Why Sales Tech Is Driving the Next Era of Hospitality
The hospitality sector looks different today. The pandemic forced this industry to deploy not only digital-first strategies, but also a new way of thinking. Less travel, fewer guests, more consumers stuck at home with little discretionary income to part with – they all contributed to a series of pivots and adjustments in the industry.
Some of that change, though, was already in the pipeline or close at hand. And because so many of the problems associated with the pandemic required immediate solutions, those challenges also served to drive progress. Products and services that had been in the works were quickly launched, while others still in early conceptual stages were green-lit and urged forward to meet the hospitality space’s rapidly evolving needs.
As the world begins to slowly find its equilibrium, the impact of these advances are settling in, the outlines of a reshaped industry are coming into focus and the next great leap for the hospitality industry is now at our feet. It is sales technology that has brought us here, and it’s sales technology that will drive the next era of hospitality.
A raft of touchless solutions to accommodate visitors with different comfort levels coming out of the pandemic are here: online check-in and check-out options; mobile and bluetooth keys, and cloud-connected keyless hotel room locks; cashless payment methods; instant messaging and other digital communication services with staff. The new tech is simultaneously groundbreaking and familiar. Offered as optional features, they will be intuitive to many visitors, appreciated for their convenience and impressive in their personalization.
Automation, in this case, is everything. Technologies with an open application programming interface (API) allow all your important apps, software and tools to work together to create a streamlined experience for your visitors and improve the efficiency of your own internal sales cycles.
The hospitality industry has an enormous opportunity at this moment to harness smart, strategic technology to not only meet the obvious new demands of consumers, but also to ease their potential concerns. By communicating with them digitally – a touchless and safe engagement – you send a strong message of your commitment to their welfare while demonstrating that you’ve already taken proper measures to see to it.
At the same time, these new, forward-thinking technologies position your brand at the forefront of the industry and convey (especially to younger visitors) your dedication to providing the most modern amenities and most seamless hospitality experience in the space.
Stay top-of-mind using the same digital technologies, leveraging highly automated email campaigns with customized content. Deciding on an appropriate digital content solution to deploy your content on time and more effectively in a touchless world, while also designating an internal champion to ensure these pieces all work together, are crucial to optimizing these new technologies.
When weighing all this new tech, which options to adopt and how to integrate it into your business model, it’s crucial to remember one thing: some visitors want none of it. Although many business travelers and tech-savvy visitors are delighted by these new conveniences, other visitors still crave a full-service experience. Demand it, actually. The hospitality industry is built on service, and there will always be a place – and need – for face-to-face interactions and hands-on help that have long been the lifeblood of the space.
Weaving new digital and touchless technologies into your offerings represents necessary growth, a step forward that will keep your brand walking at pace with the rest of the industry in this new era of hospitality. But that alone isn’t enough. Only by making these new additions intuitive, optional or both – and by making it clear to your visitors that help, and a human touch, is always available to them – can you set your brand apart as a service provider that means business about hospitality.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Angelina Lawton has combined her passion for sports, branding, and technology to become Founder + CEO of Sportsdigita and a respected leader in the sports industry. She was recently named by Forbes as one of “The Most Powerful Women in U.S. Sports” and was a cover story feature for Inc. Magazine. Sportsdigita has disrupted the sports industry by partnering with more than 400+ clients across professional sports and enterprise with its ground-breaking interactive presentation platform, Digideck. Angelina received a Bachelor of Arts with a focus in Journalism from Arizona State University and was formerly the SVP of Corporate Communications for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.