Flexible Systems Prepare Hotels for Future
How is attribute-based selling poised to change the distribution model for hotels?
FRANCISCO PEREZ-LOZAO:
Attribute-based selling is poised to deliver massive disruption to the hospitality market and redefine how hotels sell in the future. This shopping and distribution model puts guests in the driver’s seat when it comes to selecting the room attributes or “add-ons” to create unique individual experiences (think views, smart devices, sports/fitness equipment, etc.) that matter to them. By including non-room inventory (a restaurant or spa appointment) and off-property services (a cooking class or golf tee time), hotels can deliver true personalization while growing revenue through profitable upsell opportunities.
To match today’s high traveler expectations, hotels must consider how to make this hyper-personalized type of selling a reality. It will require a central reservations/distribution system that is reliable, scalable, fast, and can support new ways to structure inventory and attributes to ensure properties have a clear picture of what is available, and how to assign them based on unique guest requests.
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With a tight labor market, what does employee engagement need to look like through a tech lens?
PEREZ-LOZAO: Hospitality will always be a people-first industry. Employee engagement and career satisfaction begins with operational processes and tech solutions that are modern, streamlined, and intuitive to empower the staff. Consider how productive a staff member can be with a mobile solution for service optimization, events, or property management in their ability to proactively answer a guest request on the spot, open a maintenance ticket, or communicate with another employee at the click of a button. It frees up their time, so they can focus on what matters most – providing a memorable experience for the guest. Hotel technology has broken free from the mold of a cumbersome, desktop system, to more mobile, cloud-based apps that can be accessed anywhere, anytime for true flexibility.
How do you see hotel systems evolving to best meet today’s business needs?
PEREZ-LOZAO:
The PMS has historically been viewed as the central hub of hotel systems as hoteliers focused on operational delivery of business. With new types of hotel inventory entering the market and competition increasing, hoteliers must build strategies to not just fill their guest rooms, but ensure they are profitably driving demand to increase revenue.
Leading hotels leverage the CRS as the core component for managing a centralized view of availability, rates and inventory in real-time, so guests can book the rooms they want, at the right rate, and on the right channel (Direct, OTA, GDS, Metasearch). And while the CRS can be leveraged as the hub to drive demand, having integrations to the PMS, CRM and other key systems allows the hotel to know whether it can fulfill the guest’s selections at the time of booking and throughout the trip lifecycle to deliver a positive and hassle-free stay.
How can hotels get the best ”single view” of guests?
PEREZ-LOZAO: Hotels need to take advantage of open APIs and integrated solutions to avoid data fragmentation and ensure centralized guest profiles can be managed across their tech stack. Through every phase of the guest journey, from inspiration, booking, onsite, and post-trip, there are powerful guest touchpoints enhanced by technology which serve to capture more personalized and actionable data. With this insight, hotels can deepen their customer relationships, provide tailored and memorable experiences and services, and ultimately convert guests into loyal fans.