It's easier than ever to just text the hotel front desk for your embarrassing requests

Whenever I have to call a hotel front desk from a foreign country, there's always that moment when I choke and wonder what language to lead with. Sure, most people in the hospitality industry speak English these days, but sometimes in a Spanish- or French-speaking country, I feel compelled to attempt requests in the local tongue, which makes me think twice about how much I really need that body pillow. Soon, I won't have to worry about it all, as hotels are increasingly allowing guests to simply text the front desk — an anonymous-feeling exchange I'd have no hesitation about doing in English (actually, make that a body pillow and bath salts, please!). 

 

As the New York Times points out, two popular texting platforms, Zingle and Kipsu, are now working with a growing number of hotels. Zingle launched last year and is currently being used in 300 properties, including Hyatt Regency locations. A similar service, Kipsu, has been adding hotels like gangbusters and is now used in 150 of them, including Starwood properties.

 

Both services allow guests to text the front desk with requests before or after they arrive at the hotel. They can be programmed to send messages to check in on things ("How do you like your room?" etc.), and Zingle can be automated to answer simple questions, like "What time is check-out?" or "Where is the gym?" without need for a live human to type the same responses over and over. 

 

Some hotels are incorporating request features right into their apps. IHG's new app includes a "Guest Request" service, and both Hilton and Marriott offer something similar. It's great that technology is enabling hotels to allow guests be in touch easily, and vice versa. Of course, the challenge, as always, is for hotels to avoid checking in too often and sounding like my needy ex-boyfriend.