Dhigali Maldives is a premium, all-inclusive resort in R. Atoll, Maldives. It is surrounded by a large house-reef and is a 45-minute plane ride from the capital, Male’. It received a 9.1 rating on booking.com for two-person trips by couples from around the world.

Recently, Dhigali switched from their own custom-developed app to TripKit. They stated limited features, less service integration, less customizability, and lack of language support as their main reasons for making this shift.

Since then, Dhigali has been using TripKit for little over a month. The response from the management and guests has reportedly been quite positive.

So, let’s take a look at Dhigali’s experiences using our app and see the difference it has made in only a short period of time.

Adopting TripKit

Dhigali Maldives was no stranger to using digital tools to aid them in their operations. Not only did they have their own custom app before, but they are also prefer using platforms such as Microsoft Teams to company emails or memos. As such, when the decision was made to adopt TripKit, the management started with their staff.

The resort spent around two days training all of its staff to use the app. The training sessions were short and went from department to department. It showed the staff what the app could do and how they could make use of it. This training can also be done remotely via VOIP platforms such as Zoom.

Dhigali reported that their staff picked up how to use TripKit with ease and were very satisfied with the features and information it provided them. The staff particularly highlighted the fact that they get to respond to bookings based on availability, which ensures that no one is double-booked and no confusions arise.

The staff also noted that TripKit helped them feel less overwhelmed and more prepared.

The Most Immediate Change

TripKit offers guests the ability to make online bookings at Dhigali for a stay. Guests could also book any of the resort’s services or facilities from the comfort of their own smartphone. According to Dhigali Maldives, this booking feature of TripKit was where they saw the most immediate improvement.

The feature proved to be very popular among the guests and the staff. Dhigali has opted to use TripKit to handle all bookings.

The guests reportedly found it very useful in booking restaurants and recreational activities. Dhigali had put up all of their services and facilities on TripKit and guests could peruse them and make booking requests with just a few taps on the phone.

Behind the scenes, the staff also found that the real-time information about all guest requests to be very helpful to daily operations. It enabled the staff to manage large volumes of requests without any confusion, miscommunication, or redundancy. TripKit also made responding to guest requests in a timely manner much easier.

Additionally, the managerial staff found the real-time information available through TripKit regarding all guest interactions and purchases to be very useful.

How Did They Use TripKit?

1. The Home Page

Dhigali Maldives integrated TripKit into their daily operations in a number of ways. As mentioned before, they switched over to the app for all bookings, but that is only the trip of the iceberg.

TripKit is highly customizable to suit any hotel’s needs and to meet its branding standards. Dhigali has made full use of this customizability to bring its guests a very uniquely Dhigali experience.

For instance, the home page of their previous app was a static image. But now, it proudly displays all the daily activities on the island. Guests can tap any of them and be taken to the facility that provides the activity and make a booking, all from their own smartphones.

Dhigali also uses the homepage to show off new offers and promotions to their guests. Whenever there is a special offer or a promotion, it is shown off at the top portion of the homepage. This makes it one of the first things guests see when the open the app. The Dhigali website homepage and social media links are also found on the homepage.

The resort has also found a digital alternative to brochures and leaflets through TripKit. The bottom of the homepage has a curated collection of PDFs that contain information on the resort, fact sheets, and other useful facts. This, along with the promotions on the same page enable the resort to market itself from within the app as well.

It is also worth noting that guests can book a stay at the resort itself directly from the homepage.

2. The Interactive Map

Another main way that Dhigali makes use of TripKit is through its map feature.

Dhigali uses it to showcase the various facilities and noteworthy spots on the island. As mentioned before, guests can then tap any facility, be taken to it, and make a booking easily. Guests can also use it to find their way back to their room from any part of the island.

Adding to that, guests can also see where they are on the island in real time. Using the WIFI provided by the resort, guests are able to easily navigate the island and ensure that they are never lost or losing time locating specific places or things.

