Can you imagine how time-consuming and exhausting it would be if you had to do the following work manually?
– Constantly keep track of and update the room availability logs and guest requests
– Manage reservations across different channels (website, OTAs, phone bookings, walk-ins, etc.)
– Consolidate all metrics and information from different sources for the monthly report
– And an endless array of other seemingly mundane tasks like sending reminders, issuing invoices, coordinating housekeeping schedules, updating guests’ details, etc. These can quickly eat into the team’s daily productivity.
Everyone knows that standard guest check-in time for hotels is typically around 2 to 4 PM. However, not every guest can come at the same time as hotels expect. Even if they do, manually processing each guest right at the reception table would create a major bottleneck and delays.
Read more:Phishing in Hospitality: The Growing Threat Hotels Can’t Ignore
Then, there is the talent issue, characterised by severe labour shortages across various functions, from front of house to back office, from junior levels to specialised managerial positions. The shrinking pool of talent, combined with the increased pressure for more flexibility in the workplace and the intense upward pressure to digitally transform, paints a unique blend of landscape for hotel businesses.
Also, imagine you are the guest who is very excited for the long-awaited holiday, but gets stuck at the reception area for hours just to get the key to your room. Guests do not start interacting with hotel businesses the moment they step into the premises; their journey extends way before that.
Those interactions can happen practically anytime, anywhere, and through a series of dynamic, multi-channel touchpoints before guests make their booking decisions. What this essentially means to hotel businesses is that they need to ensure to provide a consistent and seamless experience regardless of the place and time guests come into contact with them, both online and offline.
Therefore, a frictionless experience is crucial for both guests and hotel employees. Guests expect personalised and seamless service when engaging with the front desk, room service, and mobile applications. To be able to satisfy that expectation from guests, hotel staff need to be empowered and equipped with the right tools.
Read more:You’re Losing Money on Manual Invoice Processing! Here’s A Solution
Hotel automation is the answer, but it needs to be seamless
Hotel automation involves leveraging smart, modern technologies in daily operations to help streamline mundane, administrative tasks, such as those mentioned above. The goal is that, by streamlining the most error-prone and manual tasks, hotel managers and their team members can regain valuable time to focus on more strategic initiatives like workforce optimisation and guest experience enhancement.
If you read TRG’s other blog articles or have subscribed to our bi-weekly newsletter series (psst… this is a friendly reminder for you to subscribe), you will notice a recurring trend that we have been discussing throughout this year, which is increasing efficiency. The good news is that technological advancements have enabled us to achieve great efficiency.
Likewise, adopting automation in hotel management is not about replacing the human touch with senseless and heartless digital solutions. The right tools can help blend productivity with genuine service.
Try a few of these on for “sizes”.
Empowering the front desk with Cloud PMS
Cloud-based property management systems (PMS) like Infor HMS enable guests and employees to:
Hotel guests:
– Quickly do self-check-in via clean, intuitive, and user-friendly interfaces that can accommodate guests of any skill level
– Access and control rooms via the PMS mobile app
– Get tailored notifications of the latest promotional packages after checking in
– Interact with hotel AI agents to quickly get answers
– …
Hotel employees:
– Automatically match and merge guest data
– Synchronise and centralise guest profiles across brands, properties, and reservations
– Keep track of room availability in real-time, across all platforms
– Integrate with revenue management, point of sale, sales and catering, price optimisation, and other solutions/ applications when needed
– Connect to financials, analytics, third-party gaming systems, and related software
– …
P2P automation: Efficiency behind the scenes
A Purchase-to-Pay (P2P) automation solution like Yooz primarily targets a hotel’s back-office financial operations, but its efficiency gains ripple out to affect both employees and, indirectly, the guest experience.
For members of the Finance/ Accounting team, they can leverage emerging solutions like Artificial Intelligence (yes, Finance staff can benefit from AI, too) to automate and significantly slash invoice processing time. For Yooz, the time saved can be as high as80%.
Automating manual tasks can also result in faster closings and reconciliations as tasks like matching invoices against purchase orders, approving payments, or sending reminders can now be done through automated workflows. Flexible, customisable workflows automatically route purchase requisitions and invoices to the correct approvers (whether they are the General Manager, Head Chef, or Housekeeping Manager), thus eliminating paper shuffling and speeding up decision-making, ensuring essential supplies are ordered and paid for quickly.
