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Digital solutions for independent hoteliers
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All in one software for an efficient operation
HOSTELS
Give a life-time guest experience
Efficient daily operations
Synchronized online distribution
Commission-free direct bookings
Multichannel payment solutions
Digital hotel applications
Centralised guest communication
Get the latest product and industry updates from the past 30 days and be the first to know about our latest developments.
In our previous articles we have talked a lot about the labor shortage experienced in the hospitality industry, and we have listed numerous tips, that can help you resolve this issue by staffing.
In our latest blog post we'd like to look at the topic from a different perspective. We try to help with some tips on how technology can help you to streamline processes in each department. Ultimately saving valuable time, so your staff can deal with their most important tasks.
First, we would like to emphasize that hospitality is a people business. Human touch is something that guests will look for when they stay at a hotel. The future of hotel management is blending the science of new smart tech with exceptional human provided customer care. There are already many tasks which are better done by a machine or even by the clients themselves. So you can streamline processes with technology but human interactions can never be fully replaced.
Without further ado, let’s see how the future of hotel industry could be. How automation and artificial intelligence can help you with labor shortage?
An average receptionist spends between 20-30% of their day dealing with tasks which can be automated. The front desk depends mostly on a computer, so you can easily find tasks here, that can be lifted from their shoulders. They are the first who interact with guests, sometimes even before they arrive. Clear and timely communication is key when you build trust with your guests.
Automated services can hardly manage unpredictable issues. In this case, “a canned response” will not be enough, and your receptionist has to resolve it. If you automate your tasks, your staff will have more time to prepare for unforeseen events, then an appropriate action can be taken.
Most frequently a guest request is not taken care of because the information gets lost. If a guest wants to ask for something from a member of your staff, they often go to the first person they can talk to. This person is rarely the person who is responsible for the task.
Do you remember those times when communication between different departments was done through walkie - talkies rather than smart phones or maybe messaging apps? What do yo think about handling this information right through your PMS? This way your staff can see all the relevant information they need in real time:
With automation everyone can be informed in a standardised way, at the responsible department, without losing any information. All of this can be manageable with a well-integrated hotel system. We think this is on of the parts of future hotel technologies is worth investing in.
Think about all the paperwork your front desk team has to do on a daily basis. Depending on your property size, each department is spending an average 2-3 hours with administration everyday. How can you manage this more efficiently at different stages of the guest journey?
Tasks, Housekeeping department must perform on a daily basis:
Without the right tools this can take them 1-2 hours a day depending on your property size (in a 100 - room hotel it can take about 1.5 hours daily). Using digital solutions can save a lot of time, so they Housekeepers can focus on what matters the most: clean rooms. Time spent with room allocation can be also reduced from 30 minutes to about 10 minutes if you are using an application for this purpose.
With real time feedbacks and automatic reporting, you can solve cleanliness issues on the spot, and as we have detailed above, it is a very efficient tool in streamlining operations, increasing productivity and quality.
Pricing
When I was working as a revenue manager, analysing daily pickup, changing prices and checking competitors took a significant amount of time from my day. I was always wishing for automation in this field. When I see systems that can automate all these tasks, I feel that the future of revenue management is not that far.
A hotel revenue management software can be your reliable helper. Because it's using artificial intelligence, it can update your prices automatically. It can both track internal data (occupancy, booking window, free capacity) and external factors (demand, competitor prices, availability etc.). It can also analyze Big Data to create patterns of customer behaviour.
A machine never gets tired, it can track data and changes in your prices 24/7/365. AI can help you optimize your pricing strategy and to make data drive decisions in different ways. It doesn't mean that human factor is not needed anymore, but you can focus on solving issues, which a machine simply can't do (at the moment).
Although sales is strongly built on personal interactions, it doesn’t mean that you cannot help the sales team's job with technology. This is especially true today, when personal meetings are less frequent, and online presentation is the preferred way of getting in touch. Even if this possibility is existing for a while now, only a few hoteliers adopted it yet.
Doing 360-degree virtual tours in your hotel is a pioneer way to show your future guests or your corporate buyers what can you offer to them. By providing this kind of safe and immersive way to showcase your services and atmosphere of your hotel, can distinguish you from the crowd.
Offering a wide range of services to your guests will always pay off, as they have various preferences. Providing them automated and smart hotel solutions can be an option.
Some of your guest will continue to choose only offline interactions, and to chat with the reception staff for hours, while other guests will instantly turn to their smartphones for help. As time flies, the future of hospitality will tend to guests who are more tech savvy, and building business based on their needs will worth to invest. Until then, we recommend to provide platforms to satisfy both types of guests.
In our next article we will explore how does a fully automated check-in system work, and what kind of hotel tech solutions can help you on the way.
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