How One Hotel Ensures Non-Desk Employees Can Engage, Communicate with Management

The Palazzo Versace Dubai Hotel faced many issues that have long plagued hospitality properties across the hospitality industry. It has a large number of employees with non-desk jobs (housekeepers, maintenance workers, and servers) who don’t have access to corporate emails. This makes it especially difficult to use traditional communication channels because they are not tethered to a desk with direct access to email 24/7.

For a long time, Palazzo Versace Dubai Hotel relied on using notice boards for any top down communication, including sharing information about the company, policy updates, etc. This paper-based approach was less than ideal. Not only did it not appeal to its young workforce, who are used to using mobile apps to share information, it caused employees to feel disconnected from their colleagues. In fact, this disconnect was one of the most commonly cited issues at the hotel during exit interviews.  

To remedy this situation, Palazzo Versace Dubai Hotel decided to look for a mobile first solution that could enable them to communicate with all their employees in real time. A mobile first approach would enable their employees to access information directly from their mobile devices anytime, anywhere. They were primarily looking for a simple and easy onboarding process with a user experience that required no training.

The Palazzo Versace wanted a technology solution that would be able to broadcast company information to employees in real time and be able to track read receipts for specific communications (such as policy updates). It also needed a solution that would allow employees to quickly find co-workers and connect with them via chat, to allow department heads to reach specific groups of workers and to enable users to connect/discuss specific topics of interest. The hotel also wanted a solution that would allow employees to provide feedback and commend co-workers. Assigning tasks to employees on-the-go and making it easy for them to update the status of their task, without requiring access to a computer, and being able to track that status in real-time was important to the hotel as well.

After searching for a solution, the Palazzo Versace Dubai Hotel identified Groupe.io as their preferred technology partner 16 months ago. It currently has 395 team members actively using the platform, the Palazzo Versace Dubai told Hospitality Technology magazine.

This tool allows the hotel to share organizational information with entry-level team members like housekeeping, front desk, and waiters real-time in seamlessly and securely manner. In particular the hotel uses in-built microapps like Recognition Cards and Announcements that contribute to strengthening team members’ engagement and organizational culture. With the app, every person in the hotel can be reached at any time through the personal chat, while “Task Manager” is used in various departments to increase efficiency. 

Additionally, transitioning from printed handbooks and notices to digital versions resulted in far improved communications of official updates to employees, and the reduction in the hotel’s use of paper also contributed to the company’s pledge of ecological sustainability.

But perhaps most importantly, the hotel has tangible feedback that the Groupe.io platform has effectively solved the communication problem among non-desk hotel works.

In the 16 months since partnering with Groupe.io the hotel has had 178 employees leave, it told Hospitality Technology.  But only one of those 178 mentioned communication challenges during the exit interview.