transfer card information from third-party reservations without exposing the actual card numbers is extremely valuable. It gives our hotel greater peace of mind while helping protect sensitive guest information. The option to post information directly to our Property Management System (PMS) is another major convenience that reduces manual work.
Digital check-out is also a useful feature, allowing guests to notify us when they have already departed, which helps housekeeping and front desk operations.
The tipping feature is functional and does its job, although I believe there is room for improvement. Of course, guest tipping behavior is also influenced by the current economy, so I wouldn't necessarily attribute that entirely to the system.
From a management perspective, call transcripts are another incredibly valuable feature. They help us review guest conversations, identify missed calls, investigate concerns, and better understand situations that may require follow-up. This adds an extra level of accountability and visibility to our daily operations.
Overall, Canary brings together guest convenience, security, communication, and operational efficiency in one platform. While certain features could still be refined, the system has made a meaningful difference in how we manage our hotel and serve our guests.
I would recommend Canary to hotel operators looking to modernize their operations while maintaining a personalized guest experience.
What do you dislike or think could be improved?
One area where Canary could improve is the handling of re-check-ins, deleted check-ins, and identity verification during the digital check-in process.
Ideally, the system should automatically detect when the name on a guest's identification does not match the name on the payment card or reservation. Rather than allowing guests to complete the entire process only to encounter issues later, Canary could proactively display a warning explaining that the hotel may not accept mismatched identification and payment information.
The system could also guide guests to contact the hotel directly to complete a credit card authorization form when necessary, instead of proceeding with the standard pre-check-in process.
Additionally, improving how canceled, deleted, or repeated check-ins are handled would help prevent confusion and unnecessary administrative work.
Another valuable improvement would be integrating hotel TV channel guides directly into Canary's AI messaging system. Guests could simply ask questions such as "What channel is ESPN on?" or "Where can I find HBO?" and receive the correct channel number instantly. Allowing hotels to upload or customize their channel lineup would make this feature practical across different properties. This would further enhance the guest experience while reducing unnecessary calls to the front desk for routine questions.
Overall, these enhancements would save valuable time for both guests and hotel staff, reduce check-in complications, strengthen security, and expand the capabilities of Canary's already impressive AI messaging platform. They would also help hotels provide a more seamless, convenient, and self-service-oriented guest experience.
