Hotels • France

How Carlton Cannes Increased Online Check-In Completion by Nearly 50% While Making Guest Stays More Personal

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Nearly 50% increase in online check-in completion
96% of guests completing the pre-arrival form share personal preferences or special occasions
5.3× growth in digital guest interactions, reaching more than 23,000

Introduction

At Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel on the French Riviera, a personal welcome begins with understanding why a guest is visiting. A wedding anniversary, a family holiday, or a celebration between friends can shape everything from the amenities waiting in the room to the way the team greets guests on arrival.

For Joscha Kranz, Director of Rooms, the opportunity was to gather that information earlier and make attentive follow-up a consistent part of the stay. With Duve, Carlton Cannes expanded its pre-arrival outreach beyond individually contacted guests and introduced scheduled communication that helps the team prepare personal touches and address concerns before departure.

Before Duve, we reached out manually to selected guests. With Duve, we can automate that pre-arrival communication for more guests, giving the team more opportunity to prepare a personal welcome.

Joscha Kranz

Director of Rooms
Carlton Cannes

Challenges

Manual Pre-Arrival Outreach: Before Duve, guest relations contacted selected guests by phone, email, or WhatsApp, particularly VIPs and those requiring additional attention. The hotel lacked an automated process for gathering information across its broader arrival volume.

Personalization That Started at Reception: Special occasions sometimes came to light only during check-in. Staff would then coordinate a celebration after guests had arrived, arranging the details and finding a suitable moment once the stay was already underway.

Limited Opportunities to Surface Guest Concerns: WhatsApp communication depended largely on individual relationships established by guest relations. Guests did not always share concerns during their stay, leaving the team less time to respond if dissatisfaction surfaced only at departure.

Solution

Carlton Cannes built its pre-arrival communication around an invitation to help the team prepare each stay. Using Duve’s Online Check-in flow, guests complete their details and share preferences or special occasions before reaching the hotel. This information supports the team’s daily planning: a morning meeting covers VIP arrivals and celebrations, while an afternoon meeting reviews the following day’s arrivals, room assignments, and preferences.

Through Duve’s Communication Hub and Scheduled Messages, Carlton Cannes also established regular touchpoints during the stay. Guests staying four nights or longer receive a WhatsApp check-in after their second night. A separate message on the afternoon before departure asks about departure plans, outstanding needs, and satisfaction. Post-stay emails thank guests and invite them to leave a review.

Results achieved with Duve:

Nearly 50% Increase in Online Check-In Completion: Carlton Cannes increased online check-in completion by nearly 50%, expanding participation in a process that helps the team prepare ahead of arrival. Joscha identifies pre-arrival as the area of greatest improvement: outreach previously handled manually for selected guests now supports a broader volume of arrivals. Once guests reach the hotel, staff still welcome them personally and accompany them to their rooms.

96% Share Information That Supports a More Personal Stay: Among guests completing the pre-arrival form, 96% share personal preferences or special occasions. These details give the team practical starting points for planning amenities, handwritten cards, and experiences throughout the visit.

Joscha describes five friends who came to celebrate their friendship. Knowing the occasion in advance allowed guest relations to prepare a table and champagne in the Camélia Lounge, ready for their arrival. The team could make the celebration part of their welcome, with the details already in place.

5.3× Growth in Digital Guest Interactions: Digital guest interactions grew 5.3×, reaching more than 23,000. Alongside that growth, scheduled mid-stay and pre-departure messages created consistent opportunities for guests to share requests and feedback.

According to Joscha, these messages have helped the team uncover concerns guests had not yet raised with staff. Learning about dissatisfaction before checkout gives the hotel time to respond while the guest is still there. The team also uses Duve to communicate practical updates, such as maintenance notices, through guests’ preferred channels.

Conclusion

Carlton Cannes uses Duve to make advance preparation and attentive follow-up a more consistent part of its service. By learning what matters to guests before arrival and maintaining contact throughout the stay, the team has more opportunity to turn that understanding into personal touches.