Hotel Technology: 7 Solutions Your Hospitality Brand Needs
Every hotelier can benefit from integrating modern technology into their hospitality business. Using the right software and devices, you can improve the smooth running of your hotel and enhance your guest’s experience while also keeping them safe and secure. Below are just a few different types of tech worth looking into if you run a hotel.
#1) A Hotel PMS
A hotel PMS (property management system) is a piece of software designed for hotel management. It centralizes reservations, check-ins, check-outs, room assignments, housekeeping status and billing all in one place. Many modern solutions are cloud-based so you can access them from multiple devices in any location. It’s much easier than using multiple spreadsheets and calendars.
#2) A Direct Booking Website
A website that guests can directly book through will help you to fill rooms more easily. This website should be mobile-friendly and search-engine-optimized to attract more visitors. Work with specialist website designers or use website builders to introduce features like dynamic pricing, booking bars with calendars and a trusted payment gateway. Detailed dashboards can meanwhile be set up to let you see inside your booking engine and look at web traffic analytics.
#3) AI Rota Software
Many hotels require teams of staff working different shifts around the clock. AI rota software can help you to automatically build staff rotas from week to week. Such software may even be available in app form, allowing employees to clock in and out on their phone, automatically recording each worker's hours for accurate pay.
#4) Keycards/Digital Keys
Keycards can be assigned to each guest to limit access to rooms. If a keycard is lost, it can be remotely deactivated and a new one can be assigned. If you’re tired of losing keycards or you want to allow contactless check-in, digital keys could be another option. This involves setting up smart locks on each door that can be opened by a code on an app - only the guest in that room receives this code and it expires once they leave.
#5) IP-based Security Cameras
IP security cameras capture video footage using an internet connection, often storing this footage on the cloud to be viewed at any time. Such cameras can be placed in public areas around your hotel to keep guests safe and monitor staff.
#6) 5GHz Public WiFi
Your WiFi needs to be able to support multiple guests connecting to it. A high bandwidth solution like 5GHz WiFi will help to prevent a sluggish connection. It’s up to you whether you protect this with a password or charge your guests to use it. Consider setting up a separate connection for staff to use.
#7) A Hotel CRM
CRM (customer relationship management) software can help you manage customer communications in one place. This includes emails, social media messages and phone call data (including voicemails). Link this up with your PMS to help make reservations easier. Take your time to compare different CRM solutions to find one that is designed for hotels and easy to use.
Image source via Pixabay.
