Hotel technology is used to improve the customer experience of a hotel and not to burden it. Truly guest-centric technology should enable hoteliers to deliver their unique and ideal version of the guest experience. However, great hotel technology should not only be aimed at guests, but also management, by helping hotels scale their business, and employees who focus on making operations easier, streamlining communications, and promoting employee productivity. With a post-pandemic labor crisis, hotels need a mobile and guest-centric PMS to help lean employees cope with a surge in travel demand.
In 2021 the hospitality industry will return … but the hiring still lingers
The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating to hospitality. reset the industry over 10 years in terms of occupancy and job loss. According to ALHA, the pandemic has overwhelmed the US hotel industry 50% occupancy, and over 3.1 million jobs. The good news, however, is that the industry is on the verge of a major rebound. Rising vaccination rates combined with rapidly falling case numbers have led to an increase in confidence in the traveling public. According to Target AnalystsConfidence in travel security is increasing. Over 61.8% of American respondents are confident that the pandemic situation will continue to improve, and over 72% of those polled have made travel plans in the past week. This increasing optimism can be seen in j whether to view reports that the hospitality sector created over 331,000 jobs in April 2021 – the sixth largest increase in the last 50 years.
Unfortunately, those gains may not be enough. U.S. hotels still had 600,000 pre-pandemic workers, but workers don’t seem to be filling the vacancies. This can be attributed to a number of factors, including widespread health concerns, difficulties with childcare, and the recent surge in federal unemployment benefits. The question for hotels is how can they use the technology to support lean employees, get new employees up to speed quickly, and help their current employees better connect with and serve their guests without the Stress from physical or technological limitations.
PMS technology should be intuitive, mobile and unencumbered personnel
Hoteliers joined the hospitality industry because they love serving their guests – not because they wanted to struggle with outdated technology. If hotels want to retain high performing employees, they should invest in technology that actively enables them to deliver an exceptional guest experience. What does it mean to have an employee-centric PMS?
At the simplest level, PMS platforms should be intuitive and easy to use and never burden employees when serving their guests. When the technology is delivered through an intuitive user interface, hoteliers can spend less time on their screens and more time actively engaging with their guests. In addition, the mobile and guest-centered PMS technology should enable a maximum of access. Hoteliers should be able to manage their property from any location and device so they can move around the hotel freely and meet guests wherever they are. This allows employees to interact with their guests in a more natural and personal manner, and gives each employee, regardless of their job title, the opportunity to help any guest in any area of the hotel.
Easy-to-Train Systems Enable hotels to expand their talent pools
PMS platforms should be easy to train and easy to master. When technology is easier to understand, hotels can hire staff based on how they actually interact with guests – not how well they “get” out of date technology. When a new employee is hired, it should be easier to train and engage them in the new technology, which increases adoption across your team.
When investing in new PMS technology, hoteliers should also examine what resources the provider offers in terms of training and supporting employees. The right PMS technology provider will view their relationship with their customers as a long-term strategic partnership, ensuring that their customers’ employees have the resources they need to get the most out of their product. Look for a dedicated implementation team with the option of in-person or remote implementation, as well as a dedicated Client Success Manager (CSM) who can act as the customer voice within the company. The right PMS provider will provide reliable self-training resources, including a comprehensive product knowledge base, on-demand e-learning courses, and best practice materials that demonstrate how the product can be used to improve guest travel and operational efficiency can be.
Mobile communications can streamline operations and improve employee morale
Disruptions in team communication can easily lead to disruptions in team morale. When hoteliers use walkie-talkies and landline phones to communicate, important information can be lost in the shuffle, leading to dissatisfied guests and frayed team dynamics. A mobile, guest-centric PMS can optimize communication between staff and guests in a number of ways: instant room updates automatically notify reception staff when a room is ready or out of order, while analytical dashboards can keep all your staff up to date on key performance metrics . For more sophisticated forms of communication, native cloud PMS systems can be integrated into guest messenger platforms from third-party providers. Guest Messaging offers seamless communication during the entire guest trip via common messaging platforms such as SMS, Facebook Messenger or WeChat. In this way, guests can immediately communicate with employees via their mobile device and employees can serve multiple guests via multiple chat windows.
Use advanced automation to get the most out of a limited workforce
The hotel industry is facing increased demand for travel and increased expectations for cleanliness and service as it is in the high season of summer 2021. Unfortunately, they are still hampered by resource and staffing constraints. By integrating robust automation, a mobile PMS can help hotels make the most of their limited staff, while relieving hoteliers of many of the everyday repetitive tasks that they take away from their guests.
A native cloud PMS can automate simple but repetitive tasks like room allocation, bulk check-in, and management of administrative tasks. But it can also automate more advanced processes – like the entire check-in experience. Guests have the option of checking in on their mobile device or a smart kiosk with a view of the guest. Mobile self-check-in not only optimizes and personalizes the check-in for guests, but also prevents the hotel staff from engaging in repetitive and scripted dialogues during the check-in process.
This self-check-in option may also include automated, targeted offers on amenities and room upgrades, providing the hotel with additional revenue streams. Instead, they can focus on more natural and personal interactions, e.g. B. answering questions about restaurants or greeting guests with tea or champagne in the lobby.
Great technology should empower great hoteliers
To thrive in the post-pandemic hospitality market, hotels must provide exceptional and personalized service with limited staff. Therefore, it is important that they invest in technology that is geared towards not just guests but employees as well. A mobile, guest-centric PMS fulfills both goals by using a system that is easy to use and easy to learn, while also facilitating employee communication and streamlined operations. Great technology should enable both hoteliers and their employees to deliver the best possible guest experience. And a guest-centric PMS can help them with that.
About StayNTouch
StayNTouch offers a fully cloud-enabled next-generation mobile hotel property management system (PMS) that hotels can use to increase service levels, increase revenue, reduce costs and ultimately keep their guests enthralled. StayNTouch was developed as a fully mobile solution in 2012 and currently supplies more than 100,000 hotel rooms worldwide with electricity. Backed by a team of professionals with deep roots in the hospitality industry, StayNTouch is a trusted partner to many of the most forward-looking hotels, resorts and casinos in the industry: including Yotel, TWA, First Hotels, Conscious Hotels and Valencia Hotels, Modus Hotels and MGM Resorts .
Would you like to improve the operation of your hotel and offer your guests a mobile first experience? Take part in a LIVE demo of the StayNTouch Mobile PMS.