3. The Guest Timeline

Another interesting way in which Dhigali uses TripKit is how they display a guest’s booking history. This information exists for the benefit of both the guests and the staff.

TripKit is able to display the guest’s booking history as a timeline. This allows the guests and the staff to keep track of what the guests have enjoyed so far, along with what they have planned ahead. For the guests, this functions a bit like an itinerary. They can see what they have done and what they have planned ahead. This appeals to the demographic that loves to plan their holidays for maximum enjoyment.

On the other hand, the staff are able to use this data to upsell or cross sell various services, activities, or facilities. Knowing what a guest prefers is key to selling additional upgrades and offers to them. TripKit provides this information in a clear and comprehensible format.

What Improvements Did TripKit Bring?

According to Dhigali, TripKit helped them improve their daily operations in several ways. First and foremost was the fact that the app allowed them to put all relevant information about the resort in one medium. By having all this information on the app, it became easier for them to share this information with their guests and potential future guests.

Additionally, this information can be updated easily by the staff without developer involvement. This allowed Dhigali to ensure that all information regarding facilities, promotions, and offers were always accurate and timely.

Dhigali also reported that the app allowed for more contact-less options for guests. Since we are currently going through an ongoing global pandemic, this proved to be a big hit among guests. It also functioned as an extra step to protect the safety of guests and staff alike.

The resort also reported that the application was popular due to the fact that it was snappy and fast, with minimal bugs or issues. They added that any issues found were fixed within the month itself and now, the app was running with no issues.

The app being easy to learn and use also made it a hit among the staff.

Dhigali also noted that the developers were easy to communicate with, very flexible to their needs, and responded swiftly.

The Biggest Positive Change

According to Dhigali, the biggest positive change TripKit brought to their resort is through the multilingual options within the app. TripKit supports languages from all over the world and can Auto-Translate content automatically.

Previously, all the information about the resort and its facilities were in English. Translations via Google Translate and other similar services were found to be misleading.

However, with the multilingual support provided by TripKit, all their available bookings, packages, services, facilities, map icons, and more are in the language of the guest’s choosing. This has ensured that guests are better informed and make correct booking choices that they are happy with.

Dhigali has reported increased customer satisfaction from just this one feature.

The Guest Response to TripKit

When asked about the guest response to the shift to TripKit, Dhigali responded that it has been very positive. The resort said that they intended to give the guests everything Dhigali had to offer, at their own fingertips.

The moment guests step into their room, they are greeted by a QR code that they can scan. This allows guests to sign into the app in a seamless and convenient way.

The guests who visited Dhigali gave feedback that they felt more informed when it came to the resort and its facilities. They also said that the app made them feel more empowered in controlling their bookings and choices regarding their stay.

The guests liked the fact that they didn’t have to call anyone to make bookings or learn about services. They felt like a lot of time was saved by not wasting them on phonecalls. TripKit having multilingual support ensured that they always knew what they wanted and were able to obtain it.

Dhigali said that the guests also felt like the app helped cut out delays in service. By having the relevant staff be able to see requests made, there was no time lost in mobilizing that staff. As such, the guest experience was improved.

Within this single month use, Dhigali reported that has been 304 downloads of the app on iOS alone and that there were over 1000 impressions. Guests reportedly use it quite frequently on Apple and Android devices, with some repeat guests praising the app and the changes it has brought to the island.

How Can I Try TripKit?

TripKit is an easy-to-use app that aims to bring hospitality into the digital space. The app allows for easy sharing of information between guests and staff. It also integrates functions such as bookings and requests into it, making it easy for both guests and staff to keep track of them. The app also allows for the staff and management to track buggy use and location on the island in real-time.

TripKit can be customized to fit your hotel’s branding and needs. The developers are also available for assistance when you need it.

At this point, you might be wondering how you might be able to try TripKit and see what positive changes it can bring to your hotel, resort, guesthouse, etc.

It’s simple. You can check out our website by clicking here and schedule a demo today!