Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis: 98% of guest registrations are already digital!
Josef Schirgi, Managing Director of the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis Tourism Association: “feratel’s digital registration process has been well established in the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis Tourism Association for many years, as it is all over Tyrol, and is an essential part of our services. With a digitization rate of 98.3%, the amount of paper has already been reduced to a minimum. More and more guests (currently 20.7% of all arrivals) are also using online entry of their registration data with a digital signature, not only making it easier for our hosts, but also providing them with additional information such as type of arrival, or approval for advertising purposes. A further 68% of registrations are made live, directly via the interface of respective hotel programs. The remaining registrations are transmitted digitally by companies via the feratel WebClient. Issue of the guest card with integrated Skidata mountain lift tickets is linked to the registration. The automated calculation and charging of local tax, including direct debit, also makes administrative processing easier and gives our employees more leeway to look after our guests.”
The feratel solution includes functions such as 100% digital processing with online check-in including passport scan and digital signature, activation of guest cards/lift cards (e.g., via Skidata interface) through integrated interfaces to approx. 150 hotel programs that conform to GDPR querying of additional information on the type of arrival, holiday motifs, etc., and the retrievability and evaluation of all data via business intelligence tools.
Burgenland model excels with 100% digital registration
Only recently, the Burgenland model showed how – with appropriate legal regulation –, a nationwide conversion to 100 percent digital registration without paper can be successful. Digitization in registration systems not only reduce bureaucracy and simplify processes, but also offer new opportunities, such as real-time analysis of present guests.
Didi Tunkel, Managing Director of Burgenland Tourismus GmbH: “Introduction of comprehensive digital guest registration in Burgenland means an innovation boost for everyone involved: guests, landlords and towns now benefit equally from the simple paperless registration process. Registration data can be analyzed anonymously in real time. We not only see the daily occupancy rate in the individual towns and accommodation categories nationwide, but also the source markets of our guests. This in turn is the basis for control measures and future marketing plans. In addition, digital guest registration in combination with the card program offers the possibility of producing the Burgenland Card, which has been introduced nationwide, as well as Burgi, the user-friendly digital holiday companion made available to guests with just a few clicks.”
75% of all overnight stays occur through feratel
In the 2022 calendar year, a total of 102.8 million overnight stays were processed in Austria via the feratel guest registration system. With a total of 137 million overnight stays, this corresponds to 75% of all overnight stays.
The “K5 software firms” Gemdat OÖ and NÖ, Kufgem, PSC and Gemeindeinformatik have also been successfully using the feratel guest registration package since 2012. They act as a feratel license partner for guest registration and are a reliable advisor and software supplier for the towns.
Together with the K5 Group and direct feratel customers, almost 1,000 tourism-intensive towns have now been covered. In Tyrol, Burgenland and Upper Austria, the coverage is 100% of all towns and businesses.
Already 89% of digital registrations
89% of all registration processes in feratel systems are already performed via digital channels (hotel program interface, Extranet web client or online check-in). Only 11% are still processed using traditional paper registrations.
With a share of 75% of all registrations via feratel and a digitization rate of 89%, this means that when applied to the whole of Austria, the digital share in Austria already accounts for two thirds. And the digital rate is constantly increasing due to the increased use of the digital guest registration form, which towns roll out individually or in packages for their businesses.
Interface connections a factor of success
70% of the guest registration forms are directly transmitted digitally from PMS (property management systems or hotel programs) to the feratel registration system. The common software providers for the respective accommodation areas (camping, hotels, holiday apartments, health resorts, etc.) have already integrated the digital guest registration form as part of their PMS solution. feratel provides a free interface for this that can be integrated into several levels of detail.
A total of over 150 property management systems have already implemented interfaces to feratel, including 134 PMS in the area of digital guest registration. Another 49 PMS are currently working on implementing the interface. “feratel is well prepared for the new guest registration form solution planned in Austria with a central business ID and an interface to a central register of residents, since similar solutions have already been implemented by feratel in other countries”, Schröcksnadel adds in conclusion.
Facts about feratel’s registration system
- feratel’s registration solution is used in 5 European countries.
- In Austria, around 1,000 towns use feratel’s registration module, with around 54,000 businesses already registering their guests electronically.
- In 2022, 75% of all overnight stays in Austria were processed via the feratel registration system, 89% of which were digital.
- • 65% of guest registrations in Austria are already done digitally
