The "waters" in the hotelier industry are never still. Catching the best and highest wave is everyone's dream in this industry. Thanks to hotel technology, today, everyone has the opportunity to do so.
The communication landscape has changed to enable everyone to reap the benefits of the newest technologies. If you are not familiar with all of these, we won't hold it against you, because there are so many. Instead, let's see the top 10 communication trends in the hotel technology.
Social Media for Hoteliers
Word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing in this industry. This is why it has become very important for hotels to develop an ear for social media listening. Social media platforms can be used to learn about guest experiences and making important changes to deliver a better experience over time.
Additionally, these platforms offer hoteliers a chance to advertise their accommodations at fairly low prices. In any case, social media for hotelier is the huge trend that opens new possibilities for people in this business. When engaging with clients, it is important to use hashtags to increase the viral potential.
Chatbots
Providing information and a top-notch service for customers around the clock is a very important factor of customer experiences today. Chatbot technology offers new ways for hoteliers to engage their target audience and increase conversion rates.
Thanks to the rapid development of technology in this field, hotelier chatbots are not only free, but they also offer booking and reservation services besides the standard info-desk ones. We can expect to see them put into action by many hoteliers since they don't require any coding and previous technical knowledge. Of course, you need to be carefully as this can result in an unpleasant experience too. Someone needs to monitor these conversations and be prompt to revert back to the guest.
Self-Service
Self-service has become a popular option in many industries. After conquering the customer support industry, it has reached customer service. People are used to using technology today. This is why hoteliers should consider replacing legacy solutions for simple and repetitive actions in their organization with hotel automated solutions.
There is a technology solution for various guest requests. By implementing it, you will not only make your guests' stay more enjoyable, but you will also free your staff from these obligations and enable them to further improve your guests' experience. Basically, mobile apps that guests can use to engage with services, as well as with hotel staff and departments.
Dedicated Mobile Apps
A dedicated mobile app is another way to streamline your communication efforts. What are the conveniences a dedicated mobile app can offer to your guests? For instance, they can order room service without picking up the phone, schedule a sauna or a massage, check in or out, and so on.
Having a dedicated mobile app is also another great effort towards building a serious hotel brand, one that provides services that meet the needs and expectations of the modern traveler.
Support for Smartphones
Thanks to smartphones, communication has never been more streamlined and accessible. If you want to impress your guests, you have to do everything in your power to enable them to continue to use their smartphones as if they were at home.
Make sure that you have the best WiFi routers, adequate network coverage on the premises, and bandwidth adequately distributed over your network nodes. Make sure to mention this on your website and social media platforms, simply because people include free WiFi in their online hotel search criteria. You can provide basic wi-fi free with limited bandwidth and charge for higher bandwidths.
In-room Technologies
Have you seen how the biggest airline check-ins look like? People can sit back, relax, get access to the best possible internet connection and chargers. Make sure to launch surveys and ask your guests about their expectations.
It is not only to embrace the whole new tech-savvy hotel mantra but to enable the guests to engage with technology on their own terms. Don't forget, what is a cool gadget to someone, is an absolute necessity for someone else. Study your target market and deliver what is expected of you.
If you want to enable your guests to seamlessly communicate with you and your establishment, you have to consider relying on smart technologies. Smart hotel technology will enable your guests to engage with your services in an entirely new, engaging and memorable fashion.
Would you return to a hotel that remembered your favorite song and TV channel to wake up to? Of course, you would. And this is exactly what smart hotel technology has on the plate for hoteliers.
Digital Menus
Powered by brand new achievements in the hotel technology field, digital menus bring yet another improvement to frequently used communication channels in the hotel industry - ordering. But is there anything other digital menus offer besides the obvious easy-ordering benefit?
Every order made by your guests will be stored in the central database. This information can be used to custom-tailor the experience for each of your guests, thus enabling you to deliver data-driven recommendations and help your guests to see the extent to which you care for their well-being. This will help restaurants cross-sell and upsell items and improve their service, the guests' experience, and revenues.
Technology for Keyless Practices
Room keys have been proven to be a very inconvenient solution over the past decade. This is why hotels are starting to implement keyless hotel technology. While the guests will be able to open a door via their smartphone from any location, you will be able to get valuable insights into their stay and habits.
Blockchain Technology
Blockchain technology has found its way into the hospitality industry. Currently, it is used to connect hotels with guests by enabling the first decentralized markets. While this threatens some big players in the industry such as Booking.com and Airbnb, hoteliers see this as an amazing opportunity to be more competitive by offering more affordable accommodation prices.
These were the top 10 communication trends in hotel technology. As you can see, all of these are set to significantly reshape the hotelier business landscape. It appears that none of these technologies is forced upon hoteliers, they simply come as solutions to the needs and demands of modern guests.
