By Richard Cottrell, sales and marketing director, Vista Retail Support
The hottest technology innovations in hospitality are those which make it faster, easier and more convenient for customers to get exactly what they want, when they want it, with minimal fuss.
The big hotel chains have invested in mobile phone apps, for example, to make the booking process as easy and convenient as possible for increasingly tech-savvy customers.
Low-cost investment can deliver results
A novice hotelier may take one look at all this and think such technology is out of reach or unsuitable. But smaller hotels or groups also need to embrace it to boost their occupancy and customer retention rates. By making some low-cost investment in an industry-standard interface, for example, they should be able to offer apps from their websites that allow customers to book via any device, whether it is a smartphone, a tablet computer or one of the major discounting websites. The downloading of apps by customers may even mean that in future they avoid going through the discounters.
The fact that the downloadable app remains on the phone and makes it incredibly simple for customers to find, book and pay for future rooms has obvious advantages for any hotel. Some larger chains already allow established customers to book rooms with an app that requires a single touch. The app will suggest the nearest hotel in the chain and take care of booking. Nonetheless, whatever the size of hotel, the technology needs to be robust and well-managed because if it lets customers down, they will not hesitate to move on and book into another hotel.
Ease of use
Ease of use is important, but often overlooked for something as simple as booking a restaurant table. While many hotels in the UK have made it easy to book a room online, it is still often not possible to book a table.
Ideally, hoteliers new to the game should strive to have all aspects of their booking and customer relationship management on a single platform that encompasses reception, accommodation and restaurant. That way, when guests check in, the full range of information about them should be entered on to the system and a fully integrated use of technology will link up all aspects of marketing.
So if someone books regularly but never eats in the restaurant, the hotelier can think about how to tailor an offer so they become restaurant customers. Likewise, people who book large groups into the restaurant can be sent codes for discounted room rates in the hotel.
The technology informs staff
The technology will also inform housekeeping staff about which guests have left and which rooms are still occupied. When the room is cleaned, the cleaner dials a number to indicate it is ready. A common platform will also avoid the mistakes that arise from having separate systems for check-in and room keys. All too often, duplicate card keys are mistakenly made for different customers, leading to some embarrassing situations.
Good examples of technology use
Good examples of smaller hotels that use these technologies well are The Bishop’s Table Hotel in Farnham and The Corner House Hotel in Taunton. The Bishop’s Table uses an interface that is always accessible irrespective of the device being used. The Corner House offers a warm welcome at reception, but employs technology for sophisticated marketing. In their separate ways these two hotels are doing much the same as a hotel at the other end of the scale, Celtic Manor Resort in South Wales, which is renowned for its innovative use of technology.
Automation vs personalisation
There are of course important differences. Automated check-in kiosks make a lot of sense for business hotels, but a hotelier running a smaller establishment is likely to win more customers by having staff on duty to provide more personalised service.
Nevertheless, even small hotels should certainly consider investing in RFID (Radio Frequency identification) keys. Unlike other room keys that are cards with magnetic strips, the details on RFID keys, which rely on a chip, cannot be wiped by being too close to a mobile phone in someone’s pocket. The RFID key’s reliability means no guest will be locked out of their room after a convivial evening and no member of staff will have to turn out to perform security checks and make a fresh key.
Wi-Fi and reliability
Another point for all hoteliers to bear in mind is the importance of offering the Wi-Fi that they promise. If Wi-Fi, whether free or not, is available in less of the hotel than expected, it is a considerable source of dissatisfaction for guests, many of whom now routinely bring Wi-Fi devices with them on leisure trips.
In fact, hoteliers must ensure that all the technology they have installed is continually managed and maintained to the highest standards, otherwise they risk developing a reputation for unreliability. It only takes one bad or frustrating experience and customers will look elsewhere.
Data and customer communications
As is happening in the retail sector, the rapid development of technology will enable any hotelier to tap into the wealth of data they hold and increase customer spend through targeted, up-to-the-minute communications. But to avoid a jumble of inhospitable systems, any new investment needs to be fully thought-through and conducted with the full back up of specialists in the field.
About Vista Support
Vista Support is a leading independent IT services company, supporting customers in the UK, Europe and North America. The company is recognised for its ability to provide a dedicated IT support and maintenance service to the retail, hospitality and quick service restaurant (QSR) markets. Vista’s unrivalled knowledge of the retail sector and experience of the challenges presented by EPOS and other in-store technologies guarantees a superior service which ensures that customers sustain the value of their IT investment and maintain maximum equipment availability and performance at all times.
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