Pre-pandemic, remote hotel management was a fad. Now it has become a baseline for a successful hotel operation.
In a time when travel is severely curtailed and profit margins are non-existent, it’s more important than ever to keep unnecessary staffing to a minimum in an industry that has historically required an on-site personal touch. Is there a way to manage your hotel at least somewhat remotely without compromising the quality of service provided to your guests?
The answer is yes.
Technology is more important than ever before
Modern technology has enabled many stages of hotel management to be carried out completely without a hotel staff being there. Let’s see how.
Bookings.
A booking engine allows guests to book your property anytime and from anywhere without any support from hotel staff.
For back-office staff managing the booking process, a cloud-based channel manager and property management system allows remote, on-demand access to control and manage operations, giving you the ability to deal with everything from the booking request to invoicing, confirmations, rate changes, promotions and availability.
Contactless check-in.
It’s fast. It’s convenient. And it is a no-touch entry into a hotel. Concierge service is becoming less relevant with apps and platforms that are enabling guests to check-in remotely. With all important guest data needed for check-in already saved in the property management system (PMS), guest management becomes a breeze.
Guest service.
There are a number of apps that can be easily plugged into a hotel’s operations, allowing guests to order food, book facilities, etc without leaving their room. When combined with service improvements such as contactless delivery of food, minimal to no staff to manage facilities, automated entry codes to facilities, serving guests requires almost no contact. Depending on how you implement it, this does not necessarily equate to loss of personal touch in guest service.
Maintenance.
Avoid operational impact due to equipment failures by maintaining a regular task list of all equipment with a communication or alert going out to relevant employees when there is a glitch. In general, beyond equipment, software can be used for task assignment and setting priorities for everyday operations, further reducing the need for excessive staff on premises.
Smart room technology.
including smart energy management (thermostats and occupancy sensors, etc), smart reserved parking, mobile room keys, room service apps and similar applications are reshaping the hospitality sector and need for staff for what was previously thought to be a “human” job.
Wrapping up: technology that needs to form part of your toolkit
Technology streamlines operations, maximises productivity and reduces hurdles that would otherwise cause friction for guests. It also reduces staffing needs of a hotel. Here are some technology platforms that are essential to your operational stack to achieve your remote hotel management goals.
- Cloud-based booking engine to acquire and convert online guests anytime, anywhere
- Cloud-based channel manager for remote management of rates and availability across multiple channels
- Cloud-based property management system (PMS) to control operations anytime and from anywhere
- Mobile-based concierge apps for guest service
Trends for working remotely and lessening personal contact will continue to evolve the hotel experiences for guests. Get a head start and begin to implement these hospitality technologies today.
This article was originally published by STAAH. For more hotelier tips, trends, and news please click here.