“2012 is being regarded as the year of the Eco-friendly Traveler. People from the US and Europe are increasingly seeking hotels with an ecologically-conscious sensibility”
Recent surveys have put forth some startling facts which underline that travelers are ready to help a hotel reduce its carbon footprints. Just consider this—majority of thevacationers from the US are eager to participate in hotel programs that include re-using linen! A few years ago, a traveler might have insisted that every fabric, whether used or not, in the room should be replaced daily. However, the contemporary traveler is more forgiving but not from the perspective of being less demanding or not seeking the maximum bang for every buck spent. It is about having a progressive (greener) outlook.
Expectedly, hotels too are ready to adopt green hoteliering trends that are gaining a global expanse. Even budget hotels are being applauded on Facebook for their environmentally-mindful efforts, no matter how small or big.
Being Green is Easier for a Hotel Using a Smart Hotel Management System
Do green hoteliering practices put forth a management challenge?
If a straight, no-nonsense answer has to be given, it would be “YES”.
Being green isn’t limited to installing solar heaters or using low emission fuels within the hotel premises. Being green for a hotel presents many, daily-faceted challenges that essentially mean more micro-managing.
Consider the smallest example to understand this. A major culprit for power consumption (and wastage) is heating, air-conditioning or lighting systems being left on in empty/unoccupied rooms.
So how can adopting a smart PMS help in addressing such green challenges?
We address the above-quoted challenge in a business environment where a Hotel Management Software is being used. For instance, the Hotelogix PMS offers an extremely easy-to-use, centrally-configured Frontdesk. As the property manager, you have the comfort of creating tasks for your hotel’s personnel.
With just a few clicks of the mouse, you can assign chores for employees, across departments. You can instruct the Housekeeping staff to make hourly checks in all unreserved or presently-unoccupied rooms to switch-off non-critical electrical systems. Similarly, you can easily delegate responsibilities across the hotel staff for taking care of various operations that help to raise a hotel’s ecological performance. This includes:
- Keeping recycling baskets in each room
- Keeping guests informed about the hotel’s adherence to not wasting food
A PMS like Hotelogix helps to define user levels and control employee log-ins. Thus, reports can be accessed and viewed by the desired personnel only. This is a major paper-savior in hotels where printed reports are distributed across all employee verticals, leading to massive wastage.
Communicate Your Green Endeavor to Guests via a Smart PMS
Apart from those who are truly ecologically-responsible world citizens, most of us belong to the category of being passive contributors. This means guests are more likely to be a part of your green initiative if you communicate your intentions to save power or reduce emissions.
Even here, your choice of PMS can make things a lot easier!
For instance, Hotelogix offers the freedom of creating customized Check-in Cards for guests. Here, you can insert a few lines about your energy-saving efforts. The idea is to inform guests without sounding too assertive. Emailing of check-in cards also means lesser printing requirements, helping you reduce your daily paperwork. Similarly, when you email a confirmed reservation to a guest via Hotelogix’s automated emailing capabilities, you can drop-in a few lines about your eco-friendly property.
Concluding Thoughts
A PMS needn’t necessarily boast of helping you “become green” as long as it is dexterous enough to help you adopt greener practices. For instance, some PMS providers are essentially camouflaged office management systems that might help you to become more paperless but they don’t address challenges exclusive to the hospitality sector. It is better to seek a property management system that is a hospitality solution at its core and still adept at helping you adopt and manage greener business practices.