The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated tech adoption among hotels looking to increase bookings and generate more revenue.
Embracing tools like online hotel management software or PMS (Property Management System) has enabled hoteliers to meet new hotel guest expectations, instill trust and confidence, and enter the post-pandemic recovery mode.
Automation and integration are the most crucial parts of hotel technology, representing the keys to recovery and long-term success. Here’s how they benefit hotels and their guests.
Essential benefits of hotel automation and integration
Hotel technology is crucial for revenue, staff, and guest management in the post-COVID world, helping hoteliers weather the storm. Here are the top benefits of an automated and integrated hotel management system.
1. Higher efficiency
Automation helps hoteliers save time on repetitive tasks, such as check-ins, checkouts, room status updates, and payment processing. Automating those and other processes makes the staff more efficient, freeing up time to focus on personalizing the guest experience.
It’s crucial for hotels facing labor shortages, as their employees can do more in less time. It prevents them from being stretched too thin and failing to meet the service quality standards and guests’ requests.
Of course, every hotel can enjoy these benefits, not only those with fewer employees. Automation doesn’t mean they have to lay off some workers; it’s about enhancing their efforts. It takes a huge load off their shoulders, reduces stress and burnout, and helps them maintain the human touch.
2. Streamlined processes
It’s challenging to perform daily tasks when everyone must jump through hoops to learn what their superiors expect from them and when they should focus on specific duties.
That primarily rings true for bigger teams with heavy workloads, hectic schedules, and managers who can’t hold anyone accountable because they don’t have a clear insight into the processes.
Online hotel management software helps everyone stay on the same page, enabling the front desk, hotel managers, room attendants, housekeeping managers, and other employees to streamline their operations. It provides a centralized platform that increases visibility, transparency, and accountability.
3. A holistic view of all operations
The previous benefit ties in with this one, as you can integrate your hotel management system with third-party apps to get a 360° view of all operations and guests.
For instance, integrating it with a hotel channel manager will help you streamline online bookings from partner OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) and manage rooms, prices, and guest data.
Your PMS will also help you manage direct bookings, staff and guest access, tasks, and scheduling from a centralized place. You’ll stay on top of everything without switching between apps, wasting precious time, and experiencing unnecessary business disruptions.
4. Contactless services
Hotel guests expect contactless services in the post-COVID era, as they reduce face-to-face interactions and physical touchpoints.
Automated and integrated cloud-based hotel software enables end-to-end contactless services, from check-in and room service orders to payments and checkout.
That doesn’t mean there’s no room for human touch. Guests can access the hotel software’s portal to send requests, communicate with the staff, and enjoy a personalized experience.
5. Better performance
Hotel automation and integration open the door to real-time, in-depth reports and analytics essential for recovery. Hoteliers can evaluate and optimize performance across all channels and properties and unlock more revenue.
They can identify and address any bottlenecks to improve efficiency and performance, even when facing understaffing issues. They can make data-based decisions, forecast demand, and make the necessary adjustments to increase occupancy rates.
How guests can benefit from hotel automation
Besides contactless check-ins and checkouts, personalized experiences, and seamless communication without the middleman, hotel guests can enjoy a frictionless, stress-free experience thanks to automation.
Their smooth customer journey can begin immediately after booking a room. They can pre-order a meal to wait for them in the minibar before checking into the hotel, make restaurant reservations, book event tickets, and pay for everything via mobile.
They can use QR menus to check out the amenities and order food and beverages directly on the platform. Their overall experience can be significantly more enjoyable with an automated system at their fingertips.
How can a hotel automate its operations?
A hotel can automate many operations using a hotel management system, but the most notable include:
- Task management;
- Guest communication;
- Guest feedback management.
This system lets you set specific rules and automated alerts that notify relevant stakeholders of new bookings, guest requests, and other tasks. It helps everyone know what to do and when and alerts managers of any hiccups like missed deadlines.
Automating hotel guest communication saves time and provides guests with relevant information before, during, and after their stay. You can’t automate all conversations, but you can put answers to FAQs on autopilot by integrating a chatbot into your PMS.
As for guest feedback management, you can automate tasks regarding negative reviews. Your hotel software can transfer them to adequate customer service agents, enabling them to respond promptly and resolve the issues.
Recovering from the pandemic with mycloud Hospitality
mycloud Hospitality is an all-in-one cloud solution that can help hoteliers quickly recover from the pandemic. This intuitive online hotel management software can automate all operations discussed above and many other processes.
You can use it to automate staff and guest communication and employee, customer, task, and revenue management. You can process payments seamlessly, generate real-time performance reports (even offline), and save your staff time with one-click actions.
mycloud PMS can also record your guest history, collect feedback, and provide a guest portal with a QR menu for real-time communication and personalization.
You can customize it to your hotel’s specific needs, integrate it with multiple payment gateways and 175+ third-party apps, and access all hotel operations anytime and anywhere.
Book a free demo to see how mycloud Hospitality can transform your hotel and guide it to long-term success with soaring occupancy rates and sky-high revenue.
About The Author
Deepak Chauhan
Deepak Chauhan is responsible for marketing and positioning of “mycloud” platform and is a veteran in the hotel software industry with over 25 years’ experience giving him a strong understanding of the product requirements in the industry. He has very rare mix of working in operations of various hotels and chains for over 10 years and then co-founding a software product and service company, servicing 5 star hotels and chains for 14 years.
Deepak has led the development and marketing of cloud based hospitality systems to meet the specific, business objectives of small and mid-size properties across the globe and has worked closely with a diverse group of hoteliers and hotel technology vendors.
