Front desk staff spending the majority of their time on routine requests that guests could handle themselves if there were an easy channel to do it?
No way to prompt guests to order room service, book spa treatments, or use their loyalty points during the stay?

Hotel Guest Experience App Development

A branded iOS and Android app that moves routine guest interactions -- check-in, service requests, F&B orders, loyalty -- off the front desk and onto the guest's phone, reducing queue volume and increasing ancillary spend.

We build hotel guest apps for independent properties and hospitality groups, with integrations into PMS, POS, lock hardware, and loyalty platforms. The app works the way your operation runs.

Mobile check-in and digital room key where lock hardware supports it
In-app service requests routed to the right department with status updates
F&B ordering from room or poolside with room billing or card payment
Loyalty balance, redemption, and push notifications during the stay

Products shipped: 100+

Loyalty platforms shipped: 20+

Cost delivery: Fixed

Week delivery cycles: 12-14

The front desk queue exists because guests have no better channel. A guest app is that channel.

Most front desk volume is routine: guests asking for extra towels, reporting a maintenance issue, ordering breakfast, or asking what time checkout is. None of those interactions require a trained hospitality professional -- they require a convenient way for the guest to submit the request and know it's been received. A guest app provides that channel, routes each request to the right department, and sends the guest a status update when it's done.

The operational benefit is measurable: front desk staff spend less time on transactional requests and more time on the interactions where a person genuinely adds value -- welcoming first-time guests, resolving complaints, and handling situations that require judgement. The revenue benefit is also direct: a guest who can browse the F&B menu and order from the pool without picking up the room phone places more orders than one who has to dial the kitchen. In-app upsell prompts for room upgrades, late checkout, and dining reservations at the point of highest intent convert better than any pre-arrival email.

What we build

Mobile check-in and digital room key

Pre-arrival check-in flow from the app: guest confirms details, uploads ID for contactless arrival verification, and selects preferences. Room allocation based on preferences and availability, with room number notification when the room is ready. Digital key delivery to the app for properties with compatible lock hardware -- Assa Abloy VingCard, Salto, and Dormakaba systems are all integration targets we have experience with. Guests tap the app on the door panel to open without collecting a physical key card. For properties where lock hardware doesn't support digital keys, the app handles check-in admin so the front desk visit is limited to key collection only.

In-app service requests

Categorised request menu covering housekeeping (extra towels, bed turndown, cleaning schedule), maintenance (faults and repairs), concierge (restaurant bookings, transport, local information), and amenities (cot, crib, iron, adaptor). Each request type routes to the correct department's queue with priority level and estimated response time. Status updates push back to the guest: request received, in progress, and completed. Completion confirmation from the department closes the loop. High-volume request categories can be configured for self-service fulfilment without staff involvement. The service request layer that removes the need for guests to call the front desk for anything routine.

In-room and poolside F&B ordering

Digital menu browsing by outlet and meal period -- in-room dining, pool bar, restaurant, and grab-and-go menus displayed with photos, descriptions, and allergen information. Item customisation for modifiable dishes. Order placement with delivery location selection (room number, pool lounger, or other defined service areas) and estimated delivery time. Room charge billing pulls directly from the PMS folio -- the charge posts automatically without front desk involvement. Card payment is also supported for guests who prefer to pay separately. Order tracking shows the guest where their order is from kitchen confirmation through to delivery. The F&B ordering flow that converts passive guests into active spenders throughout the stay.

Loyalty balance and in-app redemption

Points balance and tier status visible in the app throughout the stay, including points earned on the current stay as charges post. Redemption within the app against room extras, F&B credits, spa vouchers, or partner offers configured by the property. Tier status display with current qualification progress and benefits applicable to the guest's current tier. Points earning notification after qualifying transactions -- room charges, F&B orders, spa bookings -- reinforcing the direct connection between spend and reward. The in-app loyalty layer that makes members feel recognised and actively rewards them for spending more during the stay. For properties using an existing loyalty platform such as Salesforce Loyalty Management or a custom points engine, the app connects via REST API so points balances and redemption events stay in sync with the master loyalty record in real time.

