Learn how hotels can prevent staff burnout and elevate guest experience during the post-lockdown holiday travel season.
As the holiday travel season gets underway, hoteliers across the globe are preparing for a busier season than last year. Guests who were unable to travel for the holidays in 2020 are planning to make up for lost time. As the hospitality industry continues to recover and return to full-capacity, here are three ways hoteliers can prepare for a possible wave of holiday guests.
- Avoid Staff Burnout With Back-of-House Ticketing
In years past when guests poured in for the November and December holidays, hoteliers and their staff had to handle a more than normal workload. But this holiday season, with many hotels, resorts, and casinos still facing major staffing shortages, there may be a higher risk of staff burnout.
Whether it’s work orders, dining orders, or service requests, one of the most effective ways hoteliers can support their staff is by utilizing automated ticketing systems. An automated ticketing system allows hoteliers to capture a guest’s request or order within an app, and keeps track of the request automatically, eliminating manual labor and reducing mistakes. Plus, management can create work order priorities that update instantly, facilitating greater efficiency at every level. For room service and service requests, a comprehensive ticketing platform enables back-of-house staff to move from task to task, removing confusion and keeping items from falling through the cracks.
- Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
This can’t be stressed enough. With many hotels, resorts, and casinos still working at reduced capacity or limited hours, communication with guests must be top priority. This year more than ever, hoteliers need to keep guests in the loop about new hotel policies, hours, and amenities at your property.
Before their stay, sending a friendly and informative welcome email to a guest can set the tone for their entire visit. Your welcome email can inform guests about your hotel app, how to use the app and, if you are working at some kind of reduced capacity, make them aware of current dining or activity hours. During a guests stay, a hotel’s staff can also use the hotel app to communicate with guests on a one-on-one basis or to a larger group. Communication shouldn’t end when guests end their stay either; follow-up emails, surveys, and personalized promotional offers for future stays are key in encouraging guests to return and becoming loyal customers.
- Provide Mobile Convenience
Over the last eighteen months, consumers of all ages have become accustomed to using their mobile devices for every aspect of their lives. They now expect that same experience while staying at a hotel. Providing a mobile guest experience will give guests the convenience they seek and the best in-room experience possible.
Enabling guests to use their mobile devices to check-in as well as open their rooms, offers them a smoother and simpler arrival experience. Plus, as more guests pivot to using their mobile devices throughout the duration of their stay, the front desk will have more time to focus on delivering a good guest experience. Beyond check-in, the hotel’s app can act as an information hub as well, where guests can learn about hotel activities, dining and pool hours, local hotspots, and more.
Now is the time to adopt a mobile app, before the holiday travel season kicks into high gear, so guests can have a better and more convenient experience. The more access and control they have from their phone, the better their guest experience will be in every aspect.
Want to learn more about how to leverage tech for upcoming travel seasons? Let’s chat.
