An overview of technology for hospitality.
Today’s post was written by Kacey Butcher, Monscierge Process and Administration. Connect with him on LinkedIn. Communication is a tool we use each day to overcome challenges, share joy, and shape our emotions. Without communication, we are similar to a ship without a sail. Therefore, how we communicate directly impacts our actions and reactions when engaging with others. As consumers, we appreciate great service. Receiving such could ultimately determine how we communicate about that entity. If we have a bad dining experience, we may share negative communication about the pain points of the experience. Conversely, when the experience is positive, we rave praise and become loyal patrons. Lately, you find companies such as Uber and Airbnb having the ability to disrupt the travel industry due to the direction of communication. Consumers are increasingly sampling and then recommending new travel-oriented platforms with the latest methods of communication, thereby expanding their portfolio of services offered. For example: Booking a reservation through Airbnb allows for the traveler and the host to interact directly with one another, jump-starting the process of building trust and loyalty – and the likelihood of return bookings. Both parties are given the choices for communicating using SMS, email, voice-call …
Staff retention is an important aspect of hospitality management. Team members are typically hard working and dedicated while maintaining calm and composure with guests. Not everyone fits the bill, which can lead to high turnover rates and contention in the ranks. So how do you keep up the team spirit if the team members are constantly changing? Recognize and reward your leaders – First and foremost, learn to recognize the characteristics that keep people in the industry. They tend to stick around for a long time provided they feel that their talent is appreciated. Leaders should have clear expectations for their team, set a good example, and follow through. Develop new leaders – Don’t get stuck in a rut of relying solely on the same few go-to staff members. Reliable leaders should not feel displaced by new staff, but newer team members should feel as if they have a place and a shot at moving up. Encourage your team to share their ideas and provide further training as responsibilities increase. Cultivate staff engagement – `Thorough training gives new staff members the confidence to shine, but be sure to encourage your leadership team to engage these new members as well. Some …
In today’s automated atmosphere, many hospitality professionals worry that added technology will lead to loss of the human touch that is so fundamental to the industry. Furthering this resistance are fears of commoditization of the brand and simply keeping up with the rapid changes taking place. These are honest concerns and not without merit, and can be addressed across the entire guest journey with adaptable technology that can increase opportunities to connect with guests on a face-to-face level. Planning – Today’s guests are taking a more significant role in planning their own journey from start to finish. Use your website and mobile app to give travelers a taste of the experience they should expect at your property using photos and videos to highlight amenities, virtual concierge to showcase the local hotspots, and multilingual functions to ease communications with potential guests. Booking – Ease of booking has always been important. Now, travelers expect booking channels from multiple points, including phone, web, and mobile. Travel – Let guests know you care before they arrive with weather or traffic updates, as well as maps and location information built into your app. Check in – Some studies have shown an 83% percent decrease in …
Holiday preparations are in full swing and most hoteliers already have a game plan. Following are a few tips you can put into place today to help keep the holiday traffic flowing smoothly in your hotel. Check your search rankings – Spend a few minutes searching for hotels in your area, and see which pop up on the front page. If your property isn’t one of them, get with your team to see what you can do to be closer to the top. Be sure your contact information is easy to find on your website, as well. Gear up your team – High volumes and road-weary guests will put added stress on your staff. True hospitality pros thrive in a high-pressure environment, so be sure they are aware that you notice and appreciate their hard work and professionalism. Reinforce teamwork, incentivize priorities, and maintain a cheerful attitude across all departments. Mobilize – A mobile app can take a lot of pressure off your staff. One of the biggest benefits is a major reduction in calls to the front desk, freeing your staff up to be even more in tune to guests. Mobile check-in eases queue frustrations, while virtual concierge and …
The following is a message from Monscierge CEO, Marcus Robinson. Monscierge is very excited about our recent 5 year anniversary. During those years, the industry as a whole has evolved significantly. The impact of mobile and the cloud have dramatically changed the landscape. We expect the coming rate of change to accelerate, and we feel like we are just getting started. Our culture at Monscierge is built around fast paced change, and our team is excited about the future and our impact on the industry. We have worked hard to build our company and our systems around the customer, and are truly looking forward to helping our clients tackle their specific challenges in 2015. As we embrace change in the industry, we are announcing a few changes of our own. At Monscierge, we have a philosophy: Build it, get it working, and then charge for it. Others in the industry have made their name the other way around. They charge for it, then try to build it. Emphasis on TRY. We have invested heavily, and taken many years to create a framework that allows you to power your complete guest journey, and as a result, we are number 1 in …