Hotel management covers many different core functions. Managing a hotel is no simple task – there are many moving parts when trying to manage a property where guests so frequently come and go. Apart from overseeing guest logistics, hoteliers must also manage other key aspects of a successful hotel including cleaning services, reservations, billing, and more.
It’s almost unbelievable that before hotel technology, hotel managers had to track all the moving parts of their property by pen and paper. Today, hoteliers have options to automate certain functions of their property using hospitality technology systems.
Digital technology in the hospitality industry does more than just make day-to-day tasks easier. Using hospitality tech, hoteliers can drive increased bookings.
Daily Operations in Hotel Management
The way a hotel operates can be likened to a complicated machine. For everything to go smoothly, all the gears need to be turning correctly. One cog in a single gear can affect the whole system.
The same goes for hotel management. For example, if you do not use technology to track your housekeeping staff, your hotel may not be able to keep up with reservations. If cleaners don’t have access to technology that shows when the next guest is set to arrive, they may prioritize cleaning the wrong rooms.
Situations such as these can lead to unhappy guests, bad word of mouth, and potential future business loss.
Your front desk team’s day-to-day covers many responsibilities. Without technology, front desk staff must manually keep tabs on upcoming check-ins and check-outs, coordinate with housekeeping staff to ensure rooms are done in time, manually ensure billing is correct, answer guest questions and concerns, and more.
Without hospitality technology to automate these functions, it leaves room for lots of human error. Not to mention, front desk staff frequently change shifts. Information may not be passed from the first shift to the second, leading to miscommunications and mistakes.
Using integrated hotel technology tools at your property mitigates the risk of human error and makes the on-site jobs easier to function in. This leads to happier staff, happier guests, and an overall more profitable hotel.
How Hospitality Technology Supports Operational Needs
Implementing hospitality technology at your property allows all functions of the business to improve. By automating most of the functions of a hotel, you’ll enjoy better business and better customer satisfaction.
There are so many operational needs at a hotel and only a limited number of staff. Plus, when you clog up your staff’s to-do list with time-consuming operations tasks, you put the guest experience at risk. Your staff should be able to focus on ensuring the guest experience is top-notch, while your technology does the heavy lifting on the operational front.
With hotel management technology, you can automate processes from the moment a guest books a room. A web booking engine helps hotels automate the booking and confirming process for reservations. Guests can book on your website and add their special requests and payment methods, all in one place.
This takes away the headache of your staff trying to manually receive and confirm reservations. It also helps ensure you are never double-booked, as WBE systems internally track which rooms are available and when.
Throughout the guest’s stay, hotel technology can help ensure a seamless experience. A property management system can help guests check themselves in and find information about their stay. The PMS helps staff see when check-ins are, how long the guest’s stay is, specific requests the guest has, and when they are set to check out – all in one place.
The result of implementing hotel technology is a positive one. Hotel management tech helps properties function more smoothly. This leads to better employee morale and higher levels of guest satisfaction.
In addition, hospitality tech helps hoteliers track their business health, automate billing processes, and predict trends which all lead to better profitability.
Different Types of Technology Used in Hotels
There are several different technologies hoteliers can use to optimize their operations and improve profitability. When used together, these technologies can be game changers for hoteliers looking to improve the experience at their hotels.
Web Booking Engine (WBE)
Your prospective guests are online. People have gotten used to the convenience of being able to order everything from clothing to groceries on their phones. Hotels are no different. Today’s traveler expects to be able to easily book their next hotel room from their smartphone or computer.
Without a web-based booking engine, hotels will falter against their competitors. If guests can’t book a room at your hotel online, they’ll likely find a comparable hotel that offers online booking.
That’s why having a WBE set up for your hotel is crucial to its success. WBE systems allow guests to book right from their websites. Guests can select the room they’re interested in, their travel dates, and special requests. Then, guests can add their payment method, and submit the request to your hotel.
With a WBE, all your on-site hospitality staff must do is click a button to confirm the reservation. WBE systems track your hotel’s current reservation list, to ensure no double booking happens with pre-existing reservations.
WBE software makes the guest experience seamless while reducing the workload for online staff. It also drives better business by allowing guests to book wherever and whenever they’d like.
Channel Manager (CM)
A channel manager can take your online bookings to the next level. While WBE systems are important for people to be able to book directly from your hotel website, it’s only one piece of online booking.
Many travelers today use third-party websites, also known as online travel agencies, to book their trips. These third-party booking sites allow customers to compare several hotels in one area. These sites also allow customers to book a room at their chosen hotel directly from the OTA website, without having to visit the hotel’s website.
For this reason, you need a channel manager. The channel managers keep track of your availability and rates across all OTAs. Without a channel management system, guests may not be able to book at your hotel on an OTA. If they’re able, your hotel will suffer the consequences of double bookings without a channel manager to track availability.
Channel managers increase the number of customers who will book your hotel. Using OTAs, your hotel will get exposed to new groups of customers. Using the channel manager to track availability, guests will be able to book their room right on the OTA, improving guest experience and increasing occupancy.
Property Management System (PMS)
Your property management system is your one-stop shop for everything operational at your hotel. PMS software provides a single dashboard where hospitality staff can manage housekeeping, check-ins and check-outs, track billing, and more. PMS software can also integrate with other applications, like your WBE and CM, to track updated booking information.
Since PMS software makes it so easy to manage these items, your hotel operations will improve by using a PMS. PMS software supports better communication between staff members, as everything is stored on one dashboard, which all staff have access to. This means when hotel staff switch shifts, there is no longer worry that some important information might not be passed off.
PMS software can be server-based or cloud-based. Cloud-based PMSs are gaining popularity because they’re more flexible than traditional server-based systems. Plus, cloud-based technology allows easier integrations to other applications, like your WBE.
Although software such as these is considered a fairly new technology in hotels, many hoteliers have already implemented them with great success. It’s estimated a quarter of all hotels in the U.S. have already taken their property’s operational applications to the cloud.
PMS software helps modernize operations and improve the guest experience, so it’s no surprise many hoteliers have already recognized this tool as a necessity.
Conclusion
Smart hotel technology can take your hotel to new heights. Apart from streamlining daily operations and providing a smoother guest experience, these technologies can help your hotel garner new bookings, and increase profits.
With all of this considered, there are no downsides to implementing hospitality tech in your hotel. By investing in hotel technology, you ensure more returning customers, smoother operations, and more new business.
Keep your competitive edge and streamline all your processes by investing in hospitality tech!