Technology isn’t here to replace human interaction. It is here to enrich the hospitality experience by freeing you from manual tasks to focus on what you do best – look after your guests.
T he UK hotel industry is in a recruitment crisis. Covid hasn't just cut guest numbers, it's sent staff packing back to their countries... where they've stayed.
Added to the nightmare is the local supermarkets and online retailers like Boohoo, Amazon and Tesco are paying better wages than hospitality.
Hotel staff are spending time multi-tasking, doing manual administration and tasks not originally in their job description, and not focusing on their area of expertise or looking after the guest experience, which doesn't always allow for an engaged workforce.
The only solution to this dilemma is using technology that powers your guest experience from beginning to end. You can't avoid it any longer – you need to make better and more efficient use of technology that will save your staff from doing time-consuming jobs, manual tasks, and printing out reports and registration cards, for example.
We are not just hotel owners ourselves with 136 years of combined hospitality experience, but we have also implemented technology for over 150 hotels across the UK and globally. We have seen firsthand the positive impact technology can make on a hotel if it is used correctly and comprehensively.
Here are five pain points that we hear time and again. We'll expand on these points in a series of emails coming soon.
Does it matter? You need to be at the top of your game regardless. Staycations are booming at the moment, but are they going to be consistent?
Have you ensured your technology will future-proof your business?
If your hotel still relies on these processes, you're behind the curve. Technology such as contactless check-in, food-ordering and bookings are now the norm, and will be expected by a large portion of your target market.
A number of hotels have technology at their fingertips they aren't making the most of. Having an integrated CRM system, for example, can be a powerful tool to use your guests' data to market to them using upselling and cross-selling campaigns.
Covid has changed the face of the hospitality industry forever. Guests are more concerned about safety than they have been before, and you need to make sure your hotel is as safe and reassuring for nervous guests as possible.
You need to ensure that your online platforms (website and social media presence) are accessible and enticing, and will draw your target market's attention to choosing your hotel for their stay.