Tech Talk

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Definitely Doug 6/9/23: Hotels Fighting Trafficking: The Role of Technology
Posted: 06/09/2023

This week I want to address an important issue for the hospitality industry, albeit one that technologists have not historically had on their radar. They can potentially play a significant role in addressing the issue, which is human trafficking, and more specifically sex trafficking.

In my last column, I reviewed some key trends in autonomous mobile robotics for hotels, and dove into three categories of delivery robots in more detail – room delivery, food delivery, and heavy-lift robots. This week I will round out the topic with several other robot types and applications, as well as general guidance for evaluating, acquiring, and adopting mobile autonomous robotics. If you have not yet read part one, I recommend going back and doing so before continuing below, as some of the introductory material is important background to what follows.

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Best Practices for Hotel & Resort Operators in Pool Season 2023
Posted: 05/25/2023

With the arrival of warmer weather and summer fast approaching, hospitality operators are gearing up for another pool season. This year, technology is at the forefront of driving booking revenue and taking operational efficiency to the next level. Modern technology platforms (such as hospitality’s newest technology category – the Property Experience Management System or PXMS) are providing brand new capabilities that unlock new strategies and approaches to filling the pool with satisfied guests.

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The Growing Role Technology Plays in Hotels and Restaurants
Posted: 05/25/2023

In the past few years, hotels and restaurants have grown into hubs for entertainment, leisure, and human connection. In an effort to best serve their guests, operators have begun rethinking their technological investments and working to adapt to recent shifts in consumer preference and operations. To ensure that guests have the best on-site experience possible, brands are increasingly looking to new technologies to make their experiences more convenient and comfortable. Advanced property management systems (PMS) and point-of-sale (POS) systems can increase operational and staff efficiency, while also meeting changing customer expectations for a high-value but relatively low-touch experience.

This week I will return to a topic I have covered before, because it has, within the last 12 to 18 months, become one of the hottest-growth categories in hospitality technology. That topic is autonomous mobile robots – specifically, ones that can move around the facility as well as perform specific tasks. Many of these products were launched pre-Covid but were often seen at the time as more of a marketing gimmick than a legitimate operational solution.

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Five Steps to More Bookings

03/27/2017

by Nimesh Dinubhai

Hotels need to be there when customers are looking for them, and they need to turn those searches into bookings. It is no longer enough to attract visitors to your website. Converting most visitors to customers must come not just from direct traffic but also on other platforms.

There are several ways to increase bookings to your hotel. These five are the easiest and most effective to implement.

1. Value proposition

Identify and elaborate clearly what it is that you are offering to your customers. Clearly define your target market. Then get a strong value proposition outlining the benefits that you provide, what makes you unique and why the potential customer should ditch the competition and pick you instead. It should be easy to understand and use descriptions how you provide your benefits. Do not be vague. Give specifics.

2. Good design

The design of your website provides an outlook at how your hotel delivers its services, how it looks like and the amount of care it takes to ensure the customer’s comfort. Some tips to consider when designing your website is having a great landing page, simple but aesthetically pleasing overall design that is easy to navigate and with little clutter. The online booking system should be simple and secure. Ensure the call to action copy and button are clear prominent and convincing even the color of the button.

3. Mobile optimization

You can significantly add to the number of your bookings with a website that it optimized for mobile devices. Many people access online services from searching to transactions from the comfort of their mobile phones. Do not just get the same concept from the existing site instead try and create a mobile device concept tailoring all the major aspects to be easily found and used on mobile phones. This avoids cluttering and a shrinking feel. Over 25 percent of all online travel market money comes from mobile phones.

4. Hotel photography

When people get to your hotel’s website, the HD photography is the first chance of showing them what they are getting. High-quality photos covering the best places and offerings in your hotel create a huge impression. They give meaning to your words and are persuasive. Great photography will lead to increased bookings.

5. Online Marketing

Online marketing should be the backbone of all your efforts to increase your bookings. It starts with research and a target market. From there all efforts are about giving your self-visibility and finding potential clients where they are and convincing them that you offer the best service. It is about creating awareness, nurturing leads and building relationships.

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.