Key topics include
Digitalisation of the Guest Journey: Discover how digital tools can streamline processes and create seamless experiences from booking to check-out.
Elevating Guest Interactions: Learn strategies for personalizing guest experiences, ensuring each interaction adds value and fosters loyalty.
Harnessing Guest Reviews: Understand the power of feedback through guest reviews and how they can guide improvements and enhance guest satisfaction.
Real-World Cases: Hear success stories and practical insights from our panelists that demonstrate the impact of these solutions on guest experience and revenue optimization.

Join us to unlock new strategies for redefining guest experience and creating lasting value in every interaction!

Why Attend?

Stay Competitive: In a rapidly evolving hospitality landscape, understanding how to leverage digital solutions is essential for staying ahead of competitors. This webinar provides insights into the latest trends and technologies that can differentiate your property.

Enhance Guest Satisfaction: Learn actionable strategies to elevate guest experiences at every touchpoint. Happy guests lead to repeat business and positive reviews, crucial for your hotel’s reputation.

Optimize Revenue: Discover how digital tools can not only enhance the guest journey but also drive operational efficiencies and increase revenue. Understand the link between guest experience and profitability.

Expert Insights: Gain valuable knowledge from industry leaders and peers. The diverse perspectives shared during the panel discussion will equip you with practical solutions you can implement immediately.

Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow hoteliers and industry professionals. Share experiences, ask questions, and build relationships that can benefit your business.

You can find our panel partners on our tech solutions and can request a demo already before the panel.

SIGN UP FOR THE 14th November webinar

The post Webinar 14Nov2024: The Guest Journey Unlocked: Expert Insights to Elevating Guest Experience and Optimizing Profit appeared first on Hotelovate.

Whether you operate a boutique hotel or a luxury resort, ExpectMe’s technology delivers proven results. Hotels using the platform see increased direct bookings, elevated guest satisfaction, and improved operational efficiency. ExpectMe’s seamless integration with Property Management Systems (PMS) also ensures streamlined operations, fully automating the booking and check-in process for a frictionless experience.

Point A Hotels, a leading UK and Ireland hotel group, showcases the impact of ExpectMe’s technology. After integrating the platform, they have seen higher direct bookings and stronger guest loyalty, with frequent guests now regularly using the room selection feature. This tailored experience has driven both engagement and revenue. Read more about Point A Hotels experiences.

ExpectMe brings the concept of personalized room selection, common in airlines and theaters, directly to the hotel industry, setting a new standard for guest-centric hospitality solutions.

Ready to boost revenue, optimize operations, and delight guests? Book a demo today to discover how ExpectMe can transform your hotel’s guest experience and your hotel’s profitability.

The post Elevate Guest Experience and Maximize Revenue with Room Selection Technology appeared first on Hotelovate.

Let’s clarify that our PMS partners are invaluable, but it’s essential to recognize
that the PMS was primarily designed for operational management rather than
distribution.

On the other hand, the Central Reservations System (CRS) was purpose-built
specifically for distribution management. It empowers hotels with enhanced
flexibility, broader reach, improved connectivity, and more control over
reservations and revenue within the distribution network. Therefore, it’s
unsurprising that a significant 89 percent of major hotel chains have shifted
toward a CRS-centric strategy.

The CRS is in fact a connected network of distribution applications that includes
the following components:

● Central inventory management – for managing rates, inventory, and
content
● Internet booking engine (IBE) – for direct bookings via the hotel website
● Channel manager (CM) – for bookings via OTAs and wholesalers
● Global distribution system (GDS) – for bookings via travel agencies, TMC
(Travel Management Companies, or Corporations Travel Managers.
● Central reservation office (CRO) – for bookings via the hotel call centre or
reception desk
● Payment gateway – for processing online payments and checking the
validity of payment methods
● Business intelligence (BI) – for aggregating raw information from multiple
sources and tracking, analysing, and interpreting important data

Moreover, the CRS seamlessly integrates with the PMS to synchronize bookings
and inventory. Depending on a hotel’s setup, these components may originate
from a single vendor as part of an integrated platform or come from multiple
vendors linked through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Additionally,
other third-party solutions, such as Revenue Management Systems (RMS) and
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, can also be integrated
through APIs.

For guidance on determining if a CRS-centric approach aligns with your hotel’s
strategy, D-EDGE Hospitality Solutions has prepared a comprehensive guide,
available here.

The post Why the CRS is fast becoming the central hub of hotel distribution strategy appeared first on Hotelovate.

