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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Guest Engagement Tools Are Changing the Customer Experience

05/10/2017

by Brendon Granger

The way hotels communicate with guests has changed radically in the past few years. Not so long ago, phone calls and face-to-face conversations represented the standard form of engagement.

Today, it’s a different story.

Guests are now turning to mobile as their primary form of communication. To remain relevant and deliver exceptional service, hotels are now connecting with guests through messaging apps, email, SMS and social media channels.

But with an increasing number of channels available to guests, hotel staff are faced with the time-consuming task of monitoring them all at once. Adding to this challenge, internal systems are often fragmented, greatly slowing down the speed at which information gets shared between departments.

This need to connect with a mobile-reliant traveler and increase efficiency between teams has spawned a new era of guest engagement tools. Today, platforms like Monscierge, Alice and Glowing.io offer ways to bring guest and staff communication into a single system, with the potential to deliver a whole new level of customer service. (Guest Messaging is the New Normal provides information about other hospitality engagement providers.)

Personalized Experience
One of the biggest benefits of messaging tools is their ability to help personalize guest experience. Following a booking, a hotel can contact a guest via the platform they’re most engaged with to ask for pre-stay details and preferences. Last year, lifestyle hotel group Commune Hotels + Resorts began a trial using CheckMate - a multichannel mobile communication tool that enables guests and hotels to engage through text messaging and email.

During a four-month pilot program, 75 percent of guests gave their mobile number and opted in to be contacted via SMS. This high level of engagement has allowed Commune to gain invaluable information from customers to personalize their stay. Platforms such as CheckMate also provide spending history and personal preferences, all of which can be collated from past stays at multiple properties within the hotel’s own group. If a guest previously asked for extra pillows, in-room dining, or routinely prefers staying on the ground floor, these needs can be accommodated ahead of time.

A Slick Service
Constantly monitoring requests over multiple channels isn’t just time-consuming. When internal systems are fragmented, it’s inevitable that guest requests will sometimes slip through the net. But with a single tool in place, there’s far less chance of this happening.

If a guest makes a request over the phone, SMS or any other digital channel, a member of staff can log this and instantly message another department or individual to make sure it’s dealt with quickly.

When a new staff member starts his shift, he can review all conversations in one place. As well as instantly getting up to speed on any issues. This eliminates forgotten messages or messages that are not passed along.

Improved Service Recovery
In the digital age, hotels need to manage their reputations like never before. Today, a dissatisfied customer can post a disgruntled comment on Facebook or Twitter in seconds. TripAdvisor’s influence also means that positive reviews are becoming intertwined with booking revenue and profit margins.

These engagement tools provide guests with a hassle-free way of problem resolution as they happen. Whether it’s a faulty light bulb or a raucous party next door keeping them awake, a quick message can be sent to alert hotel staff.

Through real-time engagement, issues can then be swiftly handled before they escalate into major complaints. Even if they can’t be resolved in the moment, acknowledging the problem and offering a quick solution can make all the difference to a customer’s overall perception of service quality.

New Revenue Streams
During the guest stay, selling additional amenities and services is often restricted to sales literature in rooms, digital media displays in the lobby, and fleeting interactions with the front desk team.

But engagement tools allow hotels to promote extras without the limitations. And, these messages can be highly targeted. If a customer expresses an interest in the spa before heading out for the morning, a message could be sent later that day promoting the most popular treatments with a 10 percent discount. Used tactically and at the right time, this form of personal interaction offers upsell opportunities and helps to maximize the overall value of every booking.

As mobile plays an increasingly dominant role in the travel journey, hotels must find ways to connect with customers through the digital channels they most frequently use. A new generation of communication tools now offers a way to streamline this process and interact with customers like never before.

With the ability to deliver more personalized experiences, respond to service issues in real-time, and offer an easy way for customers to make requests, hotels can build rapport, strengthen relationships and offer the kind of outstanding service that leads to long-term loyalty.

About The Author

Brendon Granger
Director
Technology4Hotels

With a great passion for all things hotels, but in particular technology and a desire to help others, his role as director at Technology4Hotels allows him to do both.

Brendon has worked with hundreds of hotels to help them with their in-room technology. In the last few years he has helped them to increase guest satisfaction, strengthen guest loyalty and encourage repeat bookings as well as win awards such as the best business hotel, best city hotel, best upscale hotel and best luxury hotel in Australasia.

Always going the extra mile, Brendon began his hospitality career over 25 years ago working in five-star hotels whilst completing his bachelor of business in hotel management. He has held various management positions within five-star hotels, worked as a consultant in both hotel feasibility and technology and has an extensive background in hotel technology.