EXECUTIVE INSIGHT
This post provides insight directly from a member of our executive committee, CEO & President David Adelson.
I read something this week that really caught my eye and made me pause. A quarter of all hoteliers still currently use pen-and-paper (or manual) methods to manage operations, while nearly 2 in 10 have no structured hotel management system outlined at all, according to a new study by Software Advice.
Although many hotels and brands have begun to embrace technology, mainly to improve relationships with guests, these eye-opening statistics reveal there is still a way to go before hospitality begins to catch up with many other industries.
Here are four ways that the right digital tools can drastically improve an organization’s operations.
Do More with Less
With technology, you can better manage resources to ensure that you’re using what you have to full potential. You’ll be able to monitor guest rooms, inventory and staff more effectively in order to eliminate unnecessary costs.
Increased Productivity and Efficiency
Automating basic processes reduces the need for your management and staff to waste time completing tedious tasks, such as data re-entry, that can be both exhausting and demoralizing. By spending less time on such things, they can instead focus on engaging with your guests and working on projects that will provide greater benefit to your organization.
And by keeping employees feeling fulfilled and satisfied, you actually save money, as losing an employee can cost a business between $10,000 and $30,000.
Reduced Opportunity for Errors
Have you ever had to do something repetitive and accidentally made a mistake because you got distracted or bored? Businesses reportedly lose up to $600 billion each year due to distractions in the workplace. Using digital systems for this kind of work, such as data management, can minimize the number of human errors and reduce time spent on do-overs or corrections.
Get to Know Your Business Better
These days, data is gold, and technology is opening doors when it comes to gaining actionable intelligence about customers and staff. Digital systems can provide a bevy of information instantaneously, using only a fraction of the resources it would have taken in the past to gather the same amount of data.
This information offers a window into learning more about your customers and your operations, and can then applied to make forecasts for your business future and create proactive strategies to respond to these expectations.
As technology becomes more advanced, we’ll see the things it’s able to help us accomplish expand. Hoteliers, make sure you stay aware of what’s available and invest in taking advantage of new innovation to avoid getting left behind.
