Our Biggest Feature Update in Recent Years
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📆 September 10th 2024 - 10min read
Today, we are rolling out our biggest update since we launched Version 3.0.
Included are multiple game-changing additions, significant enhancements to the guest experience, while also making Hinfo more effortless to access and navigate.
Most of these new features support each other and result in our biggest update in recent years.
Let's now cover the 10 major enhancements.
Table of Contents
- Introducing Our Third Mobile Guest Solution – Progressive Web App
- Guests Can Now Automatically Load Your Property During Mobile App Install
- Amenities renamed to Property Details
- New Property Rules Section, Which Also Integrates Into Property Details
- Read More Button – Automatically Appears on Guests' Device
- Immediate Notifications – No Longer Need Guests to Enable Push Notifications
- New Promotional Material Styles with Connect to Wi-Fi QR Code
- New Optional Guest Navigation Sheet
- Change Language, just for Hinfo
- Change Room Types or Room Details, Easily
- Minor Improvements
1. Introducing Our Third Mobile Guest Solution – Progressive Web App
Progressive Web Apps (PWA) act as a feature upgrade to an existing website solution, to create an experience that is closer to replicating a mobile app from the App Store.
Guests will install a PWA shortcut on their phones for a full-screen web-based experience.
These can also be installed on any Windows, Mac or Chromebook computer, for you to view your live details.
We have built the best PWA digital hotel compendium, building on our premium and familiar design.
This PWA support Push Notifications. This requires installing the shortcut on iPhones and iPads to function and is the same for all PWAs on Apple devices.
- Immediate Notifications for promoting in-house restaurant specials, emergency alerts and various on-site services in a timely manner.
- Guests to be notified when management send a reply message via the Ask Reception guest messaging service.
- Submitting an order through our own Food and Drink Ordering service and be notified immediately with progress updates.
- Submitting a Guest Service Request for any on-site services and amenities available at the property.
2. Guests Can Now Automatically Load Your Property During Mobile App Install
We are introducing a much faster method for guests to access the full mobile experience.
Our new app download QR codes are designed to load your property immediately after the mobile app is installed.
All previous app download QR codes still work, but new QR codes will be required to load your property instantly.
For guests with the Hinfo app installed, they can scan one of the new QR codes to load your property immediately.
These new QR Codes are included in our Promotional Material Generator.
If you are a current member property and would like your updated app download QR code, please contact our team.
3. Amenities renamed to Property Details
Based on feedback from various property types, we have renamed Amenities to Property Details, to make it clear what this section covers.
The bottom tab bar now says Property instead of Amenities, with a new bed icon to be common for all property types.
This section in our mobile apps also has received significant speed improvements.
This name change is applied across our entire service, including in our CMS and will be updated in all our support pages.
4. New Property Rules Section, Which Also Integrates Into Property Details
Property Rules is a brand-new section, accessible from the Home tab for guests.
This section is designed to give higher prominence to the rules, policies and conditions at each property.
All headings and details included in this section, will also appear in the Property Details section. You can also choose which order these headings are displayed.
If you are a current member that has these types of headings, we recommend moving these across to the Property Rules section.
5. Read More Button – Automatically Appears on Guests' Device
For lengthy details that require multiple paragraphs, including operating instructions for appliances at holiday homes, a Read More button will now appear mid-way through the details.
This implementation is automatic, designed to only be used when necessary and requires no effort from you.
We added this to help improve navigation and scrolling, especially in the Property Details section, so you can now always see 2+ headings on the phone screen.
If your property has lengthy details, you no longer need to simplify them just to help with navigation.
6. Immediate Notifications – Guests No Longer Need to Enable Push Notifications
All guests will now see all Immediate Notifications sent by your team, from when they have checked in.
Guests will also now see notifications sent on the same day they checked in, even if you sent it a few hours before their arrival.
For example, if you promoted your specials at your in-house restaurant, to your guests in the morning, all new guests checking in will also see these in the afternoon.
These upgrades also provide more detailed analytics and forms a base for us to build upon in future updates.
7. New Promotional Material Styles with a Connect to Wi-Fi QR Code
We have 2 major additions to our Promotional Material Generator:
2 New Styles: These both include simplified layouts. One with your property colours and a second with a nature leaf background.
Connect to Wi-Fi QR Code: Both new styles include the option for a Connect to Wi-Fi QR Code. No settings app or manually entering of Wi-Fi password required!
Having both your Wi-Fi and Digital Compendium QR Codes on the same sheet makes it even easier for guests to access both during check-in.
These new styles also support all features we introduced last year, including multiple sizes, print margins and multiple languages.
8. New Optional Guest Navigation Sheet
Our Guest Navigation Sheet is designed to assist guests where needed on how to navigate the Hinfo service, to find the details they are looking for.
We have redesigned our guest navigation sheet to:
- Support all languages we offer,
- Display large icons for the primary sections in your property colours to improve recognition and
- Allow you to create this sheet immediately.
You can now choose any option from our Promotional Material Generator and complement it with this new navigation sheet, while creating each in any supported language, instantly.
9. Change Language, just for Hinfo
Guests can now change the language for Hinfo exclusively, without having to change the whole device language.
This option is available on the settings screen, accessible from the Home tab for guests.
This flexibility is suited to multilingual guests and also for you to view details in each language you support.
This is all in addition to our automatic language detection.
This update also includes improved support for defaulting back to English if needed.
10. Change Room Types or Room Details, Easily
The settings screen for guests, now has a new Change Room Types button which makes switching very easy.
For accidental taps by guests or for managers wanting to check details for each room as a guest, you can now easily switch without this affecting your usage analytics.
The name on the button will also update depending on your property type and if you have separate details for each guest room/cottage/villa. For example, a cottage would have this button display as Change Cottage.
This does not apply to holiday homes and properties with a single set of property details.
Minor Improvements
While implementing these major upgrades to our service, we have also implemented a few more requests from current members and additional enhancements.
- A new Arts and Culture heading has been added to Near Me Places.
- New Emergency Contact and After-Hours Emergency headings have been added to the top of the Emergency Details section.
- Additional In-House Restaurants slots added.
- A new forward arrow in top right corner of Welcome Screen, is a 2nd option to load your property details.
- The iPad app side menu now lists everything in alphabetical order and in a single font for improved navigation.
- Removed Ola Ride Sharing option for Australia and New Zealand properties, due to shut down in April.
- Several Minor Bug Fixes, Minor Localization Improvements and Minor Visual Improvements.
All these updates are designed to extend the features and services available to guests, with improved navigation and streamlining guest access.
Everything announced today, including our Progressive Web App, is available to all members at no additional cost.
If there is one takeaway from this release, it's that we now offer a digital compendium that supports 3 mobile guest technologies (mobile app, website and PWA) at the most affordable rate for almost all property sizes.
Our guest website and PWA are now live, with Version 3.8 of our mobile apps ready for download.
If you have any questions regarding today's exciting announcements or are looking to try our demo in your own time, be sure to contact our staff directly.
