Author
Symmons Industries
When talking about hotel technology, we usually think about administrative software, booking engines, and automatic rate calculators used to update hotel availability listings on indirect online channels. Yet technology shouldn’t just be reserved for back-office tasks. Your staff can be equipped with the latest tools to make their jobs easier when dealing directly with hotel guests.
In our two-part series about improving guest relations, we’ll be looking at hotel technology that hotel staff, maintenance department, and your guests use directly.
Don’t forget to check out our previous post, “4 Creative Ways to Improve Guest Satisfaction.”
Check-in/Check-out Tablets
There will be times at the hotel when the front desk is packed with waiting guests. There will be people impatiently waiting to check into the hotel so they can enjoy the amenities, and in a rush to check out of their room so they can catch their flights back home. In addition, you will also have other guests who need specialized customer service as they may have a problem with their hotel room or will want to obtain special VIP packages.
Hotel associates equipped with tablets that can access reservations and property management software can help with the front desk bottleneck that occurs during these busy times. When the line starts to grow too long, they can go to each waiting hotel guest and assist those who are either checking in or checking out, while the remaining guests with special issues can obtain services from the front desk personnel. This set up improves customer service and speeds up processes so everyone can be on their way to enjoy their stay.
Smart Hotel Key Cards for Purchases
Many hotels have forsaken the regular room key and have switched over to key cards that allow guests to enter their rooms. With just a swipe of the card’s magnetic stripe through the card reader attached to the door, or the key card containing an RFID chip, people can quickly enter their rooms without fumbling with bothersome keys.
In addition, the technology for smart key cards has advanced to provide extra services for your guests. These cards can also be used at gift shops, restaurants, and boutiques in the hotel. To prevent a stolen card from being used for a purchase, there is a two-step verification process where the hotel guest also enters a unique PIN at the point-of-sale machine.
In-Room Digital Concierge
When guests call for service, they may be placed on hold or will need to navigate through the confusing automated service to reach the right hotel worker. To improve customer satisfaction, in-room digital concierge technology allows your guests to get the right information and to request services with just a few touches on a tablet screen.
This technology allows a guest to make restaurant or spa reservations, look up special events happening in the hotel, request extra towels, and obtain room cleanings. The digital concierge can be accessed through a hotel tablet device located in each room.
Specialized, Cloud-Based Hotel Apps
When it comes to operating large hotels and resorts or even groups of hotels, having always in-sync, up-to-date data is vital to guest satisfaction. Consider a custom hospitality property management system (PMS) app that staff can access via desktop or mobile. Cloud-hosted PMS apps can send alert messages and notifications to hotel staff when, for example, in-room services from housekeeping or maintenance staff are required.
A connected water management system for your hotel may detect an issue with hot water service and send a mobile alert to onsite maintenance staff. Staff can access their water management software via mobile to check for problems, times the issues were detected, and where they occurred. Then they can immediately figure out the issue so guests can have the right water temperature to wash hands or take a shower.
The type of technology to invest in should be based on the size of your hotel, your available budget, and the hotel services that you offer. Consider implementing these technologies in your hotel to help automate processes and improve guest relations. You may notice an increase in positive reviews from your satisfied guests.
Interested in learning how you can add a digital water management system to your hotel’s technology stack? Explore Symmons Water Management’s solutions for maintaining optimal performance of your hotel’s water system.
