A large number of US hotels had already begun the transition towards a more technology assisted experience for their guests. Today the simplest of US lodging businesses feature at least three to five technology services for guests.
Guest technology services may include digital payment systems, POS machines, business centers, camera surveillance, websites & mobile apps, smart room features and much more. Even with the massive decline in occupancy rates and radical decline in travel, hotel technology systems need to be compliant, secure, and in optimal working conditions.
The recovery to pre-COVID19 conditions will be slow and in phases, most professionals and researchers have already established. The latest Brand USA report for instance estimates a swift but long term recovery by 2024.
Survival is the keyword US hoteliers are living by nowadays. They must however realize the critical importance of managing the maintenance of their information technology & guest technology systems.
COVID19 has already caused massive unemployment in hospitality, leaving hoteliers to rely on these technologies instead of staff. Onsite support still remains one of the most heavily relied on roles to keep hotels surviving through the coronavirus storm.
“The future is going to be about building trust, and customers are going to do business with businesses that they trust,” … “(Businesses that) don’t have the necessary standards, technology and protocol, (guests will) stop doing business with those places.”
Matthew Woodruff, EVP of guest excellence and chief brand partner officer at Hospitality Venture Management Group
In his very interesting article on HNN Bryan Wroten discusses the interest of US hoteliers in contactless technologies and how it will help brands build trust with guests. Onsite support and maintenance will therefore be a major part of the hotel operations strategy in coming years.
Hotel owners also have to consider the gigabytes of guet data and critical technology systems that give their businesses the competitive edge. Not only does this technology have a limited shelf life, but also requires routine maintenance to stay in operation.
Managing onsite support amid COVID19 proactively also allows hotels to be more cost-effective with staff shortages. Similarly, compliance remains a major concern for hotels that accept card and digital payments, something onsite support keeps in check.
Upgrading technology might not be the ideal step to take in a time when investment is close to zero. However, knowing which hotel technology systems require renovations & upgrades also allows owners to plan for these changes. Onsite technology support engineers are a brilliant point of contact for hotels to identify predictive upgrade issues.
“I see a reluctance in (hotel) owners when it comes to technology investment, but at the same time we are experiencing an alarming number of onsite support requests. In my five latest technology gap assessments, asset owners were highly interested in support & maintenance more than actual integrations.”
Mohammed Shoaib Ziaee (Director of Information technology AHT Inc.)
Conclusion
Onsite support will become a leading driver in the success and survival of hotels during the COVID19 pandemic. The increasing demand for contactless technologies will encourage asset owners to consider proactive onsite support services to keep their services seamless.
Get in touch with the AHT Inc. team now to discuss your hotel’s onsite support needs. Until next time, see you again soon.
Advanced Hospitality Technologies is a leader in Hospitality Technologies. We have an award winning benchmark for providing affordable, reliable and most advanced hospitality Technology Solutions.