The hospitality industry, with its rich tapestry of traditions and personal touches, might seem an unlikely candidate for the AI revolution. Yet, as we delve deeper into the 21st century, the symbiosis between hotels and artificial intelligence is becoming undeniable. Embracing AI is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity for futureproofing hotel operations.

1. Understand the AI Landscape: Before diving in, it’s crucial to understand what AI can and cannot do. AI in the hospitality sector ranges from chatbots for customer service to predictive analytics for inventory management. Familiarize yourself with the various AI tools available and how they can be integrated into your operations.

2. Personalize Guest Experiences: AI can analyze vast amounts of data in real-time, allowing for unparalleled personalization. From tailoring room preferences based on past stays to suggesting activities guests might enjoy, AI can elevate the guest experience to new heights.

3. Streamline Operations: AI-powered systems can predict when maintenance is due or when supplies are running low, ensuring that operations run smoothly and efficiently. This not only reduces costs but also ensures guests always experience the best your hotel has to offer.

4. Enhance Revenue Management: Predictive analytics, a subset of AI, can forecast demand, helping hotels set competitive rates and maximize occupancy. By analyzing past data and current market trends, AI can provide insights that human analysis might miss.

5. Foster Continuous Learning: The beauty of AI is that it’s always learning. By continuously feeding it data, your systems will become smarter, offering even more precise insights and recommendations. This iterative process is key to staying ahead in an ever-evolving industry.

6. Prioritize Data Privacy: With great power comes great responsibility. As you integrate more AI tools, ensure that guest data is protected. Familiarize yourself with regulations like GDPR and ensure all AI tools are compliant.

7. Collaborate with Tech Experts: The world of AI is vast and ever-evolving. Collaborate with tech experts or hire a dedicated team to ensure you’re leveraging the latest and most effective AI tools. Their expertise can guide your hotel’s AI journey, ensuring you reap maximum benefits.

In conclusion, AI is not just a buzzword; it’s a transformative tool that’s reshaping the hospitality industry. By embracing AI, hoteliers can not only enhance guest experiences but also streamline operations, ensuring they remain competitive in this digital age. As with any change, there will be challenges, but the rewards of integrating AI into hotel operations are immense. It’s time to look to the future and embrace the AI revolution.

The post Embracing AI: Strategies for Futureproofing Your Hotel Operations appeared first on Hotelovate.

Despite often being overlooked, GDS bookings have surged beyond 2019 levels,
with a 15 to 25% increase in average booking value. Learn what the GDS is, how it
works, and why it’s essential for reaching travel agents. Uncover how hotels, both
large and small, can benefit from this dynamic platform, and gain insights from
industry experts on maximizing your presence in the GDS.

Whether you’re a city hotel catering to corporate travelers or a resort seeking
luxury travel exposure, the GDS offers a gateway to a global audience. Plus,
discover key strategies to enhance your hotel’s visibility, including participating in
corporate and travel consortia programs, offering competitive rates, and
optimizing your GDS listing.

Don’t miss this opportunity to harness the GDS’s full potential and elevate your
hotel’s presence in the ever-evolving world of hospitality distribution. Read on to
explore a wealth of information that could reshape your hotel’s future success.

The post Everything you need to know about GDS and how to leverage it to sell your hotels appeared first on Hotelovate.

Furthermore, they share strategies for leveraging new travel patterns to grow your
hotel revenue and outperform competitors in 2023.

Click here to see the full report.

The post 2023 Hotel Online Distribution Trends: Drawing insights to guide your hospitality marketing & revenue strategies appeared first on Hotelovate.

Published originally 13th March 2023 by D-Edge

Payment processing has always been a major pain point for hotels. As new payment methods gain in popularity, things are getting even more complex.

Gone are the days when cash was king. Globally, cashless payments are set to increase by more than 80% to almost 1.9 trillion transactions from 2020 to 2025. And an ever-increasing proportion of these payments is taking place online.

As more businesses accept alternative payment methods, consumers will grow to expect them when booking hotels too. Yet the hotel industry is lagging behind. 

For example, mobile bookings account for about one-third of hotel direct bookings, but the conversion rate is 50% lower than on desktop, according to D-EDGE data. The most common reason for abandonment? The payment process is too complicated.

To attract more travelers and capture more bookings, hotels must offer a diverse array of payment options and a simple, friction-free payment experience. And that starts by understanding the most popular online payment methods consumers use today.

