Hotel booking management system in the new normal
2020 changed a lot of things for most people on Earth. People got accustomed to a new normal where social distancing, contactless interactions, work from home, etc., became features of our daily lives.
In such a scenario, the hospitality industry, which was one of the most badly affected by the pandemic, needed to gear up to adopt and embrace new processes and systems. It became evident that hoteliers across the globe and scales of operation needed to increase their dependence on technology for optimizing their operations. Manual methods needed to be out of the system. Now than ever before, automation has become a must for hoteliers, irrespective of whether they are a stand-alone property or a chain of hotels, a local guest house, or a five-star hotel.
Technology is a must-have for hotels.
As an owner, you cannot simply trust legacy systems with the effective running of hotel operations. Hotel booking management systems are inevitable not just for optimizing costs, revenues, and guest satisfaction but also for mitigating risks. The pandemic has shown that contact with surfaces can lead to the spread of the virus and its variants. Technology has to play a significant role in reducing contact with surfaces, man to man, and more.
It becomes crucial even more because most travelers are well-informed today. They understand the significance of things like contactless stays, keyless entries, self-enabled check-ins, etc. Today, a guest wants peace of mind about risking their health at all costs. And hotel owners need to address this particular thought process by implementing cloud-based hotel management software systems.
Technology is a must for the safety of your staff.
Understandably hoteliers are focused on their guests because they are in the service industry. But, you cannot ignore the health and well-being of your staff because finally, it is them that is going to deliver par satisfaction services to customers. With manual or basic automated processes, your front office staff, housekeeping, and in-room team are at higher risks of getting exposed to the virus. With a cloud-based PMS, safety and health can be ensured effectively.
For example, with the housekeeping module working on a mobile app, housekeepers can fix their cleaning schedules based on the estimated arrival time of guests. It also helps avoid direct interactions with guests. Also, once the room is ready, the housekeeping staff can mark the room as ready through the app to update the front office in real-time. No more paper or checklist exchanges.
The need to upgrade the existing hotel management system
So, post coronavirus, paperless working is in. Legacy systems are out. Cloud-based mobile-enabled apps that facilitate seamless working are also in. The on-premise PMS no longer can help you stay abreast with the current guest and staff needs. Thus, there is an immediate need to consider the up-gradation of your existing systems. If your property is already operating on a cloud-based PMS, you might consider adding mobile-enabled modules like self-enabled check-in through apps or tabs at the front desk for guests. If you are still working with the on-premise system, it is time to move to the cloud-based hotel booking management system for the better good of your guests and staff.