Hotel and resort owners and operators know that delivering positive results to customers is not always enough. Sometimes it’s more important to connect with guests when they are providing services. By Warren Dehan, President of Maestro – 6/8/2021
Hospitality is based on developing and maintaining personal relationships that go beyond interacting with guests and involve other hoteliers and even supplier partners. Hotel and resort owners and operators know that delivering positive results to customers is not always enough. Sometimes it’s more important to connect with guests when they are providing services. This mentality can be challenging for technology partners who have been conditioned by other industries to deliver results without emotion. However, corporate culture determines the way partners work together, and technology companies can learn a lot from the hospitality industry’s service-minded ethos.
One thing that hotel technology partners need to be aware of is the increasing complexity of the software used across the industry. You should be patient with operators who step out of their comfort zone to use technology they are not familiar with. In addition, many independent chains and boutique hotel groups operate without the benefit of an in-house IT department, and it is crucial for them that the technology provider is a partner they can rely on to solve problems in a collaborative and solution-based approach .
Here are four cultural attributes a PMS company must have in order to ensure the success of your hotel:
Be adaptable
The service-oriented nature of the hospitality industry creates an environment where many small changes are taking place across the industry, from adapting to new guest booking patterns to creating new ways to communicate with travelers. In such an environment, it is important that providers are open to constructive criticism in order to improve service and make optimal use of current market conditions.
Conducting business in the service sector requires a degree of humility, and sometimes well-intentioned efforts can backfire due to the way they have been conducted or other unforeseen factors. Getting free feedback, whether from an industry advisor or your hotel partners, can be invaluable. If you open your offers to the occasional review by those who use them on a daily basis, you can provide inspiration for the future improvement of your products and services and manage your chosen business area even more effectively.
Be accessible
Tech Partners always have visibility issues due to the nature of the space they operate in. Hence, it may be necessary to find ways to deal with your customers in the same way as hotel GMs. Since contact with hotel partners is most common when something has gone wrong, the most efficient response to this concern is when technology providers make it easier for hoteliers to be reached.
Direct text chat has seen a rapid increase in popularity since the beginning of the pandemic and offers several advantages as a means of communication between hotels and technology partners. For one, tech chat allows users to be more conscious about their messages, which avoids confusion in the long run. In addition, all communication can be easily recorded and shared via text, which will help with future technical problems and troubleshooting. Finally, it is the ideal method for sharing e-learning materials as it allows users to keep it for long-term reference.
Be resourceful
Knowing your customer is everything. So why not consider hiring former hotel workers for training and support roles? Your technical support agents are more likely to help resolve customer problems in a sensible manner if they have run a mile in their shoes. The hotel industry is currently in a labor crisis and it is important to get in touch with hotel partners immediately.
Former revenue managers, salespeople, and GMs are perfect for these roles as they are fluent in hospitality jargon and already have the service mentality to help other hoteliers solve their problems. Hospitality and technology are constantly intertwined and connections like this will be necessary to continue to be successful in the future as the day-to-day business of a hotel continues to grow.
Be hospitable
Hospitality workers are usually friendly, open-minded, and personable people. Many of them were drawn to the hospitality because of its human focus and quality experience. They love to solve problems and make life easier for others. Technology providers should strive for the same qualities in our own offerings. If your company’s people are culturally pushing to do better work every day to serve customers better, and when the opportunity arises, they are in the right place.
Warren Dehan is President of Maestro, the cloud and on-premise PMS of choice for independent hotels, luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals and multi-property groups. Maestro was the first provider to bring a fully integrated Windows PMS and Sales & Catering solution onto the market and is continuing this trend with leading web and mobile-based solutions. Platform and deployment independence make Maestro an investment that will continue to grow and adapt to new technologies.
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