Completely digitize hotel operations and provide guests with a tool that allows them to carry out all necessary interactions during their stay via mobile, from checking in and opening the room door, to requesting a taxi, booking a table at a hotel restaurant, ordering room service, selecting mini-bar content before arrival, requesting laundry services, or reporting any technical fault.
And, what does the name James & Rita respond to? "We were looking for an attractive and international brand; James is the name usually given to butlers in the English countryside and Rita is the patron saint of the impossible," explains Georgina Rigau, director and founding partner of the company, along with David Veil, amused.
Iberostar bets on the firm
The software began to be developed three years ago, but it has been in 2020 when James & Rita has signed contracts with the first clients; in this case, the pandemic has not harmed them, but rather has been an accelerator, since the digitalization process has been accentuated in all sectors. Thus, the Catalan startup has already managed to introduce its technology in 90 hotels located in Spain, Portugal, Dubai and Latin America, in countries such as Mexico and Costa Rica, where there are large resorts that have found in its solution the perfect ally to improve their operations and customer service. The Iberostar chain is one of the first to have bet on the firm's software.
James & Rita's plans are ambitious. "By the end of 2022 we plan to have more than 500 hotels, which would mean an increase in turnover of more than 200%," says Rigau.
Agreement with Tesa, Assa Abloy, Onity and Salto
And the adoption of its technology can experience exponential growth in the coming years thanks to James & Rita having just signed an agreement with the four main global providers of electronic access solutions for hotel rooms via mobile phone. These are the lock manufacturers Tesa, Assa Abloy, Onity, and Salto. Their opening systems are installed in 14 million hotel rooms, practically all of the main establishments internationally, and from now on, they will be able to synchronize and be compatible with the James & Rita mobile application, which has been certified and integrated by these brands. This means that customers will be able to access the room with their mobile, without the need for a physical key or card. It will be enough to download the James & Rita app and bring their phone close to the lock, which will open without the need for Wi-Fi or good coverage, as communication is done via Bluetooth.
With the incorporation of this technology, James & Rita users will be able to access their room directly from the street, without going through the hotel reception, as the app also allows all check-in and check-out procedures to be carried out from the mobile, including the formalization of identity documents. Once authenticated, the user downloads the digital key to their phone, from which they can also carry out the rest of the interactions they need with the hotel throughout their stay, without the need to call reception, as the system is designed to connect the hotel with the guest in real time. "Thanks to geolocation, we can even send a notification to the client who is in the pool to inform them of a certain offer they can find at the bar," Rigau exemplifies.
The entrepreneur assures that with this technology hotels can "improve their reputation and reduce complaints" by shortening response times to requests and incidents, which improves the customer experience. The app has already been developed in Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, German, and Italian and can be integrated into any chain or reservation system. "With a single application on their mobile, users can manage their hotel reservations worldwide," she states.
James & Rita is based on Avenida Diagonal and now has a team of ten people. According to Rigau, the company is self-financed, and its capital is distributed among the founding partners and some business angels.
The development of the application for the end-user has come after completing a package of solutions that are downloaded to employees' mobile phones to improve operational efficiency and internal hotel management. "Unlike other sectors, the hotel sector was very behind in digitalization. Outside the reception area, many internal processes are still carried out with paper," she asserts. The application for James & Rita's internal operations helps, for example, to optimize the room cleaning process or maintenance tasks.
"We offer hoteliers greater traceability and control of all operations and, above all, we capture data that helps to make better management decisions," Rigau points out. The entrepreneur assures that the aid that the European Union will grant to promote the digitalization and sustainability of establishments can be a great boost for the adoption of their technology, developed entirely in Barcelona and marketed as a subscription or software as a service (SaaS).