Traditionally, hotels were largely dependent on cards and paperwork at the front desk to keep in touch with old and current customers. They were largely at the mercy of the desires of vacationers to arrive, and on their own efforts and staff to be ready for potential surges or long droughts of occupancy. Luckily, such inconvenience and old-fashioned methods are long since past, thanks to advances in information technology.
The first area in which information technology became important was in regards to billing. Old-fashioned paper-based book-keeping was time consuming and inefficient, and was not able to quickly tell a hotel owner what the situation of their hotel was. Luckily, advances in modern record keeping allow for a hotel owner to keep track of what they have on hand, how much of it they have, and how much it costs. Accounting is complicated, but advanced accounting software, especially that tailored to the unique needs of the hospitality industry, helps to enable hotel owners to make smart decisions. Services and products that are no longer used can be quickly cut off to save money, while those who show demand can be increased in quantity or modified so as to reduce the heavy usage.
Most hotels are familiar with booking rooms and reservations over the phone, but information technology has expanded well beyond that. Hotels can now work with various online travel companies and booking services to have their rooms booked online, with no need to employ expensive staff. This also allows a hotel to advertise their open rooms and special deals directly to persons who would be most likely to purchase them, instead of wasting lots of money advertising in an unfocused manner. High quality information technology thus allows for better arrangement and management of bookings in order to allow a hotel to better maximize occupancy, and to know in advance when large groups or lean times are approaching. This allows a hotel manager to make plans regarding temporary staff, good times to renovate or expand, or other concerns, because he/she can determine the state of their hotel currently and for the next few months with only a few clicks on the computer.
The advances in information technology extend well beyond booking, however. The internet is essential for vacationers who wish to contact those back home, and for those traveling on business to get in touch with the office. Therefore, wireless internet has become a very common and very useful service for hotels to provide. Many business minded persons even require that a hotel offer internet services so that they can keep working while on the road. Luckily, such services are easy to provide, as all that is required is a wireless router and various devices to ensure the entire hotel is filled with the network. Modern advances in wireless internet also allow for the wireless internet provided for hotel visitors to be used to network the hotel itself. Security cameras, door locks, and other devices essential to hotel security and safety can be wired into the network, so that staff are alerted whenever a door is propped open, a fire alarm goes off or suspicious activity occurs. Though the hotel guests are wholly unaware of it, this sort of added safety and security keeps them safe, and in the event of a problem they will most certainly appreciate the benefits of such a system.
As advanced as it is, information technology in the hospitality industry is still going forward. Intelligent booking systems enable rapid and efficient guest feedback, along with the ability to predict who is likely to use the hotel again and inform them via e-mail or text messages when good deals arrive. Hotels with room service or other guest services can offer their menus online, allowing for quick updates, high-quality photos, and other ways to allow guests to see and order services before they even arrive. There are also advances in terms of payroll and inventory which make information technology a valuable asset for saving money and maximizing profits. The unique nature of the hospitality industry makes it a great place for new and emerging information technology, and forward-thinking hotel owners and managers are always looking for smart equipment and software to invest in.
Posts Tagged ‘Technology’
Information Technology in Hospitality Industry
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010How Hospitality Technology Increases the Level of Service
Sunday, April 25th, 2010Running a restaurant or business in the service industry is not easy, and one of the more difficult parts of the job is making sure that your customers are receiving the level of service that they deserve. While the pressure is often on the servers and cashiers to try to provide a higher level of service, the most effective way to increase the level of service that customers receive is actually to improve the technology that guides your employees through their jobs.
The effective use of hospitality technology is one of the key factors in providing stellar customer service, since the proper implementation of this technology helps to ensure that key aspects of service are not accidentally forgotten or avoided. Below are a few ways that the implementation of hospitality technology can drastically increase the level of service provided by your restaurant or service establishment.
One of the most basic ways that hospitality technology can increase the level of service offered to customers is the use of a point-of-sale or POS system in your restaurant or establishment. These systems are designed with a touch-screen interface that allows servers or cashiers to simply press the buttons that identify the items being ordered or purchased with new windows opening up if there are additional components that need to be ordered as a part of the initial purchase. This ensures that the cashier or server does not forget anything vital to the order, as it cannot be completed until the appropriate selection has been made.
Making sure that all parts of an order are taken is not the only way that the use of a POS system can help to increase the level of service in your establishment, however. Additional prompts can be placed inside the POS system, giving your employees additional reminders such as reminding them to smile at the customer when they begin taking an order or letting them know current specials for suggestive selling. A well-structured POS system can take all of the guesswork out of order taking, covering every possible angle and suggesting questions to your employees that they may not have thought of on their own.
Another form of hospitality technology that can greatly increase the level of service that your customers receive is computerized hospitality training. This training offers several advantages to standard training techniques within the service industry, which often consist of simply having new employees review an employee manual or by shadowing an existing employee or member of management to learn the job functions that are essential to their position. By using computerized training as a supplement to this type of training, your employees may have the benefit of being able to review videos of the correct way to perform different tasks while being given additional training information. This helps to ensure that each new employee that is hired receives the exact same training, removing any doubt as to whether they have been properly trained in the art of hospitality so that they can better serve the customers.
Related to computerized training, a computerized system can be utilized to offer testing as a prerequisite for advancement or raises. These tests may be integrated into the same training system that is used to provide basic job information in the first place, and can be used to keep track of the scores of employees for easy reference by management. This testing can consist of basic questions in regards to job functions and hospitality issues, presented in a multiple-choice format with one clear answer to each question. A specific percentage of correct answers must be reached in order to pass the test, with the employees receiving instant feedback on how well they performed on the test by the computerized scoring system.
Other forms of hospitality technology can also be integrated easily into your restaurant or establishment, including self-service kiosks, which allow your customers to access some essentials such as condiments and drinks without the need for one of the employees to assist them. Self-service checkout lanes can also be implemented in a number of ways, using a variation of the POS system to allow customers to scan their own items and present payment for them without the need for direct interaction with a cashier at all. It is always important to have a cashier or customer service employee nearby just in case a customer has a problem with the system. The customer may also have special needs that prevent them from using the self-service features effectively; in addition to preventing potential problems with the self-service features, having a trained employee accessible provides yet another increase in the level of service presented to your customers. There are many ways that hospitality technology can be beneficial to your business especially if implemented correctly.
