There is no denying that a hotel is only as successful as its operational team. Hotel operations are at the very core of the growth efforts of a hotel. From the check-in to the final check-out, the entire guest experience depends on the level of efficiency with which hotel services are being operated.
It is extremely important for you to optimally execute your hotel operations to ensure business growth and impart excellent customer satisfaction.
However, the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have made it difficult for hotels to even revert to normalcy, let alone optimize their operations. The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way hospitality services operate today, and hotels are not exempt from this.
Citing the hardships hotels face in these uncertain times, we have put together some effective measures that you can implement to maximize the output of your hotel operations. But before that, let us understand how the pandemic has altered the face of the hotel industry.
The pandemic hit the world like an unavoidable tsunami, destroying everything in its path. It brought virtually every industry to its knees, forcing them to alter their very being or shut down for good.
In the case of the hotel industry, the pandemic took away its primary source of income, guests, for two long years. And while it has been some months since COVID concerns subsided among the populace, hotels are having a tough time assuming their normal state of operations. According to McKinsey & Company, it won't be until 2023 that hotels finally return to their pre-COVID state.
However, regardless of the predictions, hotels are fighting the effects of the pandemic with all their might, even emerging victorious in some cases. And this has been primarily possible due to advancements in hotel technology and the adoption of strict health protocols for the guests as well as the staff.
In the coming months and years, the pandemic is poised to die down (fingers crossed). However, the changes it has thrust upon hotels will continue to stay, becoming the new norm.
Below we have a carefully curated list of six tips and best practices using which you can amplify your hotel operational efforts.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, guests are primarily seeking contactless services as a part of their hotel experience.
And for a complete contactless experience, digitization is the way forward. Digitization lets your guests book rooms online, perform self-check-ins, on-device control of the room, conducting self check-outs and whatnot. In short, it makes every task seamless.
Digital hospitality platforms such as MyCONECT offer a way to ensure that your hotel is providing your customers with complete contactless services, all the while enhancing hotel operations by boosting staff efficiency.
A one-stop solution platform for hotels, MyCONECT easily integrates into a hotel’s existing PMS, enabling it to provide services such as online room bookings and upgrades, self-check-ins & check-outs, and room access with mobile keys, complete in-room control via smartphones, online service requests, etc. This way, hotel operations get the required boost as the hotel staff can perform their duties effectively.
Effective communication is, without a doubt, at the core of optimal execution of hotel operations. A clear and transparent transfer of information between the staff and guests ensures that all the needs of the guests are attended to in time.
To ensure seamless communication, you can employ digital team communication platforms to remove the communication barriers among your hotel staff. These platforms come with a host of features such as workflow management, instant messaging, task tracking, etc. Using them, staff members can collaborate, distribute tasks and overall, improve their work efficiency significantly.
Yes, guest feedback is vital for improvement. But what is equally important is asking for feedback from your staff.
Since staff members perform the majority of your hotel’s tasks, they can better point out the flaws and fine adjustments in your hotel’s operational system. Your hotel’s staff can, thus, advise you on how to make the guest experience better, how to save unnecessary hotel expenditure and everything in–between.
For effective team feedback, you should conduct regular meetings with your hotel employees in which they can share their thoughts on the improvements required in hotel management, leading to operational enhancement.
It might seem ironic, but a great way to save on your hotel’s operational costs is to first spend some money improving them.
Investing money in hotel operations means equipping your staff with all the necessary tools, both hardware and software. It also means not cutting back on costs when it comes to the training, health and well-being of the staff.
A well-equipped team is not only more productive but also quite efficient. Also, it can save tremendous amounts of man-hours without expending extra human resources.
Automation is being touted as the future, and that is a fact. Every industry is looking for ways to put their repetitive tasks on auto-pilot so they can focus on the more creative and resource-intensive ones. And there is no reason why hotels should not introduce automation in their operations.
Automating tasks such as check-ins/check-outs, room bookings, billing, etc., allows a hotel to streamline several of its operations at once. It also enables hotels to allocate critical work hours to more meaningful and productive tasks to enhance the overall guest experience.
For automation, you can turn to software tools that help in automated task assignments for your staff. Schedule tasks such as housekeeping, cleanliness and electricity maintenance for regular check-ups so that none of your services get delayed and staff also does not have any confusion regarding their respective work.
Delays in responding to maintenance errors are often a recurring reason behind slow hotel operations. And delays then lead to decreased standards of hotel operational services, which is bad for the image of a hotel as well.
A great way to avoid delayed responses to operational errors is to maintain a centralized platform where the staff team can quickly report any issue in the hotel system as soon as they find one. This ultimately helps in speeding the issue-resolving process.
The hotel operation process has completely changed after the outbreak, but for its own good. It is safe to say that it’s high time for the hospitality industry to seek and implement digital technologies in their everyday operations. While there are various other ways to enhance your hotel operations, digitalization should be a topmost priority.
The six tips mentioned here are some of the various ways to enhance hotel operations and give customers satisfactory services. You can adapt these ways to your hotel operation management and ensure growth.
Want to learn more about how MyCONECT can revolutionize digital hospitality? Connect with us today!