Table of Contents:
Upgrading Your System • Package Solutions • What Happens if a Concierge Doesn’t Have the Proper Tool? • Package Management Software • Request a Demo
Alice Concierge isn’t your average concierge software. It’s built to support every part of a concierge’s day-to-day, including one of the most overlooked parts of the job: hotel package management. While most tools leave you juggling sticky notes and spreadsheets, Alice gives you a proper package management system alongside everything you need to deliver concierge package services.
When Packages Take Over the Lobby, It’s Time for a Better System
Over the past few years, managing hotel package situations has gone from a minor task to becoming untenable. This is especially true for hotels where the concierge and front desk are responsible for package management. Most concierge technology doesn’t factor in package handling alongside everything else the job demands. That’s where Alice comes in.
Alice Guest Services is the first concierge technology designed specifically for hotels. It’s a real package solution that’s fully integrated with the platform’s other features, which support every part of the concierge role. So you’re not just managing packages; you’re managing them smarter—without missing a beat on guest service.
The Growing Challenge of Package Management in Hotels: A Shift in Concierge Responsibilities
Every year, more and more packages get delivered. According to CNBC, 106 million packages were shipped in the United States between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Chances are, many of those packages wound up at your hotel.
At certain hotels, like many of the boutique properties we work with in New York City, package management is the domain of the concierge or front desk agents. But with the daily volume of deliveries climbing, we’ve seen a shift: without the right tools in place, concierges are spending less time offering true concierge services and more time just trying to manage the flood of incoming packages.
It wasn’t always this way. Just as Amazon Prime has changed the game for brick-and-mortar retail, shipping and logistics, urban congestion, and even the residential doorman, packages have quietly become a hotel dilemma. Before Amazon Prime, guests would often ship themselves business materials, garments for events, or special purpose, bulky equipment, like skis. Now, with free or lower shipping costs and the convenience of e-commerce, it’s often easier (and cheaper) for guests to send everything directly to the hotel—especially during the holidays and when traveling internationally.
What happens when concierges don’t have a dedicated package tool?
Guest Items Go Missing
When incoming packages aren’t logged or logged manually, it’s easy to misplace these items. Hotels then have to devote employee time (concierges, front desk agents, and security) to hours and hours of “detective work” (watching security footage, pouring through logs, etc.). When items aren’t found, hotels often have to compensate guests, which is very expensive and a poor guest experience.
Employee Time Gets Eaten Up by Manual Work
Going package by package to record 13-digit-long tracking numbers takes up an enormous amount of time. Your skilled employees could be devoting to assisting your guests.
Shift Changes Become a Liability
Paper logs or Excel-based package management systems, or no formalized system, are prey to shift changes. When the team member who checked in a package has clocked out, all the details—who accepted it, when it arrived, where it was stored—can disappear with them. So when a guest comes by the front desk after hours to ask about a package after hours, they’re often out of luck.
Package management is a distinct interface within Alice Concierge to record all incoming and outgoing packages and lost & found items.
How Things Change With a Dedicated Package Management Software, Like Alice Concierge
Alice Concierge is unlike any other technology on the market today because it provides tools for every aspect of a concierge’s role, including package management. With Alice, package management is easier. You can:
Scan Tracking Numbers with Ease
With Alice, you can plug a scan gun into the computer USB port, which can then be linked to the package tool. When you scan the package label, Alice automatically inserts the tracking number into the ticket being saved.
Track Items Without Tracking Numbers
Not all packages come in a standard box. For items like garment bags and mailing tubes, Alice lets you create a ticket, print the ticket label, and attach it to the item so you can log it. Now, it is trackable just like any other package, and you can easily check it out when the package is picked up.
Gain Full Transparency for Your Hotel Staff
Any staff member can log into Alice and see the status of a package and its associated information.
Gain Full Accountability
With Alice, you can mark in the system when the package was given to a guest and print a receipt to record a signature.
Give Guests Peace of Mind
Once a package is inventoried with Alice, you can send an email to the guest to let them know their package arrived.
Helping Guests Ship Items Out
Offer guests more convenience by scheduling outgoing packages.
Gain Insights
Alice’s reporting tool helps you analyze package volume and processes and provokes questions like whether you should charge for packages to supplement revenue.
Manage More Than Just Packages
Manage packages while using the Alice technology to perform all the other parts of the concierge job. You can also use Alice to manage hotel amenities, loaners, and lost & found.
Request a Demo with Alice
Package volume isn’t slowing down—and your team shouldn’t have to slow down either. With Alice, you can bring clarity, efficiency, and accountability to your hotel’s package management process while giving your guests a smoother, more polished experience.
Want to see how it works? Request a demo today and discover how Alice can help your team take control of package management without sacrificing hospitality.
