As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, everyone is confronted with digitalization to a greater extent in a wide variety of areas. Be it just because you want to see your grandchildren again and video calls are suddenly possible or meetings are held in the home office via Zoom. As a result of the crisis, the use of digital solutions has increasingly become the norm within a very short period of time.
So what does this mean for the hotel industry and how can this accelerated change be leveraged? Let’s take a look at the banks, where digital transformation already took hold several years ago. By now, it is normal for the majority of the population to perform all small administrative tasks via the banking app. Again, there are banks that do away with physical contact altogether and no longer have branches – that doesn’t mean service necessarily suffers. Different variants are emerging here, which are suitable for different groups of people. In the same way, there are already so-called ‘staffless’ hotels in the hotel industry, which dispense with a large part of the staff. But what we can learn from the banks now is that it works, that people accept the digital service and that trust in the institution does not suffer in the process.
So how was it back then with banks, do you remember when you had to run to the bank counter for every little thing, today hardly imaginable. So there used to be the bank counters where everything was regulated. You had a personal contact person who could advise you in all matters and with whom you felt in good hands. In retrospect, however, it becomes apparent that this person was carrying out activities that can now be performed independently via app. It strikes you that you don’t need that person for that and that person becomes much more important in other things, which is personal counseling and not handling administrative tasks. We all know by now that digital solutions are better suited for this anyway and that the strengths of our employees should be used differently. The bank counter can be compared to the reception desk in a hotel. So let’s imagine that the hotel also has an app that guests can use to take care of all administrative matters (such as filling out the registration form, checking in times, canceling room cleaning for the next day, leaving feedback, booking room service, booking a spa appointment, or even opening the room doors…), and suddenly capacities are freed up for personal consulting for the guests’ stay. This personal attention and service will later set you apart from the competition and always remain the most important part of the hotel industry.
Let’s come back to the bank. So little by little, the activities of the person sitting at the bank counter were outsourced. These are now executed by the user himself via an app. Confidence in the bank has not suffered as a result. Users trust the banking app and because it saves so much time in everyday life and is practical, it is also used by the masses.
This is precisely the change that the hotel industry will also experience. Of course, personal guest service plays a different role in the hotel experience than it does in the banking experience, and personal service will continue to be one of the most important parts of the hotel experience, it will just shift somewhat. Nevertheless, parallels can be seen. It is becoming apparent that the crisis is also accelerating this process, among other things. This makes it all the more important to deal with it now and to set the course now.
The good news; our solutions can optimally support you in this change. With our free version you can start already now and thus get acquainted with the topic. Best of all, our approach is based on a Progressive Web App, which means your guests don’t have to download an app for their hotel via the App Store, but can access the solution directly via a link in the booking confirmation and can, for example, fill out and send the registration form contactlessly via their own device, as well as view and book all hotel information and services.
Find out in a free, no-obligation conversation with our experts Alexander Haußmann and Benjamin Müller how you can get started now and benefit from our offer. Request now.
