Even before the arrival of COVID-19, people who were running and managing hotels wanted to have a smarter and better way of overseeing their property. This need gave rise to a mobile solution from Hotelogix that could be operated from a phone or tablet. While it was useful in the past, it has become a very important tool to have in the world of COVID. With the Hotelogix Mobile Hotel PMS, you will be able to manage all of your guest operations efficiently. The app allows you to have the same level of access that you would have with a desktop solution, so no compromises are being made.
The Hotelogix platform makes things easier for the guests, the staff, and the management of the hotel. Let’s look at how going mobile can help and why it is a benefit when dealing with a pandemic.
Easier Check-In And Check-Out At The Hotel
One of the reasons people are hesitant when it comes to going to a hotel currently is because they worry about being able to maintain social distance. This is especially true when it comes to checking in or out at the front desk of the hotel. Anyone who has stayed at a hotel in the past knows that these areas are often filled with people who want to get into the hotel or who need to check out. Naturally, you do not want large queues at the front desk or anywhere else in your hotel at this time.
With the pocket PMS, things become easier and faster. The app will allow your front desk to check your guests in and out quickly and easily. Using a mobile device with the app, the staff can scan the guest IDs from more than 80 countries. This allows them to check-in at the hotel in a matter of seconds thanks to the optical character recognition scanner, which will autofill the required information from the documents that are scanned. The ID never has to change hands, helping to eliminate contamination and potential spread of disease. The mobile camera can scan and store all of the related documents for the guest.
The app allows management of bills and the ability to accept payments, as well, meaning the guests can check out quickly. Keeping lines from forming is essential in a post COVID world. It is also possible for the guests to check-in or out remotely if they prefer. Many travelers today want to eliminate contact with people as much as possible. This is another benefit for them that you can use in your marketing.
Additionally, if the guests want to check out in a location that’s not the front desk, they can arrange this with the staff. They may feel more comfortable in another location that is more convenient for them. Because everything can be done by scanning the ID, it should be easy regardless of where the customer might be.
Point Of Sale Orders Are Easier
Depending on the hotel, you might have guests that are looking for certain experiences. Perhaps they want to buy food or drinks from the restaurant, or they want to use the business center. In the past, the customers would simply go to those areas and purchase what they need. However, things are not as straightforward today. They have to account for social distancing, and they may not be able to access everything they need in the same fashion. Fortunately, with this pocket PMS, it allows for remote POS orders that are more convenient for the guests. Let’s look at how the software can help.
- Easy management of multiple POS outlets
- Automate invoicing
- Process the payments in real-time
- Process refunds if needed without requiring the guests to get into a line
Benefits For Dealing With The Hotel Staff – Coordination And Safety
Management of the front desk and other areas of the hotel is as easy as ensuring better check-in and check-out. You can manage your staff to help to make it easier for them to maintain their social distancing requirements. The staff can be assigned to certain areas, without the need to share a workstation. This reduces the potential spread of the virus.
Your staff will be happy that social distancing can still be managed. Rather than having everyone in the same area, it allows for people to spread out better. This not only reduces risk due to COVID, but it can often provide more effective and efficient management all around.
Additionally, the front desk staff will find that social distancing is easier. The staff will not have to share the same space, which allows them and the guests to stay apart from one another. It helps to ensure better safety for the guests and those who are working at the hotel.
Management does not have to be in the same room and hold meetings with the staff any longer. All of the coordination can be done through the app. This not only allows for social distancing, but it means that some of the tasks can be done remotely.
Housekeeping Safety
Housekeeping is one of the most important parts of keeping the hotel safe and reducing the risk of spreading the virus. Fortunately, the Hotelogix software helps to make coordinating the housekeeping staff much easier. It is possible to assign rooms quickly and easily to the housekeeping staff and to change the housekeeping status of a room. This helps to reduce the time between checkouts and check-ins because it is possible to make the rooms available faster. The tape chart view of the front desk will also let you change the status of the rooms.
Safe management of housekeeping is much easier through the app. It makes it easier to coordinate the efforts of the housekeeping staff, and to get updates on rooms, potential issues, and more. It can all be done without coming face to face with anyone.
People Still Need To Travel – Make It A Good Experience For Them
We are living in an unprecedented time in modern history. The world has changed in big ways in the last few months, and this new normal is likely to be with us for some time still. Even though it might be nice if everyone were able to stay home, people will still often need to travel for one reason or another. Whether they are traveling for work or they need to stay at a hotel when visiting family, hotels are still needed.
The way in which the hotels operate is changing, though. If you want to stay ahead of the curve and make it through these difficult times, you will need to learn to adjust. The ways of doing business and operating the hotel are vastly different from what they were less than a year ago. Those who are going to do well and come through the other side will adapt to the changes.
The technology from Hotelogix, including the mobile hotel PMS app, will make it possible to incorporate these changes. You can keep your staff safe, as well as your guests. It becomes possible to maintain a successful business even through one of the toughest times.
Create A Safe Environment
One of the biggest benefits of the mobile app is the power that it can put at your fingertips. With many types of apps, you are only able to access a fraction of what you need. They are only marginally useful. This is not the case with the app from Hotelogix. It provides users with the same features and benefits that they would get from using the full desktop solution. It puts all of the power right in your pocket.
Ultimately, the goal of using the pocket PMS from Hotelogix is to ensure that you can run your hotel while maintaining a safe environment. You want to keep the hotel staff, as well as all of your guests safe while they are at the hotel. By using the features and benefits of the app, as discussed above, this is possible.
At this point, we do not know how long we will be dealing with COVID-19 and the aftermath. Even with a vaccine, it is likely that people will still be wary when they are traveling. By continuing to use the app and some of the new policies, you can help to put everyone’s mind at ease. Not only does it show that you care about your guests and the staff, but it also shows you are being proactive and that you take the pandemic seriously.