4 Ways Hotels Are Gaining A Competitive Advantage Using Technology

In today’s increasingly competitive business environment, Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes/Catering (HoReCa) establishments cannot afford to leave a single stone unturned; and the key tool to achieve this is technology. However, technology is always moving forward and constantly revealing new ways of improving customer satisfaction and boosting efficiency in the HoReCa industry, and hotels have to work at leveraging technology in order to remain at the top. Here are several ways hotels are using technology to boost their competitive edge.

For An Improved Online Reputation
Customers today are knowledgeable and can see through marketing pitches. Your customers even take official communication with a pinch of salt, even when the story or communication is true. Furthermore, your customers largely depend on social media for recommendations and reviews from other genuine customers.

Considering all the above, the hotel industry is increasingly investing in ways of enhancing their social media presence via brand advocates, brand ambassadors and influencers. Larger establishments already have social media dedicated teams who scan the internet while responding to bad reviews in hopes of making amendments. Almost 87 percent of online users feel more confident once they read travel reviews, with about 98 percent viewing the reviews as accurate actual experiences.

For Enhanced Targeting
From the marketing aspect, technology allows HoReCa establishments to target their prospective and current customers better. Establishments constantly remind their business guests about meeting room schedules, target specific groups like those who arrive at a hotel for a convention with special offers or deals. This ability to connect with their targets in real time helps reduce marketing costs as well as increase the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.

For Streamlining Internal Processes
Using technology, hotels are becoming lean and mean, making their internal processes that more effective and seamless. For example, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) suite allows management and organization of information from a central hub, allowing guest relations executives to get the full history of a customer. The suite allows for customization of interactions, sending out of automated emails to guests when required and doing more with less effort.

The future holds more promise. For instance, a hotel can leverage deeper analytical ability to create a package that comprises of facilities that best fit the needs of guests. If a guest arrives at the hotel for a vacation, for example, the package might include a sightseeing trip; for business visitors, they may gain access to the hotel’s meeting rooms.

For Online Bookings
The most obvious manifestation of technology in the hotel industry is automated hotel bookings. In addition, the internet makes it easier to access information. Data like check-in and checkout times, facilities on offer, rates as well as other important details allow your guests to make better decisions.

Popular online platforms like Agoda.com and Booking.com, as well as hotel chains websites are now the standard way for people to search for rooms, offers and make bookings. Already, several websites offer customers the ability to compare offers and deals, and the day when guests can experience a room in virtual reality settings, before they make a booking, is not far off. Improved analytics might allow guests to select hotels based on facilities specifically designed to match their interests, convenience and tastes.

After making sure their businesses are legally recognized by hiring the services of legal professionals like a Houston sexually oriented business licensing attorney, hotels need to embrace the power of technology to stand out – otherwise, they’ll lose big. In order to deliver innovative services, the HoReCa business world needs to collaborate with talented and experienced teams to develop technology related solutions.