The hotel and accommodation industry is very fierce. It’s such an oversaturated industry, even the top names like Marriott Hotel, Hilton Hotel, and many others still commit themselves to improving their services on a regular basis. There are many ways hotels can improve their services but the best way to do this is to equip the hotelier with the right tools.
The hotelier is basically the captain of the hotel. He oversees all of the operations and he basically cares for not just the guests of the hotel but also the employees of it as well. It’s a huge undertaking but the good news is that it can be made easier with the help of the right tools and equipment.
In this day and age, it’s no longer enough to use traditional bookkeeping practices and management techniques to run a hotel. If the hotel wants to provide world-class service, they must have world-class equipment as well.
Digital Solutions
There are digital solutions that can help hoteliers effectively manage the establishment. For instance, a hotel maintenance software helps hoteliers check the important aspects of the hospital through a computer, a tablet, or even a smartphone. Traditionally, this meant having others check parts of the hotel and then relay the update to the rest of the team.
Digital solutions in the hotel industry are mainly about improving certain things regarding the operation of the establishment.
First, they are used to ensure that part of the hotel such as the restaurant, the plumbing, room service, and janitorial services, are effectively running. This allows the hotel to be at its very best 100% of the time. It basically ensures that there are no downtimes – thus allowing operations to remain unhindered 24/7.
Another thing that digital solutions do is to help the hotel keep track of their customer’s al the time. Hotel management software that overlooks guest check-ins and reservations aren’t exactly new. However, today’s software now includes new features that make the task even easier to manage.
Hoteliers can be more resourceful with regards to the solutions that they can use for the hotel. They can also try out revenue management software which can help them effectively manage the income the establishment makes. This is a must for large-scale hotels that accommodate thousands of people on a monthly basis.
It’s also important that hoteliers go beyond basic hotel functions with regards to picking the solutions they use. For example, they can use email management software which allows them to accommodate all incoming emails from customers.
One of the best moves that anyone in the hotel and accommodation industry can do is to initiate the establishment’s digital transformation. Global competitiveness means being able to make the business run as efficiently as possible which can be done with the help of digital solutions.
A Website
Whether big or small, hotels are usually seen as a business that should be able to attract locals and international travelers alike. If a hotelier wants to become a stand out in such a competitive industry, they need to begin attracting customers and potential guests online.
One way to do this is by setting up a website for the hotel. The website should include all of the details that the guest may need. These include photos of the rooms, a breakdown of the rates, menus of the restaurant, and a historical background of the hotel.
Running a hotel without having a website to coincide with it is one of the biggest mistakes that a hotelier can make. There are many big opportunities waiting online and for hotels to grab those, they need to stand out with a perfectly designed website.
A Strong Digital Security
One of the biggest concerns of travelers nowadays is their security online. There has been an increasing amount of data breaches and hacks that have targeted hotels in the last couple of years. The hackers target hotels because their databases are filled with sensitive data which can be profitable on the black market.
Hoteliers need to make sure that their customer’s data is safe from such harm online. Even the largest hotel and accommodation chains in the world have already fallen victim to data breaches which compromised data like addresses, bank account numbers, and other personal details.
Aside from being costly to fix, data breaches put a large dent on the reputation of a hotel. They’ll also be tried under the court of law. If proven guilty of mismanagement, hotels will be required to pay a hefty sum in damages. As such, all hoteliers need to have access to a strong digital security solution all the time.
Walkie Talkies
We’ve been listing down advanced solutions so far but of course, there are traditional tools that are a must for every hotelier to this day. One of those are walkie talkies. These will allow hoteliers to effectively communicate with their team regardless of where they are and regardless of how weak phone signals are.
This is a must especially for hotels that are several stories tall. It’s not really efficient for hoteliers to communicate with their team through phones that rely on wi-fi and signal. It’s not always that a phone has strong reception. A benefit of walkie talkies is that they can function even in poor signal conditions.
An Operational Handbook
Last but definitely not the least, a hotelier needs to have an operational handbook with him at all times. This book should include all rules and standards that a company needs to abide by. Not just the hotelier, but every employee inside the hotel should have this book with them.
While it’s much better to have the handbook memorized by heart, it’s still better to have something to refer to just in case the person needs clarification or help.
These are just some of the tools that every hotelier needs in his arsenal. Of course, there are many other tools to choose from. Investing in these can allow a hotelier to help his hotel function at its best.