Smart hotel tech isn't just designed to be clever and optimize revenue – it can save time for hotel staff and guests while making operations more scalable and reliable. It also comes with open connectivity that allows hoteliers to use best-in-class solutions for every area of their business.
Most importantly, smart tech empowers hotel staff to connect with guests in more meaningful ways by replacing screen time with face time.
Six ways hotels use tech to gain a competitive advantage
We asked successful city center hotels how smart tech has helped them thrive, so get a pen and take notes from these inspiring business, boutique and hybrid properties.
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1. Meet the needs of modern guests
Not only do we talk a lot about the new standard of hospitality – we even dedicated a whole event to it called Mews Unfold. Guests excited about the emerging hybrid hospitality models form a big part of this new standard, spelling trouble for hotels that still hesitate to embrace modern tech.
A great hospitality cloud is built to enhance guest experiences and make guest-related processes run as seamlessly as possible. Modern guests want freedom, so you should give it to them.
Why make anyone wait in a queue if they prefer to check in online or use a kiosk? Instead of making guests call reception to discuss pillow options and dinner plans, enabling digital communication for housekeeping and room order requests would be much smarter (and less unnerving).
In The Maj Hotel, guests pay using a Mews Terminal, a fully automated card reader that doesn't require any staff present and allows a contactless check-in experience. Switching to 100% paperless communication also supports the hotel's sustainability efforts. Now that’s smart tech.
2. Connect and build
Don’t reach for the hammer just yet – we’re talking about building the best tech stack. If you’re considering switching PMS, look for open APIs and access to a hospitality marketplace with zero connection fees.For Mercure Hotel MOA Berlin, connectivity was a top priority. After integrating various business and event functions into their hospitality cloud, they saw a 16% ADR increase.
As a modern hotelier, you need a cloud-based solution that’s easy to use for your team and willing to innovate with you as you scale. Prioritize security, connectivity and good customer service. We’d tell you to make a checklist with all your needs and questions to ask, but we’ve already prepared it for you.
3. Use automation to reduce operational costs
Rising hotel operating costs can significantly affect your bottom line. Automation to the rescue. In just a few clicks, you can automate boring tasks, ditch night audits and eliminate manual errors. Curious (or strategic, however you want to put it) hoteliers can even use automation to monitor their competitors.
A cloud-based PMS can trim your costs significantly by centralizing services. It lets you seamlessly sync all hotel operations while providing advanced security, unlike a physical server, which unauthorized people can break into and access valuable information.
Payment automation can help you reduce operational costs and remove any risk of manual errors. By automatically processing card payments, Postillion Hotels saves eight hours per day while ensuring that any fraudulent bookings are immediately noticed.
4. Retain great hotel staff
Raise your hand if you’ve gone a week without hearing about the hospitality staffing shortages and issues with keeping good teams. We’ll just assume you didn’t move a muscle and move onto informing you that good hotel software can help you mitigate staff turnover and provide superior service.
Do you still fear that embracing technology will result in a lack of human touch? Modern tech actually does the opposite: it replaces screen time with quality guest time.
A well-designed hospitality cloud takes away tedious tasks from guests and staff, who have better things to do with their time than staring at a screen or punching in credit card numbers. It does wonders for staff motivation too, as teams become more engaged with guests and are excited to do more rewarding work.
UDS saw zero staff turnover in the first year of their newly opened Mews properties and widened their hiring pool by 100%, attracting people better suited to providing engaging hospitality across multiple spaces.
For a complete guide on empowering your hotel teams, go here.
5. Drive direct bookings and personalize offers
You’re already investing in marketing, including website, advertising and data tracking? Bravo, you're doing an excellent job. Now let’s take it to the next level with data analytics in real-time. We’re talking about enhanced targeting ahead of the guest’s arrival and during their stay.
With smart tech, you can build a smooth guest journey that drives direct bookings on your website and opens multiple upsell opportunities.
The most successful hotels use guest profiles to anticipate the needs of their guests and tailor packages specifically for each person. That thrill-seeking leisure traveler? Inform them about whale-watching tours or paella-making classes. Offer a meeting space and gym access to business travelers when they book a room. As for the bleisure travelers, let your imagination run wild.
6. Diversify revenue through mixed use spaces
To truly make the most of your space, you ought to think beyond heads in beds. There are plenty of options to diversify your revenue: hybrid workspaces, events, hotels turned into homes and offices – and smart tech can empower you to turn gyms, parking spots and meeting spaces into real revenue earners.
It's time to move on from RevPAR as a core metric and accept metrics like RevPAG and LTV. Want to know more about maximizing your property's potential? Have a peek (or a long look, we won’t tell) at this detailed guide here.
And now it’s your turn to shine
We’ve put together a guide featuring top city center hotels. Learn how these boutique, business and hybrid properties use tech and automation to maximize staff satisfaction, improve operations, resource management and create remarkable guest experiences.
Download Tech Trends for City Center Hotels
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