Here are a few things you should know about them:

Credit cards

How they work: Cardholders make payments by accessing a line of credit issued by a bank.

Why they’re important: For most travelers, credit cards remain the preferred way to pay for hotel charges. Worldwide, the number of payment cards in circulation is expected to increase to 29.31 billion in 2023. 

Popular providers: In addition to globally recognised credit card networks like Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover, there are many smaller, regional players like JCB in Japan, UnionPay in China and Hipercard in Brazil.

Debit cards

How they work: Cardholders make payments by drawing on funds directly from their bank account. 

Why they’re important: For travelers, debit cards are a fast and convenient payment method with no borrowing required. Globally, the debit card market is expected to grow to $96.84 billion in 2026, although the pace of growth has slowed to about 1% per year. In 2021, Asia Pacific had the largest debit card market, followed by Western Europe. 

Popular providers: Debit cards are issued by most banks as well as major credit card networks like Visa Electron and Mastercard’s Maestro. 

Digital wallets

How they work: Also called mobile wallets or e-wallets, digital wallets store credit and debit card information on a mobile device, allowing the user to make purchases online, in-app or in-person by waving the device near a payment reader. 

Why they’re important: By 2023, an estimated 4.4 billion consumers will shop with a digital wallet, accounting for 52% of e-commerce payments globally. Mobile wallets are an easy, secure option for travelers because no physical card is required, a PIN or biometric identifier is needed for use, and payment information is encrypted. 

Popular providers: Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, WeChat Pay,  and Alipay.

Bank transfers

How they work: Consumers make payments using a direct online transfer of funds from their bank account to the merchant’s account, with no card required. 

Why they’re important: Instant payment transactions reached $70.4 billion globally in 2020 and are expected to grow by over 30% per year to 2024. While currently most transfers are domestic, cross-border transactions are becoming cheaper and safer, making them a more viable option for international travelers. 

Popular providers. In addition to most banks, fund transfer providers include PayPal, Venmo, Trustly in Sweden, Giropay in Germany and iDEAL in the Netherlands.  

Virtual credit cards (VCC)

How they work: Customers make payments using a temporary credit card number issued by a bank for a specific use or set amount, with no physical card required. 

Why they’re important: Virtual cards are more secure because primary card numbers aren’t disclosed and they’re typically issued for one-time purchases. This makes them the preferred way to pay hotel charges for OTAs and many business travelers.

Popular providers: Offered to consumers and businesses by a limited number of banks.

Vouchers

How they work: A voucher is a print or electronic payment document with a predefined value that can be used to make payments at retailers that accept them. 

Why they’re important: Vouchers are more secure than cash and allow companies to control spending.

Popular providers: Tour companies often issue vouchers to customers as payment for hotels. In some countries, governments and companies issue vouchers to citizens to subsidize holiday expenses. For example, “les Cheques-Vacances” (ANCV) in France.

Buy now, pay later (BNPL)

How it works: BNPL is a type of short-term financing that allows consumers to pay for purchases over time, usually in the form of an installment plan. 

Why it’s important: BNPL payment options are quickly becoming ubiquitous as a fast and convenient way to make online purchases without paying upfront, often with zero interest. In travel, offering BNPL as a payment option can be a strong enticement to book trips.

Popular providers: Afterpay, Affirm, Klarna, Mastercard Installments and Visa Ready, among others. BNPL is quickly gaining traction in travel and is currently accepted on Expedia, Vrbo, Orbitz and Priceline and at select hotels and airlines. 

Cryptocurrencies

How they work: Users make online payments using digital currencies through decentralized networks without the need of an intermediary or central authority like a bank or government. 

Why they’re important: Cryptocurrency usage has gained traction in recent years as a digital alternative to money issued by governments. However, volatility in value and recent high-profile cases of fraud have made the general public wary. 

Popular providers: Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. In the travel industry, acceptance of cryptocurrencies is currently quite rare, although that may change in the future. 

The Challenges of Accommodating Diverse Hotel Payment Methods

While hotels don’t need to accept every new payment type, it’s important to accommodate the preferences of guests and target markets. However, payment methods can vary by country and region, and each has its own networks and rules. Hoteliers are often limited to the methods accepted by their bank or payment service provider (PSP). 

Moreover, payment information is often scattered across multiple systems, requiring manual processing, reporting and reconciliation. This leads to inefficiencies and human error and can expose the hotel to data breaches, fraud, and chargebacks. Resolving technical issues and payment disputes can be especially challenging.

