Technology is constantly driving evolution within the hospitality industry. Hotel operations are drastically different than what they were just five years ago. In order to remain competitive, hoteliers need to understand how technology is changing the space and how to incorporate these new tools into their hotel communication strategy.
Meeting new demands
Communication is critical to the guest experience. While the use of email and social media has increased in recent years, hoteliers know all too well that certain tasks are better performed in person or over the phone. Customers, on the other hand, are increasingly interacting with hotels across multiple touch points, including the web, mobile apps and call centers, where they expect the same level of service across every channel used. Maintaining consistency across all channels must be a priority.
Updating a communications infrastructure to meet these new demands can seem like a daunting proposition, especially if a property has multiple locations. Some hoteliers prefer a fully-managed, hosted solution that is dependable and is a good value, while others want the ability to control features and make network changes on a dime.
While email and social media use has increased in the hospitality industry, certain tasks are better performed in person or over the phone.
Whether you’ve already decided to implement a new communications solution, or you are contemplating it as a possibility, there are five key components to look for and consider.
- A purpose-built hospitality solution. Integration with systems and business applications are a must. If they are not incorporated into a system, complexity and costs can quickly rise. Solutions that include standard integrations or enable API connectivity to your PMS platform, existing hospitality management applications and mobile devices will help to deliver a personalized guest experience and ensure greater operational efficiency.
- Ease of management and use. New technology needs to work for you and be intuitive for successful end-user adoption. The hotel communication solution you choose should simplify property communications and include worry-free system maintenance to relieve on-property IT resources.
- CAPEX and OPEX flexibility. It’s a known fact that many hotel owners and management companies prefer to capitalize their purchases and expenses. “One-timing” the purchase also allows the property to increase or conserve that precious NOI (Net Operating Income), a key factor in increasing the value of the property asset.
- Scalability of a UCaaS solution. If you’re not ready to switch to a full-featured unified communications platform, make sure this option is a possibility for future growth and optimization. There’s no need to rip and replace legacy PBX systems, and when purchased as a subscription-based service, it’s easier to roll out across multiple locations.
- Reservation system integration. The guest experience doesn’t begin at arrival, it begins when the guest first contacts a property. An omni-channel Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solution provides an end-to-end suite of tools that enables hoteliers to personalize and deliver a differentiated guest experience.
Meeting your guests’ digital demands can put new stresses on your IT organization. If you’re unsure of which path to take, Windstream Enterprise has the expertise and solutions to meet your current and future needs—just reach out, we’d be happy to help.
