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The Kingsley offers everyone that enters its doors the chance to revive by offering world-class health and spa facilities as well as top-quality food and beverage services across four of its F&B outlets. From a classic Afternoon Tea overlooking the River Lee in the K Lounge to a sumptuous meal in their signature restaurant, The Springboard, there’s food for all occasions. Beyond top-quality hotel services, The Kingsley also offers conferencing, banqueting, and wedding services, providing guests with celebrations and experiences they’ll never forget. Although The Kingsley is at the top of their game, the hotel wanted to further improve the guest journey by offering guests a more modern experience. They saw digital communication solutions as the most effective solution for bringing the hotel into the digital age. This is why they chose SuitePad as their digital in-room tablet provider.
Like many hotels across the world, The Kingsley’s hopes for a successful 2020 were interrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. With worldwide travel being limited, as well as customer fears about the outbreak of COVID-19 at hotels and restaurants, there was little they could do to nullify the effects the pandemic was having on the business. This was a pattern that affected hotels and the wider hospitality industry all over the world. And, like in many other parts of Europe, the Irish Government ordered that all hotels be temporarily closed in an effort to stop the spread. For The Kingsley, this took place in March 2020.
For a few months, the doors of The Kingsley were open to essential travelers only. As their SuitePad installation also took place in March 2020, the hotel staff didn’t even get the chance to try out their new digital solution! Then, in June, The Kingsley was able to open once again but was only able to cater to guests from the local county. This limitation of the number of guests meant that staff at the Kingsley needed to change their approach if they wanted to get more guests through the door—which is exactly what they did!
The Kingsley decided to offer weekend stays for guests from the local region. Guests could still eat while socially distancing at the restaurants, order room
service, unwind at The Spa, and enjoy the scenic surroundings of the iconic River Lee. In addition, the Bean & River coffee hut was set up in the hotel grounds, which quickly became popular with hotel guests and passers-by. This generated revenue and kept people in employment whilst ensuring the hotel
remained closely linked with the local community at a time when it couldn’t offer its usual services.
The Kingsley became a place where guests could revive themselves and get away from the stresses of the pandemic. For a few relaxing days, they could (almost) forget that the world had been turned upside down. But, how could they provide this level of hospitality for guests while still keeping it socially
distanced, safe, and within the regulations? This is where their SuitePad installation came in.
SuitePad enabled The Kingsley to run a virtually contact-free service while still maintaining the exemplary service it is known for. Guests could order room service, book activities, contact the front desk, provide feedback, book a table at the restaurant, and learn more about the surrounding area at the touch of a button—all from the comfort of their own hotel room! While many of these services could be done over the phone, using in-room tablets automates many of the services that would otherwise need to be manually administered by staff. When guests order room service, their orders go straight through to the kitchen. If they decide to book a spa session, they can use the in-room tablet to check the schedule and choose a slot that suits them. The in-house staff can then arrange their work schedule according to the guest’s wishes — maximizing efficiency while keeping guests happy.
SuitePad also enables The Kingsley to drive revenue from F&B outlets. Due to the regulations on bars and pubs, the hotel bar also needed to remain closed. However, guests were still able to order drinks to their room—a popular choice with bars being closed! The SuitePad interactive ordering service makes it easy for guests to order food and beverages and for hotel staff to process and administer the orders, driving revenue at the hotel at a time when every little helps! Since installing the SuitePad devices, over €60,000 of revenue has come through the SuitePad devices — all of which is through F&B sales!
For The Kingsley, these types of services were important for their reopening in June 2020. By providing a contactless hotel service, guests had the confidence to return and knew that the hotel was taking the pandemic seriously. This was particularly important for high risk guests such as the elderly or those with pre-existing conditions.
Not only does The Kingsley make full use of the automated booking options available on the SuitePad, but they also use the centralized system to update
the frequently changing rules and recommendations related to the pandemic. This is another feature that makes in-room tablets superior to traditional, paper-based information solutions. When regulations change — whether it be a new limitation on the number of diners allowed at a table or the regulations
for wearing masks in public places—all the SuitePads in the hotel can be updated at the simple touch of a button. Rather than needing staff to go from room to room, changing paper-based leaflets—which takes time and can potentially spread the virus—all that staff need to do is upload the updated information into the SuitePad Backend and press “send”. All the SuitePads are then instantly updated.
These may sound like minor details, but in times like these, they have major benefits.
In addition to offering the general public a place to rest and revive from the pressures of the pandemic, The Kingsley also caters to frontline staff such as paramedics and nurses that need to stay away from home to protect those they normally live with. SuitePad devices at the hotel are imperative for keeping these key workers safe so they can continue the important work they do in keeping us all safe.
With frontline workers being so crucial to keeping people safe, it’s great to see hotels like The Kingsley using innovative technology to help fight the global pandemic.
The Kingsley has managed to make the best of a bad situation with the help of SuitePad. This partnership will continue until the pandemic subsides, and then The Kingsley can concentrate on doing what they originally intended to use SuitePads for—reducing paper waste, providing a better guest experience, and generating revenue.
For now, the Kingsley will continue to use their SuitePad subscription to allow guests to safely rest and revive during this difficult time. And they will continue to help keep frontline workers safe so they can continue all the great work they do!