The Solution: A Centralised Hotel Payment System

To overcome the obstacles, many hotels are moving to a centralised payment management system, such as D-EDGE Pay that integrates a payment gateway with the Central Reservation System (CRS), allowing staff to manage reservations and payments on one platform. 

With the right payment gateway, hotels can easily accept a broad range of payment types and can automate many of the tasks related to verification and reporting. Guests are assured a secure and seamless booking experience regardless of the payment method or online booking channel they use — website, OTA or central reservations and regardless of the device they use: mobile or desktop.

As consumer payment behavior evolves, hotels that adapt quickly will reach more travelers, increase conversion rates, and provide guests and team members with an elevated payment experience from booking to departure.  

About D-EDGE Pay

D-EDGE Pay is an integrated and automated payment gateway, simplifying and enhancing the payment experience for hotels as well as their guests. Our all-in-one payment solution enables hoteliers to accept more payment methods, authorize more transactions and simplify operations. 

A solution like D-EDGE Pay brings ease to the whole payment collection process, as well as peace of mind in regard to security: D-EDGE has implemented the latest evolutions of the PSD2 directive (3D Secure v.2), and is PCI-DSS level 1 compliant. 

Order a demo from D-Edge

The post Consumer Payment Behavior Is Changing; Here’s How Hotels Can Capture More Bookings appeared first on Hotelovate.

While innovation and technology are leading the heartbeat of the Hospitality industry, in particularly the hotel business is under the loop. With new technologies appearing and by no means much needed, the privacy and compliance to international laws is hardly being followed, and high fines are being handed out for up to 4% of (global) turnover. They will only increase in 2021 because of sharpened rules and regulations worldwide, and old and new technologies not being able to keep up with constant changes.

There is clearly great confusion with all the regulations that are popping up worldwide, particularly since GDPR was launched in the EU. Others have followed and new regulations are coming into play worldwide, like CCPA, LGDP and the international privacy laws.

Some guidelines, facts and tips that will help your operation, avoid fines and protect your guests and employees.

· The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is working alongside the ePrivacy Directive (the cookie law).

· “The European ePrivacy Directive” is expected to become the new EU “ePrivacy Regulation” in 2021 and 2022.

· New regulations from Canada (DCIA), China (PIPL), Thailand and Brazil (LGPD) is a fact since 2021.

· The regulations apply to all hotels no matter what size. Our industry is sitting on very sensitive information, like credit cards, passport numbers and as soon as you enter a website countless information about you becomes available if the website is not protected.

· Data like health, origin, political affiliations and much more is considered private data and needs protection.

· If your hotel receives guests from the EU that means that you have to comply with the GDPR regulations, so even when you are operating a small independent hotel in India for example

· You are obliged to make customers and employees aware of GDPR. You are carrying data that does not belong to you.

· You need to know the purpose of collecting data and how long and why you can retain it. An example collecting email addresses at check in does NOT mean you are allowed you can use them for email marketing later.

· You need consent, which starts when a customer enters your website, that goes not only for cookies, but for more so for the Privacy Regulations.

· Often within a website you get redirected to for example the spa or restaurant website part of the company, since they are different, the same regulations need to be applied.

· Your guests have the right to get the data returned or deleted at any point.

· Education of staff is key, rooming lists, table plans and such are reason for big fines.

In my next article I will go deeper into steps to take to make sure that your property or company is compliant. However, you can always ask jeroen@secureprivacy.ai.

In the meantime, I urge you to invest small but smart in ensuring that your website(s) is fully compliant. Secure Privacy updates automatically to all compliance regulations, leaving with a safe environment for your guests.

Book a demo now and quote the promo code HOTSEC22 for a 10% off on the first annual subscription.

The post 2023 Expected to become a landmark year for data privacy in the Hospitality Industry appeared first on Hotelovate.

Door to Opportunity

Whatever business you are in as entrepreneur, it’s vital to watch other industries to track and understand their successes as well as learn from their mistakes and failures.

Innovation, directly related to research & development decides the strategy and necessary adjustment of objectives. And by reading, watching and learning from others you can quickly adjust or even launch new services or products.

‘I will study and prepare, and someday my opportunity will come.’ Abraham Lincoln

Over the recent weeks I spoke to a number of people from a wide range of industries, no official interviews, as I feel often that results in subjective answers, when questions are directly related to job specific subjects. After having read about the innovative way way of integrating new business models into company operations, I wondered what really these models are and what is needed from my point of view to ensure that they are understood and implement correctly and finally deliver the result that is needed for a company to be successful.

