Another hospitality innovation introduced in the post-covid “revenge travel” era. By eliminating the need for a phone call, Connecting Rooms make life easier for front desk and call center agents as well as guests.
From The Points Guy:
Hilton even acknowledges that booking connecting rooms hasn’t always been seamless. Previously, you had to call or otherwise reach out to your hotel ahead of time to request a connecting room. While hotels rarely guarantee it, many typically accommodate the requests if possible — but you wouldn’t find out until arriving at the hotel. Other hotels, such as Marriott and Hyatt offer connected rooms, but they aren’t guaranteed — and can cost you.
Naming the feature
I, personally, did not name “Confirmed Connecting Rooms by Hilton.” But, we were involved early enough that we were able to validate the name with users to make sure they understood the feature. Connecting rooms are also commonly known as adjoining rooms and there is another in-stay product with a similar name. I advocated strongly for “connecting” given the double meaning, plus my desk research indicated that it was more commonly known.
Defining the feature
“Side-by-side rooms linked by a lockable door.” I wrote a descriptive line that could be used just about anywhere, from tooltip to tagline. The alliteration and and rhythm made it easy to remember.
Onboarding the feature
We introduced a new component to flag the new feature at relevant points in the experience. It was important for us to remind users that it was innovative and unique in the industry.
Clarifying the experience
Since the feature was new, we had to earn users’ trust. I wrote alerts and instructive copy to reassure at every step, so future guests would feel confident that they didn’t have to call the hotel.