Hotel front desk app for iOS and Android

What is a front desk app?

A hotel front desk app is a piece of software that helps a hotel manage and streamline its operations and enhance the guest experience.

A front desk app can help a hotel’s administrative and guest-facing teams to better manage bookings, payments, guest information, reporting and more. The best apps will offer both desktop and mobile functionality: a hotel front desk app for iOS or a hotel front desk app for Android allows workers to continue to manage operations as they move around the property. This last point is particularly important for small, independent hoteliers who tend to wear many different hats within their hotels, and may struggle to spend extended periods behind the front desk, as they get pulled in all directions.

Enjoy more front desk control with Little Hotelier

Little Hotelier’s front desk system places control of your hotel in the palm of your hand. Built specifically for independent hoteliers, our mobile app allows you to track and manage your hotel like never before.

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Why should hotels use a front desk app?

What is the purpose of a front desk app? Modern front desk apps are designed to replace time consuming and potentially confusing manual systems with an easy-to-use, up-to-date digital system that feeds all your front desk operations through a single portal.

The right front desk app can significantly decrease the amount of low value busywork faced by your hotel’s reception desk and significantly increase the accuracy of that work, by automating all manner of tasks, such as pulling guest information directly from the reservation that was made by a guest.

Little Hotelier’s front desk app, for example, can save you valuable time on every booking. And these time savings can lead to far greater front desk productivity that generates more revenue.

What is the most important thing in a front desk app?

There isn’t one single element of a front desk app that can be labelled ‘the most important’. There are however a few different factors you should consider when choosing your front desk app:

• Integration: A front desk app will form part of your hotel property management system (PMS), interacting with other tools like your channel manager, booking engine and payment portal, so it’s critical that you choose a tool that integrates with other apps and your current tech stack.
• Compatibility: Depending on the type of phone your team uses, you’ll need a hotel front desk app for iOS, a hotel front desk app for Android, or ideally an app that is compatible with both systems, like Little Hotelier.
• Cost: Look for an app with clear, simple and cost-effective pricing. Ideally you’ll be able to try any solution before you buy, so look for a tool that offers a 30-day free trial.
• Support: No matter which front desk app you go for, there will be some form of learning curve, so you’ll want to choose a tool that comes with all the support you’ll ever need, both in terms of a help centre where you can quickly find your own answers, and a dedicated support team who are there if you need them.
• Scalability: If you plan to grow your small, independent hotel into something more, you should choose a front desk app that can scale with your business. Upgrading functionality and capability should be as simple as clicking a button.

What are the benefits of using a front desk app?

The benefits of using a capable hotel front desk app are many and varied, but five of the most compelling include:

1. Trade low value tasks for high value tasks

A front desk app removes much of the administrative burden from your shoulders. By automating the busywork, you and your team can focus on higher value tasks, like securing more bookings and enhancing the guest experience.

2. Increase productivity, reduce costs

A front desk app helps you do more with less. When your staff are more productive, you may only need two on shift where you previously had three or four. You’ll also save money by reducing the number of mistakes that are inevitable with more manual methods.

3. Deliver a better guest experience

The best front desk software will give your guests more control over their stay: they can book everything themselves, choose their extras and add-ons, and check themselves in. Freed from admin, you can spend more time personalising and enhancing the guest’s experience.

4. Enhance privacy and security

A quality front desk app will keep hotel and guest data perfectly secure. Rather than having loose paperwork floating around the reception area, all information will be held under lock and key, accessible only to those who are authorised to see it.

5. Generate more revenue

The ultimate benefit of a front desk app is that, for all the reasons mentioned above, it allows you to generate more revenue: automating admin, reducing costs and mistakes, enhancing the guest experience and more.

Little Hotelier is very easy to use and simple to understand and implement. I am genuinely impressed and now fully confident that everything is within easy reach and well-managed.

Saban Demirbasa,

Head of Hospitality and Branding

Stone Court House

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What is the best hotel front desk app for iOS and Android?

The best hotel front desk app is one that ticks every box mentioned in this guide. It should integrate seamlessly with your existing systems, work across iOS and Android, be cost-effective and scalable, and come with all the support you should ever need.

In short, it should look like the Little Hotelier front desk app.

Our app helps you to stay on top of your hotel operations from anywhere, at any time. It’s easy to use, works seamlessly between mobile and desktop, and delivers all the info you need at a glance.While the Little Hotelier app is free to download on iOS and Android devices, you’ll need Little Hotelier login credentials to use it. Sign up to Little Hotelier to get started!

By Dean Elphick

Dean is the Senior Content Marketing Specialist of Little Hotelier, the all-in-one software solution purpose-built to make the lives of small accommodation providers easier. Dean has made writing and creating content his passion for the entirety of his professional life, which includes more than six years at Little Hotelier. Through content, Dean aims to provide education, inspiration, assistance, and, ultimately, value for small accommodation businesses looking to improve the way they run their operations (and live their life).