Push notifications and stay communication

Room ready notification sent when housekeeping clears and inspects the room, eliminating the need for guests to ask at the front desk. Check-in reminder on the day of arrival with property address, parking, and arrival instructions. F&B offer notifications during the stay -- lunch special, happy hour, evening entertainment -- timed to meal periods rather than blasted at random. Event and activity information for guests interested in property programming. Pre-departure message with express checkout option and checkout instructions. Notification frequency is configured per property to avoid over-messaging. The push notification layer that keeps the property relevant to the guest throughout the stay without requiring the guest to open the app unprompted.

Post-stay survey and feedback management

Automated satisfaction survey triggered at checkout via push notification -- short enough to complete in under two minutes, covering key stay dimensions: room quality, service, F&B, and overall experience. Issue escalation for guests who report a problem: a low-scoring response triggers an alert to the property manager before the guest leaves or posts a public review, giving the team the opportunity to resolve the issue directly. Aggregated feedback reporting for the operations team -- department-level scores, trend data over time, and flagged individual responses that require follow-up. The feedback layer that captures guest sentiment at the point of highest recall and routes problems to the team before they become public complaints.

Frequently asked questions

: We have integration experience with Assa Abloy VingCard, Salto, and Dormakaba -- the three systems covering the majority of hotel lock hardware installations. Integration requires API access from the lock hardware vendor, which typically requires a commercial agreement with the vendor and a supported property management system at the property. Not all lock hardware generations support mobile key -- newer encoder-based systems generally do; older RFID-only systems generally don't. Before committing to digital key as a feature, we confirm hardware compatibility during scoping. For properties where the current lock hardware doesn't support mobile key, we scope the app without that feature and note the hardware upgrade path for future consideration.
: F&B orders placed in the app post to your POS system -- we integrate with the POS in use at the property, most commonly Oracle MICROS, Lightspeed, or Revel. The order appears on the kitchen display or printer in the same format as orders placed by waiting staff, so kitchen workflow doesn't change. For room billing, the charge posts directly to the guest's PMS folio via PMS integration -- the same folio that accumulates room, minibar, and other ancillary charges during the stay. The guest sees the charge on their folio at checkout. For card payment, we process through a payment gateway configured for the property. The integration design is confirmed during scoping -- the specific POS and PMS at the property determines the integration approach.
: For most hotel guest apps, a native iOS and Android build is the right choice. Native apps can deliver digital room key via Bluetooth, which requires hardware-level access that web apps can't provide. Native apps also support richer push notifications, faster load times on hotel Wi-Fi (which is often unreliable), and a smoother camera experience for ID verification at mobile check-in. A progressive web app (PWA) is appropriate when the property wants a lower entry cost, doesn't need digital key, and is comfortable with guests accessing the app through a browser link rather than downloading from the App Store. PWAs are a viable option for smaller properties or as a starting point that can be replaced with a native app later. We'll recommend the right approach based on your feature requirements and budget.
: A guest app covering mobile check-in, in-app service requests, push notifications, and post-stay survey -- without digital room key or F&B ordering -- typically runs $30,000--$60,000 for iOS and Android. Adding F&B ordering with POS and PMS integration typically adds $15,000--$30,000 depending on POS complexity. Digital room key integration adds $10,000--$25,000 depending on the lock hardware vendor and API complexity. A full-featured app with check-in, digital key, service requests, F&B ordering, loyalty, and post-stay feedback typically runs $70,000--$150,000. Delivery is 12--14 weeks for a well-scoped build. We scope every project before pricing -- tell us your property setup, integrations needed, and which features matter most.

What clients say

What our clients say

Three-year average engagement. Founders and operators describing the work in their own words. No marketing varnish.

Paula Castro

Ireland

Co-Founder, City Break Apartments

RaftLabs delivered everything we asked for and more, going above and beyond to meet our expectations throughout the project.

01 / 02

Case studies

Increase in direct bookings3x

From kickoff to launch14 weeks

Online Booking Software and Keyless Technology for Serviced Apartments

Related services

Custom Software Development -- Custom booking platforms, PMS integrations, and guest experience apps built for your property type
Business Process Automation -- Automate booking confirmations, guest communications, revenue management alerts, and review requests
Loyalty Programme Development -- Custom loyalty mechanics for hospitality covering stays, F&B spend, and referral rewards

Talk to us about your guest app project.

Tell us your property type, the integrations you need, and the guest interactions you most want to move off the front desk. We'll scope the right app and give you a fixed cost.