Here are seven ways technology can help your brand get the upper hand.
The hospitality sector is extremely competitive, and the rise of the Airbnb model’s popularity has created even more competition. One of the most important ways that hotels can differentiate themselves from other brands and Airbnbs is by adopting the latest tech trends. Tech solutions offer many benefits, helping hotels streamline their processes, automate tasks, gain valuable insights, reduce costs, and improve the customer experience exponentially.
To set your brand apart – and demonstrate that you’re a better option than Airbnbs – your hotel should:
Invest in technology and training. Hotels must invest in the most innovative technologies to enhance the guest experience. One major disadvantage of Airbnbs is that they lack the brand standards around safety and cleanliness that hotels work so hard to maintain. Your brand should adopt UVC technology, a highly effective way to disinfect surfaces and reduce the spread of germs and bacteria. However, it’s equally important to ensure that staff are trained and educated on how to use the technology properly. Once hotels have integrated UVC technology into their housekeeping processes, it’s important to communicate this to guests. By informing guests that their room was cleaned with UVC technology, hotels can show their commitment to cleanliness and guest safety. This can be done through in-room messaging, on the hotel’s website, and through social media.
Leverage data. Hotels should use tech tools to collect data, use those insights to track the effectiveness of their operations (including housekeeping), and identify areas for improvement. This can help hotels optimize their processes and ensure that all rooms are being cleaned to the same high standards. As one-off properties, Airbnbs don’t have set standards, technology, or programs, so they’re not all reliably clean. Hotels generate significant data, including auditing information, supplier safety certifications, reservation data, marketing metrics, etc. Brands can use the reporting functions within their hotel software to view and manage data, distill it into actionable insights, and make more informed business decisions.
Hospitality brands should rely on tech tools to boost safety, quality, accuracy, transparency, and consistency to build and maintain cultures of excellence.
Many industries (including tech and retail) have been experiencing massive layoffs, and it’s likely that some people leaving these sectors will enter (or re-enter) the hospitality industry.
Amid this influx of new employees, tech is essential for all aspects of your brand’s operations, including training new employees, elevating safety, conducting inspections, boosting transparency, and even retaining staff. Hospitality brands should rely on tech tools to build and maintain cultures of excellence.
To accomplish this:
Leverage integrated tech solutions. As you onboard new staff, leverage integrated tech solutions to boost safety, quality, accuracy, transparency, consistency, and improve the guest experience – all factors that contribute to brand excellence. Excel spreadsheets, disjointed tech stacks, and antiquated paper systems can’t provide the huge benefits and value that tech can. According to a recent study, 77.6% of hotels expect to increase their tech investmentin the next three years. This is great news because tech solutions can help automate tasks, boost efficiencies, and allow employees to spend less time on administrative duties and focus more attention on value-add, customer-centric efforts. Additionally, tech tools allow brands to see more holistic views, track and analyze critical data, and use these insights to make more informed decisions.
Improve the way you train. Training is one of the most critical things that you can do to elevate your culture of safety, quality, and excellence. However, many organizations rely on antiquated or informal training processes. Training shouldn’t be an afterthought, especially since it’s essential to delivering safe, exceptional guest experiences. Modernize your training, making them interactive, engaging, and compelling with tech tools like gamification, AI, and microlearning platforms. Make training an ongoing effort. Use tech tools not only for training new employees, but also to provide ongoing reminders and updates throughout their tenure. Understand the importance of proper onboarding, as 69% of employeesare more likely to stay with a company for three years if they were onboarded properly.
Elevate safety, cleanliness, and quality protocols. While cleanliness has always been essential, the COVID pandemic escalated the need for consistent, meticulous cleanliness and sanitation. Now, brands need clearly defined cleanliness standards that include protocols for sanitizing not only kitchens and restrooms but also high-touch surfaces, like elevator buttons, doorknobs, gym equipment, etc. When leaders create protocols and operational standards, brands must ensure that every location follows them to ensure consistency and excellence across the enterprise
The recent workforce shortage brought the restaurant industry to its knees. Fewer employees have carried the burden of prepping, cooking, and serving food while working to keep guests safe. Now, massive layoffs in other sectors (including tech, real estate, etc.) will create more job seekers in the restaurant/hospitality industry. This influx of new employees means that restaurant brands will need to build (and reinforce) cultures of excellence.
