Revitalizing Hospitality: The Essential Role of Communication Technology to Redefine the Industry
The past few years have been challenging for the hospitality industry. In 2020, hotels hit an all-time low in occupancy and in revenue per available rooms. The industry surpassed one billion unsold room nights, exceeding the 786 million unsold room nights during the great recession in 2009. Luckily, it's on the path to recovery and quickly approaching pre-pandemic levels. While hotel companies are finally able to face some relief with the uptick in demand, it’s more important than ever to ensure guests keep coming.
As hospitality turns a corner, hotel companies must focus on creating a remarkable guest experience while prioritizing staff safety and operational efficiency. Communication tools, such as business radios and mobile concierge apps, offer effective ways to achieve these goals.
Seamless Connectivity: Elevating Hospitality through Uninterrupted Communication
At the heart of any successful hospitality operation lies seamless communication. Reliable tools, such as two-way radios and dedicated messaging apps can help facilitate swift and constant contact among staff members across departments. Messaging apps are a great option for hotels with reliable Wi-Fi because employees can use their own mobile devices and have conversations at their own fingertips. However, it’s important to keep in mind that cellular and Wi-Fi service can be spotty in remote locations or busy hotel environments, so having backup tools that don’t require those services are a great way to ensure communication doesn’t get interrupted. Two-way radios can also deliver a more efficient way to communicate since the instant, push-to-talk feature reduces wait times for responses.
Hotel companies should explore how different communication technologies can reshape the way they operate and find a solution that best fits their needs. The right fit can help foster team collaboration, which can lead to better delivery of hotel services and enhance the guest experience. Seamless connectivity also plays a critical role in employee and guest safety, ensuring staff have access to reliable communication in moments of uncertainty or danger. Should employees need to call for help or alert others of an emergency, having steady-state tools like radios, that don’t rely on cellular service, is crucial.
Guest Engagement and Comfort: Redefining the Hotel Stay Experience
Not only has there been a growth in the number of stays hotels are experiencing during this recovery period, but there’s also been a shift towards longer-term stays as remote and hybrid work continues to shape the new normal. Because of this, it’s crucial hotels pay close attention to the guest’s experience from start to finish. This means reducing check-in wait times and enhancing overall comfort for the full length of their stay, which can effectively minimize guest frustration, foster loyalty, and elicit positive feedback. Having the right communication tools is the key to making this possible.
One option aiding in this area, for example, is mobile concierge apps. These are becoming increasingly popular in the hospitality sector and allow guests to engage with hotel services through their smartphones for seamless and prompt interactions. While this can be ideal for streamlining guests’ needs, it should only be used to augment the human touch. With 60% of consumers preferring human interaction over automation in the hospitality industry, hotel companies should be careful not to lose sight of the importance of human connection when needed.
Efficiency in Staff Training: Nurturing Talent through Technology
Staff turnover in the hospitality industry hovers around 70-80% annually. One way to reduce the risk and impact of staff turnover is to implement an efficient training program and prioritize solutions that are easy to deploy and simple to use. Low-tech tools like two-way business radios are worth considering because they are user friendly, require minimal training, and enable an easy onboarding process for new employees across various departments. Their adaptability across roles—from concierge to kitchen staff, to housekeeping—ensures seamless interconnectivity, fostering collaboration that’s crucial to deliver a superlative guest experience. Having dedicated channels on business radios can further help elevate a hotel's level of preparedness for emergency scenarios, allowing staff to respond promptly and companies to prioritize safety.
Learning Management Systems (LMS) are another great tool to ensure that new employees receive effective training on updated industry protocols. The user-friendly nature of radios, combined with LMS for standardized training, can help hotel companies overcome the challenges associated with the turnover rate in industry.
Reliability in Any Setting: The Technology Backbone of Operational Continuity
Hotel properties can be widespread, which can pose communication challenges amongst workers. Trustworthy technology, exemplified by business radios, have fewer points of failure and less chances of technical malfunctions. The implementation of a robust intercom system can also enhance communication systems. Placed strategically across the hotel, an intercom system can enable instantaneous responses between different departments and staff members, supporting smooth operational coordination. Unlike traditional phone landlines, which are confined to specific locations and lack the mobility essential for dynamic hotel environments, intercom systems and business radios provide unparalleled flexibility and coverage.
From the seamless connectivity of tools like two-way radios and mobile concierge apps, to the reliability and adaptability of intercom systems and LMS training, the blueprint for the best hospitality services lies in embracing communication tools. These technologies are not just tools for communication; they’re an essential part of the path forward to helping the hospitality industry thrive after challenging times.