Streamlining Hotel Operations with Technology: Top 8 Technologies Hotels Need to Embrace

People can’t stop talking about artificial intelligence (AI). ChatGPT and all other generative AI models are all the rage, and people are, in turns, optimistic and afraid about what AI means for the future of the human race. Regardless of how you stand on and feel about this topic, it’s clear that AI and other modern technologies like it are transforming the way people do business.
The hospitality industry is no exception. Hotel operators are finding it more crucial than ever to attend hospitality technology events and hotel exhibits. Hotels know they must keep themselves updated on the latest hospitality technologies they can integrate into their operations to continue improving guest experiences and increasing their revenue. Otherwise, they risk losing market share and losing out to their competitors.
The Benefits of Hospitality Technology on Hotel Operations
The following are some benefits hotel tech offers.
- Improve Efficiency
From online bookings to mobile check-ins, hospitality technology can streamline hotel operations by automating check-ins, room assignments and billing. It saves time and reduces errors, leading to greater efficiency and a better guest experience.
- Increase Revenue
Hospitality tech can help hotels increase revenue by giving operators insights into their guests’ behaviour and preferences. For instance, using data analytics, particularly one powered by machine learning, hotels can easily and quickly analyse their bookings, cancellations and guest feedback data. This will generate valuable insight they can use to customise their offers and services to match their customers’ specific needs and, thus, increase sales.
- Improve Guest Experience
Intelligent self-check-in systems can improve the guest experience by letting them avoid check-in queues. Virtual reality technology can help hotels set realistic expectations among potential guests. In-room tablets and smart appliances can make hotel rooms more interactive and responsive to individual guest needs and enable guests to quickly attain their preferred cooling, heating and other settings.
All these things can lead to greater satisfaction and loyalty, which can, in turn, boost revenue and profitability.
- Enhance Security
Technology can also enhance hotel security. Hotel rooms can be more secure with digital and keyless entry systems. Surveillance cameras and other surveillance technologies can enable more diligent monitoring. These ensure the safety of guests and their belongings, help prevent fraud and theft and minimise the hotel’s liability risks and losses.
- Reduce Costs
Automating processes leads to a reduction in manual labour. Automated billing and check-in systems mean the hotel will need fewer people to manually reconcile bookings, send invoices to hotel guests and process guest check-ins. These translate to labour savings that help hotels reduce costs and increase profitability.
The use of energy-efficient systems, meanwhile, can cut a hotel’s energy costs. Using renewable energy technologies can lead to further cost savings.
Top Hospitality Technologies for Hotels
The following are eight hospitality technologies available to hotels today.
- Property Management Systems (PMS)
A property management system (PMS) serves as the central hub of a hotel’s operations. Depending on the setup, it can manage everything, from room reservations and inventory management to housekeeping and billing.
Traditionally, property management systems mainly dealt with front-office functions. It streamlined processes such as accepting guest reservations, setting room rates, assigning guests to rooms, and guest check-in and check-out. A good PMS can improve efficiency, increase revenue and enhance the guest experience.
Today, property management systems can be integrated with back-office systems, housekeeping and centralised guest databases, providing hotels with a holistic solution for hotel operations management. PMS is also now available as a cloud service, allowing hotels to take advantage of the latest PMS features with little to no significant onsite infrastructure upgrades, ensure redundancy and minimal downtimes and make guest and booking data centrally and constantly available so hotel staff can deliver stellar guest experiences.
- Channel Managers
Hotels can receive bookings in many ways. These are the hotel’s distribution channels and include the hotel website, online travel agencies, phone, walk-in/onsite, meta-search sites, global distribution systems, and wholesalers.
Managing inventory and allocating rooms across these multiple distribution channels can be particularly challenging, especially for larger properties. Thus, a channel manager is a valuable addition to any hotel’s technology stack.
A channel manager makes it easier for hotels to manage and synchronise their distribution channels. It automates the seamless allocation of inventory and setting of room rates, thus enabling channel managers to reduce the risk of overbooking rooms and maximise hotel revenue.
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems
A customer relationship management (CRM) system allows hotels to manage their interactions with guests, from pre-booking inquiries to post-stay feedback. Hotel staff can annotate guest entries with information other hotel staff may find helpful in providing personalised guest experiences.
Customer relationship management systems, therefore, enable hotels to gather and analyse data on their customers’ behaviour and preferences. They let hotels tailor their offerings to meet the needs of all guests in general and provide personalised experiences to improve individual guests’ experiences in particular.
Customer relationship management systems may be integrated with a hotel’s marketing tools. This ensures the hotel’s marketing department will have a ready database of existing customers to whom it can send personalised adverts and promotions.
- Mobile Check-In With Keyless Entry
Mobile check-in technology allows guests to check in to a hotel using their mobile device, get a room assignment and receive a token that will enable them to open their hotel room without a physical key. It makes checking in to a hotel as convenient and easy as possible, as a guest no longer has to queue at the front desk to check in and get his room key.
Aside from providing guests with a hassle-free check-in experience, mobile check-in technologies, particularly its integrated keyless entry system, allow hotels to collect more information about guest behaviour. They can analyse collected data to reveal guest check-in patterns, including how much time guests spend in their rooms.
- Automated Revenue Management
Automated revenue management systems use algorithms to optimise room rates and inventory based on demand and other factors. Integrated with the property management system, this can help hotels maximise their revenue and reduce the risk of overbooking and underpricing.
- Virtual Reality (VR)
Hotels can use virtual reality (VR) technology to provide virtual tours of hotel rooms and amenities to potential guests. By letting guests experience the hotel before they book, the hotel can improve the booking experience, increase the likelihood of conversion, manage expectations, and prepare guests for an enjoyable stay.
- Energy Management Systems (EMS)
Energy management systems (EMS) can automatically control and monitor lighting, heating, cooling, and other energy-consuming systems, thereby reducing energy consumption. They also provide energy-saving recommendations.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatbots
AI chatbots can provide instant assistance to would-be and current guests. They can answer questions, provide recommendations and address guest concerns 24/7. This can improve the guest experience and reduce the workload of hotel staff.
Embracing Technology to Improve Hotel Operations
Technology is transforming the hospitality industry. The best hotels use the latest hospitality tech to improve their operations in numerous ways, from streamlining processes to enhancing the guest experience and increasing revenue. Hotels must continue to adapt to and adopt hotel tech. If they fail to keep up, they risk falling behind.