In many industries, not the least mine, hospitality, the most traditional processes are still in place. With traditional processes I literally mean every department, the hierarchy, the communication channels, the innovation or lack thereof, the operations and so forth. I am one of those people who thinks constant change is not only fun but a need for an entrepreneur to be successful. With change I refer to internal change, like personnel or working process, as well as the actual product or service. In my book ‘A hotelier’s mind, setting strategy for the future’, I write about implementing change through innovation, and what aspects are needed to make that successful. In this article I would to give you some examples of some of the learnings over the last weeks, to inspire you to consider your current position or role and make sure you start thinking differently. These examples are both a negative as well as a positive experience leading a few very similar needs that will ensure success.

The first chat I had, was a few weeks ago with a man as young as myself, who has a key position in one of the largest and financially most successful banks in the Scandinavian countries. He gave me the main reasons of why he expects to be out of a job within the next 5 years.

1. The banking industry has since the last financial crisis in 2008, been indoctrinated with rules & regulations, creating even lengthier approval process, reduced opportunity for implementation of new or existing actions and implementations.
2. There is a lack of marketing in sense of attracting new markets
3. There is no or lack of horizontal business expansion
4. Innovation and research stays at the coffee machine
5. Non value added steps have hardly or never been removed
6. Staff are unwilling to change
7. From the management there is mainly focus on costs and in particular staff costs

I will come back to the above 7 points, that probably are no surprise to you and that the banking industry is suffering you can see on all the banks that are disappearing from the high street, replaced by an app. Let me ask you something before I get to the next chat I had. Have you ever received a newsletter from your bank, which made you change a service? Have you ever been asked any questions by your bank, about your preferences? Do you feel you know your bank knows you? Have you ever felt a bank that is a cool institution. Have you ever felt any type of association with a brand in the banking industry? Do you feel the banks are controlling your money, yes your money? Do you think these questions should have been asked a long time before the bank crisis?

The entrepreneur I met was excited about attracting a second round of cash impulse into his application. I love the way he and his team had found a very complicated logistical challenge we all have to deal with, on a regular basis. I can’t tell you in detail about the app, as it is in development and pilot stage, however I can tell you about the opportunity they seized, and whether it will be successful or not I can’t tell you clearly. I believe in it however they need to give certain elements some thought.

1. They found a gap in the market, and have put several element within a distribution process together through technology. This is great, but they have no idea about how to reach that exact market segment
2. There is no differentiation between sales and marketing, leaving opportunity to contract to cover basic operational costs
3. There is no expansion plan, other than starting in the Netherlands and bringing it out into other geographic areas.
4. This will not be a sexy app, and there is no need for that, as this solves an existing issue for many, however there needs to be marketing strategy in place to ensure people will start referring and writing about this after launch.
5. One of the largest opportunities I feel are to enter many affiliate opportunities.

In this case I spoke with a company that is a start up, developed by a number of entrepreneurs who have created a brilliant solution, but are lacking the marketing skill, one that an investor would be looking for and also an expansion plan to ensure long term marginal growth.

One last chat I had, was one that surprised and worried me most, and that was with a teacher at a business university. A university that has only at the beginning of of 2017, put a project team together that is looking at a different ‘unit’ type of education. One that I learned in 2001 with Six Sigma and one that my hotel consulting company Mocinno International applies already for over 10 years, namely making each department or unit for their own financial situation, with a marketing and development functionality as well as the operational roles. Some of the discussion points were as follows:

1. Traditional education per subject does not invite to develop a skill of integrating or even understanding other business deliveries
2. The education does not automatically include some form of communication skill
3. At no point in the discussion the use of online came up as part of the ‘new’ education
4. Up until now, May 2017 communication with students was mainly driven through class room education
5. The university is neglecting the fact that a company like for example GE has already implemented unit management over twenty years ago.

Making the money, by continuing to asking 10 questions

So based on the above subjective answers can you find any opportunity for your business? To answer that, I am going to ask you questions, which you can and should review for your business to understand whether you have a healthy opportunity to expand and further develop your company or start up the right way.

