Mobile technology has made a massive impact on the landscape of almost every industry. Consumers today live in an era where everything they need – be it a product or a service – is available via a mobile app. This has forged an air of expectation amongst even travelers. 21st century guests expect everything at their fingertips and hotels have been happy to oblige. They’ve optimized their booking engines and websites for mobile devices, and even encourage communication through apps like WhatsApp. However, it seems that mobile technology had only been addressing issues at the guest level. Only now are we beginning to see apps that make life easier for the staff as well – Hotelogix will soon be introducing a mobile app, the ‘PMS in your pocket’.
Increased mobility:
Managing a hotel today is about so much more than what goes on within the property, and owners need to constantly be on the move to discover alliances that can improve their hotel’s brand. When it comes to small and mid-sized properties however, owners often don’t have the capital to hire experienced managers and aren’t comfortable leaving their hotel unattended. With a mobile PMS solution, hoteliers are free to travel and can oversee all operations from their smartphone – it’s almost like being at the property.
Frontdesk control:
Routine activities like check-ins, check-outs, night audits and so on are a critical part of a hotel’s daily functions – when owners can manage these tasks from their mobile, it streamlines activities at the front desk. Guests no longer need to be at the front office to be checked-in, the hotel’s staff can check them in from anywhere at the property. Enhancing efficiency at this part of the hotel can have widespread positive repercussions at all departments of the property and improve overall productivity.
Reduced costs:
With routine activities manageable directly via the smartphone app, hotels can save on infrastructure costs such as workstations by equipping their staff’s mobile devices with the PMS app. This also allows the staff to manage tasks wherever they are at the property, and frees up the existing workstations for other activities. With a gentle learning curve and a user-friendly interface, training costs are also lowered with the app.
An increasing number of hotels have been adopting mobile technology to improve the guest experience over the past few years. But only recently have they been able to adopt tools that benefit their staff as well. Having said that, making things easier for your staff has benefits that trickle down to the guest level as well!
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