Smart hotel owners are now adopting automation tools to improve operations and customer experience. From front desk operations to room reservations and check-ins, automation can convert disconnected, inefficient, and independent processes into simple and integrated frameworks.
Automation also can streamline processes to make things like booking management and check-ins faster and easy. This is just the tip of the iceberg! Below we will cover some hotel automation tips to scale up efficiency and sales.
Understand the cause of inefficiencies
The best way to start your automation journey is to identify the root cause of inefficiencies in your hotel. Take a step back and identify areas that need the most help before picking a technology to implement.
For example, do you need to automate your customer service to add tech to a personalized approach? You can automate anything from guest room service, concierge services, room keys, and more.
Start simple
Simplicity is the best route to take whenever you are integrating new tech into your existing systems. It is easy to get excited and envision a complex automation system for your hotel.
However, it is best to start simple and assess if the automation strategy you choose brings a return on investment for your business. You can start with one area and just focus on implementing it properly and ensuring it is successful. Starting small is less risky and you can always build upon the system as you get more comfortable.
Ask yourself, is it worth it?
Investing in automation systems can be a large up-front cost. You need to make sure that the cost of integrating the hotel automation system is worth it. The increase in efficiency should make enough difference to justify the cost of installation and operation.
If you are running a hotel on a budget, your guests probably do not care that you have the latest technology but for a five-star hotel, your guests will be happy to pay the price to enjoy the perks of automation.
Always have a backup plan
Any technology can malfunction. No matter how good your automation systems are, sometimes human intervention is needed. Ironically, technology can contribute to a bad customer experience you are striving to improve. Customers could even have a bad experience in your establishment in cases where your automated systems are down.
Some people also prefer customer service that has a personal human touch. It is therefore important to have backup options. Do not just rely only on automated systems. Mix and match!
Wrapping up
Hotel automation should make life easier and more fun for your team and customers. You have to do it correctly to make it work, though. The best approach when deciding to automate your systems is identifying what suits you best and weighing the risks and benefits.
Automate one or two simple tasks and build on that. Go slow but sure as you take advantage of the benefits of automation in optimizing the services in your hotel. It will consequently help you scale up efficiency and sales.