Read more:Let’s Breakdown Automation, Hyperautomation, Intelligent Automation
While the automation happens “behind the scenes,” its positive effects directly contribute to a smoother, higher-quality guest experience. Faster and more efficient purchasing and payment processes ensure essential items like linens, toiletries, food, beverages, and maintenance parts are always in stock (thus, saving the hotel from embarrassing moments when popular menu items run out and cannot be restocked until next week).
More efficient processes also equate to more time for hotel staff to dedicate their attention to personalised guest interactions, problem-solving, and ensuring smooth daily operations.
Seamless experience matters, but what to consider?
At its core, the drive behind embracing sophisticated technology must be centred on two objectives: enhancing staff efficiency and elevating the guest experience to a new level of seamlessness and personalisation. This shift is critical, and the ultimate goal is to simplify the lives of both hotel employees and their valued patrons.
However, the path to full automation is rarely without its hurdles, and key factors such as the time required for adoption and integration, as well as the initial capital outlay, play a significant role in a hotel’s decision-making process.
Automation, particularly for guest check-in, has streamlined employee training, according to Michelle Geiger, an Area General Manager for Hyatt Hotels Corp., overseeing the Hyatt Centric Memphis and Hyatt Caption Memphis. While initial investment and training for new technology are required, these automated systems ultimately make the check-in process more seamless and efficient.
Read more:Hotel of the Future: Recruiting, Engaging, and Retaining Gen Z Staff
Hotel technology must prioritise ease of use to support staff retention and enhance the guest experience, according to Derek Zwickey, chief operating officer of Delaware North. With high turnover rates, Zwickey notes, “associates don’t need a reason to quit,” making it essential to focus on technology that simplifies their work lives.
The challenge lies in justifying the investment. While balancing technology costs with the expenses of hiring and retaining happy staff is difficult to “quantify” or “explain to an owner,” Zwickey stresses that it is a “real” issue that ultimately impacts the guest experience. To maintain an organisation focused on the guest, staff need “longevity,” and must be able to use the systems “easily, seamlessly,” and “operate in a way that the guest expects.”
On the other hand, guests are accustomed to technology in their daily lives, making the integration of tech into their hotel stays a natural expectation. However, Zwickey noted that implementing unfamiliar technology in a hotel or resort is ultimately a poor investment, wasting both time and money.
For the full statements from Zwickey and Geiger, which expand on the panel discussion excerpt above, visit CoStar’s article on “Automating Hotel Functions Must Be Seamless for Employees and Guests.”
The human-centric future of hotels
The misconception that automation introduces a cold, robotic element into the hospitality sector is one of the most pervasive, yet easily debunked, myths. Back to our example of the traveller at the beginning of this article. This time, they arrive late in the evening after an exhausting, long-haul flight. In a traditional hotel setup, this guest has to wait at a check-in line, fumbling for identification, filling out paperwork, and waiting for credit card authorisation. This process is inherently transactional and stressful.
In an automated, modern hotel, this scenario is transformed into a fast, frictionless experience. The guest has already completed the check-in process online, perhaps during a layover, and their smartphone now securely holds a digital room key. They bypass the front desk queue entirely. Instead of rushing through tedious administrative duties, the front desk attendant is free to adopt the role of a true host. They can offer a sincere, warm greeting, perhaps a comforting cup of herbal tea, and provide personalised, local advice, such as recommending the best nearby eateries still open for a late dinner.
Read more:Balancing Guest Delight and Revenue Management in the Hospitality Industry
This human, sincere, and somewhat spontaneous moment and great attention to detail, is essentially the core of hospitality and the driver that defines the guest’s loyalty. It is this blend of tech and touch that makes this invaluable human moment possible.
In our recent on-demand webinar, our host Phong Nguyen and a special guest from Infor, Sammi Wu, Director of Sales – Hospitality, Southeast Asia region, discussed the current landscape of the hospitality industry in APAC and emerging technologies that are reshaping guest expectations and hotel operations in detail.
As a hotelier, are you ready to crack that million-dollar code and drive your hotel business to a more sustainable future? Find your answer in this webinar, currently available for FREE and ON-DEMAND!
