A Localised Way to Identify Hotel Guests

For the Design Jam, Trabble identified three personas as a B2B2C startup:

• Annie-Sophie is the owner of a boutique hotel who has implemented the Trabble guest engagement platform for her business, and has a high level of familiarity with with the platform;
• Oumar is frequent recreational traveller who is a moderately confident user of online services that help him holiday on a budget and someone who is concerned about digital privacy, and;
• Sandra is a busy business traveler who values convenience and reliability whose trips have often been organised by a travel agency engaged by her company.

The design challenge (created during Design Jam)

During the Design Jam, the team decided to pivot from designing for their business persona to designing for their guest personas. Our initial aim was to discourage Trabble’s clients from collecting unnecessary and sensitive information from their guests. However, a discussion in the team revealed that the underlying issue was that some guests had incorrectly confirmed their details and then checked into the wrong room occupied by somebody with a very similar name! Clients were asking for additional identifying details to be able to double check the identity of their guests.

Our new challenge was to address the underlying customer pain point. The team asked: how might we clearly explain to guests what personal data is required, why it is needed and how it is used, especially its importance in assigning guests to the correct room?

The data being used

In order to book and check-in guests, Trabble collects:

• Basic guest details:

  • First Name,
  • Last Name, Email Address
  • Date of Birth, City of Residence, or Last 4 digits of NRIC

• Credit card and payment details

• Passport details (in compliance with Singaporean laws)

Using tailored language

Trabble demonstrated how the conversation flow of the new chatbot onboarding process could be customized to suit expectations of both guests and businesses. Establishing a genuine tone of voice and repeating back important information is the foundation for keeping guests engaged and attentive throughout the experience.

Varying interactivity

Interaction patterns such as slide to confirm helped slow down guests at key moments of the process where they are asked to confirm details they have submitted.

Succinct explainability

Requests for personal data are accompanied by explanations for use in the flow: “You will be required to provide this information for identity verification upon Arrival.” In another example, the notification of the need to collect passport details links through to further details about the relevant Singaporean Immigration and Customs Authority laws.

Prototype screens

Guests notified that they will be required to provide the details again upon arrival. Guests given a choice between date of birth, city of residence or the last 4-digits of their NRC.

Reiterating that their details will need to be confirmed when arriving at their hotel.

Guests must confirm their details before checking-in. A slide to confirm interaction slows down the flow, distinguishes this step from others with a regular button style call-to-action and encourages the guest to spend an extra moment to corroborate their information.

This screen explains why passport details are required for a hotel booking and allows guests to refer to official Singaporean government documentation if desired.