By Alex Gaggioli
Technology has the ability to enhance the guest experience in ways that we often don’t talk about. Sure, in-room entertainment, fancy tablet-operated rooms, and in-mirror bathroom TVs are nice, but technology can make a huge impact from an operational standpoint too. The guest experience is a journey that starts before a traveler even books a room and doesn’t end when they leave your property either. There are so many customer touchpoints in today’s world that you want to make sure you’re always putting your best foot forward. Intuitive, powerful backend property or hotel management software has the ability to make a meaningful impact on your guests’ experience.
Here are some of the ways good technology enhances the guest experience.
More efficient online bookings
The guest experience begins before they arrive at your property. Getting your guests’ attention is the first feat any business must overcome. Your backend software plays a large part in delivering the right information to potential guests at the right time. Your website is often the first or second point of contact, and you want to make sure you supply the most important information.
With a powerful hotel booking engine, you can display your property’s options in a consumer-friendly layout.
Your different accommodation options should be displayed with pictures and detailed information. An availability matrix is also essential, especially for guests who are ready to book right now. After a guest decides which accommodation they’d like to book, your website should have a booking engine that allows them to instantly know if it’s available.
If your property does not have a booking engine and uses a simple email form, you’re drastically slowing down the booking process. In today’s digital age, consumers expect transactions to be swift and efficient. Back-and-forth emails waste time, and if the guest’s request is unavailable, but they have to wait to hear back, it’s a burden.
A booking engine helps eliminate wasted time while your property management system keeps everything in sync in the background. Automation is the best way to ensure that guests get the best experience on the front end. Take control of your property’s direct booking experience and ensure that you don’t lose people to your third-party booking sites.
A well-organized Staff
There’s no better favor you could do for yourself and your guests than to have an organized operation. When you have the right tools, it’s easy to keep your rates, availability, and reservations in check.
During Check-In
When a guest arrives goes to check in, you want it to be swift and efficient. Of course, each property’s check-in process is different. Some aim to take their time and get to know their guests, while others simply push people through.
Regardless of how your property operates, technology that allows you to swiftly find reservations and check-in guests is the goal. You can elevate the guest experience when you don’t have to dig through your computer software to find reservations and assign rooms.
Not only will your guests reap the benefits of efficiency, but they’ll also appreciate the structure, especially in the event that something goes wrong or a change needs to be made. Decreasing friction during check-in can allow both parties to focus on building a relationship and getting information about their stay.
An exceptional guest experience
Good technology keeps your staff and property organized with everything from room assignments to your housekeeping and reporting. Having an efficient staff has a huge impact on your guests’ experience. In the event that your guests need something, your staff is able to rely on back-office software to fulfill tasks. Daily guest reports should tell you who’s arriving, staying, and leaving on any given day. These reports help allocate staff and resources and ultimately keep everyone on the same page.
The ability to keep track of guests’ requests, manage house accounts, and process payments are just a few of the things necessary to ensure smooth sailing. Your guests probably aren’t concerned about how you run your business on the backend. However, they will notice if your operation is less than efficient.
Technology has the power to make a guest’s stay seamless, as well as your employees’ lives easier. Good software is best when it goes unnoticed.
Post-stay impact
Post-stay, technology can continue to make a positive impact on your guests’ experience. We always suggest that you follow up with guests after their stay to get feedback. Post-stay emails with a survey can help you identify what aspects of your property your guest enjoyed and which parts may need some more attention.
Sending your own surveys is also another line of defense between your guests’ problems and a negative online review that you cannot get rid of. Technology plays an obvious role here, both in the delivery and completion of satisfaction surveys.
Final thoughts
Technology has the ability to enhance the guest experience, even when you least expect it. Innovation and new technology trends provide new opportunities to take a hotelier’s job to the next level. Property management is an endless cycle of making both little and big changes to ensure that your operation runs smoothly. Software and technology that runs your backend have real repercussions when it comes to giving your guests a seamless experience. Give your property the backbone it needs to succeed.
