An idyllic, nearly 200-room property perched right on the beach, the Westin Jekyll Island  is home to guests year round. Whether it’s the outdoorsy biker or the best man for one of many beachside weddings, there’s always someone to take care of. 

That’s where texting for hotels comes in — Front Office Manager Caleb Smith has been using hotel messaging with his team since his previous position at a Hampton Inn on the same island to communicate all day long with guests.

A slower pace in nature 

A state park with over 20 miles of bike trails and the Georgia Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center, Jekyll Island is a popular destination for outdoor activities, weddings, and even conferences at the nearby conference center.

“Summer is our peak season, with lots of events and weddings plus the transient guests traveling for vacation,” Smith, who has been with the Westin Jekyll Island for four years. While November and December are a bit slower on the island, there’s a steady stream of conferences and weddings year round.

He originally started working in hospitality while he was in school, wanting a part time job that would allow him to do homework on his breaks, and ended up sticking with it. “I ended up really liking it, and the island is a cool place with cool people,” Smith said.

Not only is the beach location a plus for views at work, but it also brings in people from all over. “We meet a lot of cool people from all over the place, there’s always something going on,” he said, mentioning that every day is different.

6 years of communicating with guests 

Smith has used hospitality guest messaging through Kipsu for the past six years, both at his previous position and at the Westin front desk. “I like it a lot, it’s really helpful,” he said. 

Contacting guests without having to call and leave messages is really convenient for the front desk, he mentioned—plus, neither side is taking too much time from the other. “Lots of people don’t like calling anymore,” Smith said—in fact, most guests prefer texting. 

Communicating throughout the day without having to feel like they’re bothering anyone or leaving a bunch of messages is a plus of the hotel text messaging system. Smith’s team also uses it for internal communication between departments, whether it be the front desk and housekeeping, or operations and food & beverage.

For all the events and group travel at the Westin Jekyll Island, the hotel team can create groups of guests within Kipsu and send reminders pertaining to their specific event schedule. “It’s helpful to be able to send reminders to certain groups,” Smith said, especially with all of the year-round festivities.

Saving the day 

Hotel texting has come to the rescue across the properties that use it. In the Westin Jekyll Island’s case, it was at one of their most popular events—a wedding.

A few months ago, a groomsman in a wedding was staying at the property and realized on the day of the wedding that he had left his dress shoes at home. Since a suit and tennis shoes just wouldn’t do, he contacted the front desk via Kipsu. 

Just in time for the wedding, he was pointed in the right direction and able to buy a pair of shoes—hospitality messaging does it again!

The Westin Jekyll Island is just one of many properties using guest messaging for hospitality to ensure guests are taken care of and save the day. Learn more about hotel texting services or schedule a conversation with the Kipsu team today.

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