Revenue beyond the room: Boosting ancillary revenue with Mobile Ordering
Hotels must look beyond room revenue to drive growth and unlock new opportunities across their properties. How can QR-code ordering and guest experience apps empower hotels to boost revenue streams and heighten guest convenience from every corner of their hotel - from pool decks and beaches, to lobbies and meeting rooms?
In today’s hospitality landscape, room revenue alone is no longer enough. Hotels around the world are increasingly turning to mobile technology to unlock total guest spend - capturing revenue from every touchpoint and outlet along the guest journey.
At the forefront of this transformation is IRIS mobile ordering and digital guest experience platform which empowers hotels to maximise ancillary revenue, streamline operations, and deliver a frictionless, guest-centric service.
Here’s our top tips to boost revenue across your property:
Mobile-first experiences
Guests today expect convenience, speed, and control. They’re used to mobile-first experiences in every part of their lives - from shopping to dining - and hospitality is no exception. That shift in expectation creates both a challenge and an opportunity for hotels: adapt to digital-first behaviour or risk losing spend to external platforms (like online delivery companies) and missed in-house sales.
The answer? Reach guests where it suits them most - with mobile ordering, service on demand, and seamless digital experiences that not only delight guests but also boost the bottom line for hotel operators.
Capturing Revenue Beyond the Room
IRIS’s mobile ordering platform is designed to help hotels extend revenue opportunities well beyond the guest room, allowing guests to browse, order, and pay for food, drinks, amenities, and services at their convenience - anytime, anywhere, across the property.
Whether lounging by the pool, working in the lobby, or unwinding in-room, guests can access digital menus, make service requests, or explore amenities in just a few taps. And the results speak for themselves.
Turning Underutilised Spaces Into Profit Centres
Traditionally, many parts of a hotel - like beaches, lobbies, pool decks, spas or meeting rooms - have remained under-monetised due to unpredictable demand or lack of staffing.
This doesn’t have to be the case. With QR-code-enabled mobile ordering, hotels can turn these areas into revenue-generating zones without adding additional resources.
Guests scan, order, and pay directly from their phones, even in unmanned spaces. That means hotels can monetise demand in the moments that matter - while also improving comfort and convenience for guests.
Common areas to deploy mobile ordering:
Pool decks and beach areas
Co-working lobbies and bars
Golf courses, gyms, and spas
Conference and event spaces
Lawn areas, terraces, and in-house cinemas
Elevating Spend per Transaction
IRIS enhances guest spend not just by increasing order frequency, but also by boosting the value of each order. Guests are more likely to spend more when the process is intuitive, visual, and responsive - especially when these features are deployed:
Upselling through visuals and suggested add-ons
Customisable options for dietary needs or preferences
Instant language switching for global guests
Seamless digital payments with charge-to-room and tipping options
Real-time updates for menus, ingredients, and availability
Data-driven insights from guest behaviours also enable hotels to refine offerings and maximise what resonates - further increasing revenue and loyalty.
Competing with Third-Party Apps
Many hotels have struggled with guests opting for services like UberEats or Deliveroo instead of ordering in-house. IRIS helps hotels compete by offering a superior, hotel-grade digital experience that combines the ease of external apps with the quality of in-house F&B.
By meeting expectations for digital ordering and convenience (without compromising on service standards), hotels retain the revenue that would otherwise leave the property, and provide their guests with a superior culinary experience.
Access on the go = Repeat Business
The IRIS platform goes far beyond ordering. Its digital guest directory acts as a virtual concierge, offering instant access to hotel facilities, local recommendations, spa and dining reservations, and real-time information - all in the guest’s language.
Service requests, transport bookings, maintenance reports, and even AV or catering needs for meetings can be handled via mobile, simplifying the guest journey and freeing up staff time.
When guests feel empowered to manage their own experience, on their own device, in their own time, they’re not only more satisfied, but likely to spend more and return as loyal guests.
Promoting the Platform: From Check-In to Check-Out
To drive guest engagement of digital apps, hotels need to adopt a variety of in-property and pre-arrival marketing tools:
Pre-stay emails and SMS campaigns
QR codes on key cards, cabana tags, sun loungers, in-room screens, elevators and more
Tent cards, table stickers
Second prompts from staff
The goal is to embed IRIS into every stage of the guest journey - from planning and check-in to room service and spa bookings - creating a natural, valuable, and consistent experience.
The Bottom Line: Convenience Drives Spend
The takeaway is simple: When you make it easy for guests to spend, they will. By empowering guests with digital tools to control their experience, it helps hotels increase revenue, optimise staffing, and enhance satisfaction.
Hotels that embrace mobile ordering and digital guest services are not only keeping pace with guest expectations, they’re unlocking entirely new revenue streams that go far beyond the room.
Ready to see how IRIS can help your hotel capture more guest spend? Visit www.iris.net/demo to learn more or check out our hotel success stories here.
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