1. Do you have the right approval process for steps that need to be taken in every process? Are accountability and responsibility well defined to enable solid and rapid decision making in line with the company strategy?
2. Is your target market well defined, and are you continuously looking to attract new target markets?
3. Is your company ready to expand with new products or services at all times, to ensure existing products are not getting old and are you creating new market opportunity, and who is responsible?
4. Are ideas collected a la Google style, in creative workshops, followed by an action and implementation plan?
5. Do you continuously look at existing work process and remove non value added steps?
6. Are you ensuring staff, partners and suppliers and of course customers are informed at all times and in the right order of a change to ensure excitement and buy in?
7. Is your company focus balancing the focus on costs and revenues?
8. Are you setting up or structuring your company the way it has always been done, and is there opportunity to change that, into for example unit management?
9. Are you communicating change, new processes, expansion with use of the latest technology in time?
10. Are you sure you have the right job descriptions and people in place, who buy into your company strategy, question process and are fully updated on communication and technological tools?

Naturally there are many more subjects, many more questions. But having an answer and strategy based on the above 10 questions, will set a clear path for increased revenues and marginal growth of profits.

There is no better time than to start before you start up, or when you are part of that banking team, or teaching students on how to create their future.

About the Author

Jeroen Gulickx is a well-traveled hospitality professional with two business degrees and a Black Belt in Six Sigma certification, and has extensive experience within the Hotel & Spa segment.

The main capabilities vary from streamlining cost and operational models, strategy yielding, business development, and marketing to digital marketing.

In 2006 he started Mocinno International, a hospitality consulting company that now has offices and representation in 7 countries in Europe, USA, Middle East, Asia and Russia.

The Mocinno International team is focused on delivering incremental revenues for Hotels, Spa’s and also develops and strategizes hotel suppliers, using mainly the Six Sigma methodology.

Mocinno International works with a network of highly experienced, energetic and innovative people, based in key locations. The team also leads Client or Mocinno originated projects or concepts.

In 2019 he founded Joonze,which will launch 2022.

Jeroen shares his over 20 years of industry knowledge through this blog, or other social media, and speaks at travel, marketing, innovation or strategy related forums. He wrote ‘A Hotelier’s Mind, setting strategy for the future’ a book to

inspire hoteliers!

www.joonze.com

www.hotelovate.com

#inventhospitality

The post 10 Magic questions as vital drive to create opportunity for independent and boutique hotels appeared first on Hotelovate.

By Jeroen Gulickx

Apparently Covid-19 has opened a can of opportunity within technology for our wonderful hotel industry. You can read everywhere that hotels are looking for alternative technology, or technology that drives revenue or reduces cost. It’s probably true as many colleagues in the tech industry are seeing a flux of requests, mostly related to revenue, yielding as well as marketing.

There are many great suppliers to choose from, which makes the selection of the right one for you difficult and time consuming. The costs being a large factor as well as integration for the final decision. Below several hacks to assist in making the decision.

1. Look around. Many technologies are very property and integration specific. Find out first what you have in house already and communicate that with a potential new supplier. Doing this exercise, you might and probably will find a need to replace some existing suppliers as well.

2. A dedicated resource. Depending on the size of hotel, some hotels have a dedicated resource. That is fabulous to have however note that this person might not have the best skill to attract the right technology. They are most often experts in integration and solving general IT issues. I suggest a small team closest to the opportunity or issue to be a part of the research and certainly implementation.

3. Cost is king. It really is time to stop being too sensitive to costs. Our industry is known to hold back on investments that are new or different than replacement of a broken sofa or bed. Technology does not only save costs by improving efficiency mainly, but most of the solutions also create amazing opportunity for increasing revenues in all outlets. Ensure you do a proper return on investment.

4. Tech is fun. In our industry it is harder and harder to stand out from the competitor. Customer experiences are hard to be met and loyalty is easier to lose than ever before. Tech does not only connect your property with customers in many more ways, as you are engaging them, but also it often improves internal communications and processes.

5. Contract easy. Most technology suppliers are ready to negotiate but also understand cash flow well. Get out of endless and often expensive contracts and replace them with 1 or 3 year contracts, so that the supplier needs to prove their continuous development and support.

6. Learn from other industries. Even though contactless check in seems to be the thing to talk about, remember you opened your car already 10 years ago without a key. There are many tech solutions and apps that are already mainstream or new in other industries. Use them and find out if they can deliver more to your customer, or your operations. Make sure you market these to stand out of the competitor.

Technology can lead to customer loyalty, revenue increase and improved efficiency within the hotel. Ensure that research is done properly, and implementation is a task of a dedicated group and communicate the change internally and externally.

The post 6 Tech hacks for hotels appeared first on Hotelovate.