Tech Talk

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Merging High Tech With High Touch to Create a New Hospitality Paradigm
Posted: 03/23/2023

One of the key challenges facing today’s hoteliers is that of high tech vs high touch. Does technology conflict with personalized service? Is it possible to offer both during the same visit? And can hotels that utilize technology in favor of human interaction achieve guest loyalty?

Business travel is picking back up and families may be taking their first or second real vacations since the pandemic cancelled so many plans just a few years ago. To ensure that guests have the best on-site experience possible, hoteliers are increasingly looking to new technologies to make their stay more comfortable than ever. With an advanced property management systems (PMS) and integration platforms, hoteliers can increase operational and staff efficiency, but also meet changing guest expectations for a high-value but relatively low-touch experience. We looked ahead to see what changes we expect to see sweeping the hospitality industry this year.

Long-term readers of this blog know that I rarely focus on a single company or product. My goal is to help readers understand new and emerging technologies, when and why they might be useful, and what to consider if you are buying them.

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The Future of Hotels
Posted: 02/21/2023

Hotels have always been a high-touch low-tech business. Today, and into the foreseeable future, hotels are moving away from the pure ‘people serving people’ model towards a more high-tech low-touch business, and doubling down on digitalization. In the paragraphs below, I envision ways in which tech can innovate and enhance the guest experience throughout the guests’ 6 stage hotel journey: Imagine-Book-Stay-Report-Recommend-Return.

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Definitely Doug 2/10/23: Planning for June
Posted: 02/10/2023

The question I have heard most often in recent months is “where are you going in the last week of June?”. As most readers are aware, two trade shows featuring hotel technology are scheduled during the same dates that week. Many of you are still undecided which to attend. Knowing that your decision will be based at least in part on where others are going (hoteliers and exhibitors both), I decided to try to get some real data that I could share.

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Wow-Factor Website – What's the Secret?

08/14/2017

by Nimesh Dinubhai

What are the core ingredients of a wow-factor website? I think Websrefresh.com has found the answer with their newest website launch of hotelbellatx.com. After years of experience, research, and listening to what travelers are looking for in a hotel website; we have come up with the core ingredients to convert visitors to guests.

Hotel Bella’s website launch has resulted in many calls and compliments on how the site looks visually and how the layout folds out a story of a beautiful property that showcases all the amenities guests look for when booking a hotel. You could have an award-winning property in the most beautiful of locations with over-the-top amenities, but if your website does not tell the story with bright colorful pictures and an easy to find tabs, then your website and hotel is missing a lot of booking guests.

So, what are the core ingredients you ask?

Layout – The visual appearance of a website speaks a lot about the legitimacy of your business and how relevant it is to visitors who are looking for a specific thing(s). If the layout does not have accessibility as a primary focus, then you will have guests that will just skip over your site thinking you do not have what they need. On the Hotelbellatx.com site, you will see easy to access links at the top of the page and the home page itself has at-a-glance information that will draw visitors to learn more.

Photography - The photographs of your property and the rooms are the most viewed content on a hotel website. The photographs you take can either make or break a connection from potential guest that seeks more, to a visitor that just passes on by. Saving money now to avoid a professional photographer is not the place to cut! Websites that have 100’s of glossy images of the entire property, taken by a professional photographer, will tell your story and show guests what they can look forward to if they book or buy from you. Visitors to your site will want to be sure nothing is hidden, and see all angles of certain areas like guest rooms and the breakfast area. This is what professional photographers do, and the bottom line is to present your business in the best light possible.

Content – Well, as the famous phrase goes, content is king! This is definitely true of a successful website; without true and relevant, easy to read content, a website is as good as empty words. The layout helps us find the content, the photograph paints a picture of your story, but it’s the content itself that TELLS the story; that provides all the relevant information that customers are looking for to make a booking or buying decision.

The Little Things – Sometimes the little things become the greatest part of the site when combined. A virtual tour that gives a 360 view of your property and rooms is paramount because guests want a true and clear picture of what they are buying into. Social media links with relevant blogs and posts are also a strong key factor because it allows potential customers to see and read what other guests are saying about your property.

There are many award-winning properties to choose from when guests are shopping around, but it’s the wow factor website that gets the booking. Be sure your web designer is utilizing all the necessary factors to help your business have a revenue generating site. Layout, photography and content; look at other sites and you will see these three factors are the keys to converting visitors to booking guests.

About The Author

Nimesh Dinubhai
President
Websrefresh

Nimesh Dinubhai completed his studies in 2003 and launched Websrefresh to help businesses grow their ROI. He also owns two Arizona hotels, one of which earned the Historical Hotel Award in 2014.