HT-NEXT Insights From Shiji
How can hotels best leverage technology right now to meet the challenges of the pandemic and economic downturn?
The most important technologies that hotels can (and should) leverage today are contactless solutions that are integrated with their existing systems, to create a mobile and digital guest experience. If hotels can open a bring-your-own-device channel, they will ensure that customers only handle their personal devices to check-in, check-out, order F&B, pay, etc.. instead of a kiosk, tableside tablet, or payment device, which are commonly touched items that can transmit bacteria. If a guest uses their own device to perform basic functions during their stay, they are also limiting contact with your hotel’s employees, effectively creating a safer environment for them as well.
When guests have questions or concerns about their stay, it is critical for hotels to be able to respond quickly. To do this, hotels can leverage chatbots and automation tools to react immediately to inbound guest enquiries and provide automated outbound communication.
How should hoteliers start thinking beyond the pandemic as they chart their tech roadmaps for the coming years?
Technology is critical to the future of hospitality. Stronger communications to guests, better and safer payment solutions, flexible and cost-efficient technology solutions are going to be at the heart of hotel operations. Hoteliers should evaluate their technology stack for flexibility. Utilizing an IT platform that can cater to evolution and future technologies will greatly assist hotels in the coming years, and better position them to adapt and bounce back should another pandemic or crisis occur in the future.
The future of travel and hotels relies on providing excellent service to customers and ensuring that hotels deliver a safe service, so people can trust that their health is taken care of. If guests do not believe that their health is a priority, they will be reluctant to travel. We believe the hotel industry will use COVID-19 as a catalyst to improve guest communications, guest safety and experience, all of which can be improved using technology. Hotels have traditionally been very good at adapting to new technology and should use this time to evaluate their business’s needs and the technology that can help them improve.