Use Tech to Differentiate your Hotel from the Competition (Including Airbnbs)

The hospitality sector is extremely competitive, and the rise of the Airbnb model’s popularity has created even more competition. One of the most important ways that hotels can differentiate themselves from other brands and Airbnbs is by adopting the latest tech trends. Tech solutions offer many benefits, helping hotels streamline their processes, automate tasks, gain valuable insights, reduce costs, and improve the customer experience exponentially.

To set your brand apart – and demonstrate that you’re a better option than Airbnbs – your hotel should:

• Invest in technology and training. Hotels must invest in the most innovative technologies to enhance the guest experience. One major disadvantage of Airbnbs is that they lack the brand standards around safety and cleanliness that hotels work so hard to maintain. Your brand should adopt UVC technology, a highly effective way to disinfect surfaces and reduce the spread of germs and bacteria. However, it's equally important to ensure that staff are trained and educated on how to use the technology properly. Once hotels have integrated UVC technology into their housekeeping processes, it's important to communicate this to guests. By informing guests that their room was cleaned with UVC technology, hotels can show their commitment to cleanliness and guest safety. This can be done through in-room messaging, on the hotel's website, and through social media.
• Leverage data. Hotels should use tech tools to collect data, use those insights to track the effectiveness of their operations (including housekeeping), and identify areas for improvement. This can help hotels optimize their processes and ensure that all rooms are being cleaned to the same high standards. As one-off properties, Airbnbs don’t have set standards, technology, or programs, so they’re not all reliably clean. Hotels generate significant data, including auditing information, supplier safety certifications, reservation data, marketing metrics, etc. Brands can use the reporting functions within their hotel software to view and manage data, distill it into actionable insights, and make more informed business decisions.
• Improve your auditing. Auditing is essential and ensures that brand standards are consistently being followed. Historically, brands may have relied on paper checklists and printed reports from inspectors, but now, tech tools are improving audits’ efficiency, transparency, accuracy – and making it easier to see data across an enterprise or drilled down by location. Hotel brands are amplifying their auditing efforts with a combination approach of traditional third-party and remote audits, self-inspections, and internal audits, and this “blended” approach results in more frequent, cost-effective inspections. Increasingly, hotel brands are moving away from “punitive” auditing models, where employees fear punishment for any infractions, and moving towards more collaborative approaches. With collaborative auditing, hotel employees are empowered to take ownership of safety and quality initiatives, speak up when they see issues, and be part of the solution to fix any problems.
• Use tech to enhance the guest experience. Hotels can offer exceptional experiences – and gain a competitive advantage – by embracing tech trends. Use mobile check-ins so guests can skip the traditional front desk check-in procedures and start enjoying the facilities faster. Mobile keys mean guests can easily unlock the doors to their rooms with their smartphones, providing a more convenient experience. Alexa for Hospitality, a virtual assistant for guests, simplifies tasks like ordering extra towels, controlling in-room temperature or TV, turning lights on or off, contacting room service, and more. Mobile payments mean it’s easy (and contactless) for guests to pay for their stay.
• Leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. While it might sound like something from a futuristic sci-fi movie, AI and robotics can help your hotel achieve goals like increasing guest satisfaction, boosting referrals, and cutting costs. Hotel industry software now leverages AI to predict demand and uses robots to perform various tasks. As many hotel brands have faced labor shortages over the past few years, they’ve utilized robots to automate tasks traditionally performed by humans. For example, robots can serve as a hotel concierge, welcoming guests and providing them with information about the property. Some robots are also being used to clean properties, such as vacuuming floors and disinfecting surfaces.
• Adopt WiFi 6.  WiFi 6, the next iteration of Wifi, offers a faster, more efficient connection enabled through new technologies. In fact, WiFi 6 is approximately 30% faster than WiFi 5. Not only will this enhance the guest experience, but hotels can leverage this faster WiFi to power various streaming and voice-activated devices. With WiFi 6, your hotel can leverage in-room technologies to provide better service, increase positive guest reviews, and boost repeat business. WiFi will help various amenities – including smart thermostats, TVs, speakers, and locks – perform better, to the delight of your guests.
• Utilize recognition technology. Recognition technology is an exciting tech trend for the hotel industry, which can elevate and streamline the guest experience. For instance, biometrics can now be used for seamless authentications, meaning a guest’s fingerprint or face can be used to unlock their guest room, check-in and check-out, and pay for their stay (and onsite purchases) seamlessly.

By implementing these tips and considerations, hotels can differentiate themselves from their competitors, attract new guests, and retain existing ones. Overall, technology can play a major role in improving hotel operations, making the guest experience even better.

Hospitality technology is absolutely essential to meet – and exceed – customer expectations. Adopting the newest technologies also lets your brand differentiate yourself from competitors that have not yet adopted these groundbreaking solutions – including many Airbnbs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Damaren is Executive Vice President, Business Development at RizePoint, a technology leader in the food safety, quality management, compliance, and social responsibility space. RizePoint’s quality management software solutions help companies, including Starbucks, McDonald’s, Marriott, and more, keep brand promises through their quality, safety, and compliance efforts. Customers gather better data, see necessary actions earlier, and act faster to correct issues before they become costly liabilities. To discuss RizePoint’s solutions, please contact Paul at [email protected].