Customers demand a new touch-me-not regime in hotels
By Pallab Goswami, Vice President, EaseVenture Private Ltd & Business Head - EaseRoom & EaseMedia
September 12 2021: A quiet sea never made a sailor skillful! The struggles from the past have made hoteliers learn, apply, and improve the way they serve their customers and manage their operations. To be successful, a hotelier needs to view every hurdle as a chance! It is essential to have a deep insight into the future of Hospitality Tech in the Post-Pandemic era. With the help of several new technologies, we can improve the growth of the hotels.
The Touch-me-not mantra
After our war against COVID-19, customers expect anything and everything to be contactless, right from the check-in, Key-less & Contactless Entry, room service, Self-Service Kiosks, housekeeping, food delivery platform to the check-out. Self-Service Kiosks lessen contact with others and help the hoteliers to overcome the congestion & lobby traffic in their hotels. It also offers the control for the consumers to choose what they exactly want.
Adapt to Cloud-based PMS
Remote working has become the order of the day! With technological advancements, even People-centric industries such as hospitality face a rise in telecommuting. Hoteliers can manage all their hotel processes virtually with a cloud-based PMS (Property Management System) and control all operations. Certainly, PMS is not something new. But Post-Covid Era, PMS will be more beneficial. When integrated with mobile apps, it will be helpful to engage with the customers. Hotels can assign remote work to few jobs if we use PMS.
Get Smarter with Smartphone-tech
According to a Digital India report by McKinsey; the number of Smartphone users in India will reach over 700 million in 2021. It is necessary to engage them through interesting mobile applications designed by hospitality providers for more comfort. It will serve the customers to directly contact the front desk, concierge, housekeeping, place orders with room service, rate, review, and even plan their next visit.
Employing Robotic Tech
The post-pandemic era is inspiring hoteliers to adopt innovative technologies such as robotics! Hoteliers are planning to employ robots to improve social distancing and lessen the number of workers who work physically! Already several hotels have employed robots to prepare food, room services, housekeeping, dispensing facemasks, and hand sanitizers. Robots are used on the frontline to protect hotel guests and employees and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The need for Cyber Security
In this cyber-age, hotels have become the principal target for hackers. Many high-profile malware attacks on the hospitality industry have happened earlier on abroad! Earlier this year, MGM Grand Resorts Las Vegas reported they were the victim of one of the terrible data breaches that compromised personal information for more than 10.6 million guests. Files leaked during the MGM attack included information on celebrities, CEO of technology companies, Journalists, and government officials. Because of these reasons, Hotels need to get smart about protection. Hoteliers must be selecting tech tools that give secure transactions, multilayer security, data protection, and high privacy standards. Hotels must routinely train their staff on the effective way to manage personal information, in compliance with privacy regulations such as the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), and replace their credentials periodically.
In the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic, technological adoption among the hospitality panorama is extra crucial than it has ever been. Without neglecting the bottom line, the safety & experience of customers must be the predominant concern while adopting & implementing modern technology, and these latest trends serve us to escort the hospitality industry into a path-breaking success, fast-changing future.
EaseVenture Private Limited (EVPL), is committed to in investing in businesses and technologies to help the Hotels and Travel Industry to building efficiency and futuristic outlook to serve their customers effectively and grow their business.