Tech is essential to this effort. Restaurants must adopt tech solutions to boost safety, quality, accuracy, transparency, consistency, and compliance – all factors that contribute to brand excellence. To accomplish this:
Improve training efforts. Unfortunately, many restaurants are using archaic training programs, so update your training to be current, relevant, and tech driven. Some restaurant brands have started successfully utilizing microlearning platforms, learning management systems, AI, and gamification to provide interactive, engaging training opportunities for their employees. It’s also wise to periodically offer live trainers who can explain details, share experiences, answer questions, and supplement online training. When you invest in modern training programs, your employees better understand (and comply with) safety and QA protocols and deliver safer experiences for guests.
Boost safety and quality protocols. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the massive Jack-in-the-Box foodborne illness outbreak, where 732 customers were sickened and four died. Yet, three decades later, foodborne illness remains a huge problem. The CDC estimates that, each year, 48 million (one in six) Americans get sick from contaminated food or beverages, a problem that costs more than $15.6 billion annually in the US alone. To increase key metrics for your restaurant – including customer loyalty, sales, and profits – establish and maintain an exemplary food safety culture, where all employees work collaboratively to maximize safety and minimize risks.
Ensure safety all along the supply chain. Your restaurant may be following proper safety protocols, but if your suppliers deliver tainted products, your organization (and guests) are at risk. Therefore, food safety and QA must begin at food products’ point of origin and continue all along the supply chain until the food is (safely) served to your guests. Restaurants should routinely conduct supplier audits to be certain that all food safety and QA practices are being followed before the food even arrives at your restaurant. Additionally, audits and confirmation of safety certifications should be standard operating procedure before working with new vendors. Tech tools are instrumental in streamlining this effort.
THERE ARE HUGE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH EMPLOYEE TURNOVER
The tech industry—along with other sectors—has experienced massive layoffs recently, with organizations including Alphabet, Spotify, Twitter, and Meta downsizing significantly. As a result, many people who moved away from hospitality to pursue jobs in other sectors are coming back.
With the expected new influx of employees, restaurant brands will need to build (and reinforce) solid, habitual cultures of excellence. Here are some tips on how to accomplish this:
Amplify training efforts. Spotlight your best-in-class protocols, elevate training, build cultures of excellence, and simplify processes, making them crisper and cleaner. Invest in training programs so your employees better understand (and meet) your expectations for excellence. Use tech tools to conduct training efforts, provide updates, and reinforce knowledge.
Prioritize safety, quality, and accuracy. Food safety and QA should begin from food products’ point of origin and continue all along the supply chain until the food is (safely) served to your guests. While it’s essential that your restaurant follows proper protocols, the process must begin with comprehensive supplier quality assurance programs that ensure your suppliers adhere to the highest safety standards before the food even arrives at your restaurant. Restaurants should routinely conduct supplier audits to be certain that all food safety and QA practices are being followed. Additionally, audits and confirmation of safety certifications should be standard operating procedure before working with new vendors. Tech tools are instrumental in streamlining this effort.
Starbucks uses AI and IOT to remotely monitor and fine-tune its espresso machines for a consistent coffee experience. Chick-Fil-A is using AI to enhance food safety. Chipotle is piloting radio-frequency identification (RFID) label systems to optimize operations and trace ingredients. These brands are demonstrating that tech solutions are no longer “nice to have” luxury items. They’re necessities for restaurant brands that prioritize consistently excellent – and safe – experiences.
As the restaurant/hospitality labor shortage is finally easing, tech will be instrumental in onboarding new employees, improving training, ensuring safety and quality protocols are carefully (and consistently) followed, maximizing compliance, and maintaining cultures of excellence.
Here are some tips to accomplish this:
Adopt integrated digital solutions. Restaurants must adopt integrated tech solutions to boost safety, quality, accuracy, transparency, consistency, and compliance – all factors that contribute to brand excellence. Manual systems and disjointed tech stacks won’t provide holistic views of critical data across an enterprise. Savvy operators are using integrated technology to get clear, accurate insights for better decision-making and more optimized operations.
Prioritize safety, quality, and compliance. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Jack-in-the-Box foodborne illness outbreak, where 732 customers were sickened and four died. Yet, unfortunately, foodborne illness remains a huge problem in our country. Each year, 48 million (1 in 6) Americans get sick from contaminated food or beverages. Our industry must do better! Prioritize a food safety culture, where all employees work together to maximize safety and minimize risks.
