Mohegan Sun Adds Wireless In-Room Purchasing

LAS VEGAS—As reopening properties face the need to adapt services to address guest concerns over potential health risks, Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort has added the ability to conform to a more guest-centric approach where an array of nontraditional purchase items can be instantly made available in-room and without requiring guests to come into close contact with staff or other guests.

Mohegan Sun has partnered with Bartech to implement its advanced eTray solution, a platform that allows hoteliers to sell non-refrigerated products within the guestroom without the need for an existing minibar.

“Bartech’s eTray not only allows us to deliver on growing expectations for instant service, but also provides us with the ability to enhance our property’s health safety protocols at a time when such efforts are an utmost priority for our industry,” said Mark Mullane, director of food & beverage, Mohegan Sun. “Today’s guests expect to see how properties have adapted their services to maintain their well-being and trust, with the eTray serving as a visible reminder that offerings are now being made available within the safety of guestrooms to reduce exposure risks while still catering to their various needs.

Costing approximately one-quarter the price of a fully automated minibar, the eTray possesses full wireless operating abilities using a module that is directly integrated into the solution’s electronics. This provides properties with the seamless ability to remotely monitor and manage individual guestroom inventory levels, with staff only entering guestrooms to replace products when notified by the system and reducing any unnecessary room entries that may lead to contamination or direct contact with guests.

“With most guests concerned over the possibility of coming into contact with germs when visiting a public environment such as a hotel, they understandably will try to limit their potential exposure by avoiding areas such as a property’s restaurant or bar,” said Mario Agrario, CEO, Bartech. “While this certainly represents a substantial drop in revenue at a time when it is needed most, it also means that certain guest needs will not be able to be met and will result in a less enjoyable stay experience. Bartech’s eTray resolves both of these challenges by providing both safer and more convenient in-room purchase options that go beyond previous limitations of only being able to offer refrigerated items.”

With guests seeking to avoid more public hotel areas such as on-site shops or cafés, the in-room option ensures that diverse retail needs can still be met while providing properties with an alternate source of much-needed revenue. As a non-refrigerated point-of-sale platform, this includes providing guests with safer access to items such as headphones, cellphone chargers, headache pills, bottled water, hand sanitizer, face masks and much more. Any items removed are automatically transmitted as purchases to the PMS to ensure appropriate billing while directing employees to restock and sanitize the units and merchandise once a guest checks out.

“The resort and hospitality industry has felt business impacts by the health crisis, as reaching pre-pandemic occupancy rates is a current challenge,” said Mullane. “The implementation of the eTray comes at an ideal time where the revenue generated by in-room purchases can assist in making up for some profit loss in other operation areas. With properties also having to function with reduced staff numbers, its wireless abilities also ensure that any purchases are instantly transmitted to a guest’s profile, reducing the possibility of such purchases being inadvertently overlooked and always ensuring that guests are billed appropriately during checkout. Wireless communication also assists with preserving limited employee resources by alerting them to review and restock an eTray only when required. This ability further allows us to ensure that any items that may have been handled are appropriately sanitized prior to the arrival of the next guest.”