Technology plays an important role in the hotel industry. It allows hotels to offer better options and to understand the individual needs of different guests. Ultimately though, it is the service that differentiates good from great hotels and so technology must be applied with a human touch.

Whether it’s free Wifi around the property, tablets in the room for booking a spa treatment or reading a menu, from check in to departure, technology is everywhere, says Divya Prakash Ahuja, managing director, LiveBean Hospitality. However, while technology may be driving a host of services, that not’s enough. In the end it is all about knowing your guest better and enhancing their experience, says Ahuja, who has 18 years of experience with hospitality brands like The Oberoi Group, Shangri-La and Hyatt.

EyeforTravel’s Ritesh Gupta caught up with Ahuja about how to train staff, testing new technology and ensuring the guest experience is up to scratch.

EFT: How has technology changed the outlook for hotels?

DPA: It would not be wrong to say that technology is today one of the biggest drivers for the hospitality business. The Internet has revolutionised the way people compare hotels and book. Not only have bookings increased with the use of new technology and the internet but hotel systems PMS, cloud technology, electronic billing systems and check in, RFID chip cards and so on have all impacted how hotels operate today making the overall experience faster and easier to use for guests and operators. For hotels, technology has been a boon with more accurate reports and improved cost controls, as well as enhancing the overall guest experience.

EFT: What are the biggest technology trends and how are they impacting hotels in a big way?

DPA: The mobile apps today in smartphones, tablets and social media to name a few are among the new technology trends. They have now changed how hotels function. Nowadays most hotels are on social media offering the best rates and packages. Everything is just a click away. However, the factors to consider are how widespread is the use of the new technology and how is it likely to be used in the future. A classic example is the creation of mobile apps - how will it impact our operation, our guests and their experience in its use and how it may help to improve efficiency and profitability.

EFT: In your view, what is the key to organisational change management when adopting new technology?

DPA: Change is constant. If nothing else the Internet has taught us that when employing new technology in hotels, two-way communication with staff (knowing what the staff needs to solve problems and assist guests) and training are critical. Besides this creating buy in from management and leadership to adapt to change is equally important. Seeking feedback helps more than anything as it helps improve both the staff and guest experience in using new technology.

EFT: Can you expand on the training part?  

DPA: Planning is critical when launching any new aspect of service, be it in technology or in process. 

Normally depending on the depth of the product or service and training days needed, a schedule is made keeping in mind the operations teams shift cycle. Training hours are then planned accordingly.  

Post initial training, tests (written or practical depending on need) and mock interaction sessions are done. These are all evaluated, and then a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) form is completed by the supervisor and trainer. Finally, a task competency index is calculated…only on reaching a base pass score does the employee then interact on the guest floor with the new process or tool.

EFT: Are there any examples to show how deployment of new technology requires training at the property level?

DPA: A classic example is changing the PMS (property management system). Normally this is an upgrade as technology changes...like moving from Fidelio to Opera (both from the same company). This required a minimum of 60-day planning and training as it required outside trainers on the system as well as evaluating staff knowledge and how comfortable they were in handling the system.

A series of tests (system as well as mock check-ins, reports, check outs etc) were done. The go live date was only established once all resources were battle stations ready.  

EFT: What sort of coordination is required considering what you are trying to achieve with mobile apps?

DPA: This is an ever-changing scenario. With iOS and Android today, hotels and resorts now have apps that allow guests to not just book but also interact with the property. At the operational level nothing changes but when it comes to booking lead times, and the need to revert and confirm the booking, a lot changes. So the reservations teams have to be geared to handle last minute bookings at any time.

The objective of such apps is ease of use for guests to book and interact instantly. At the moment, this segment of business is very small but as technology changes and becomes more affordable guests also become more impatient and want instant gratification. In the future, both these trends combined can lead to large volumes of business for sub segment profit centres such as spa, car bookings, restaurant bookings and even room bookings in hotels.

EFT: As hotels embrace technology, does this mean there is more back-end work and new ways are required to train staff? 

DPA: That is correct. Training, training, training is the key with open two-way communication and attempting to understand challenges in operations while adapting to new technology. Anticipating different needs and creating simpler solutions is also important. With any new technology like an app, the important thing is to first make the team aware it is being introduced right from the outset. Then it’s important to faciliate two-way communication about how it will operate with a core ops team training and then launching it. Then, of course, the cycle is key - how the app functions, the response time to the request and better ways of logging the guest request are all things to consider. Above all once request is it should then be delivered in style.

EFT: What do you make of the talk around big data?

DPA: With new technology today, the amount of data collected is massive. Analysing large data sets—so-called big data—will become a key basis of competition, underpinning new waves of productivity growth, innovation, and understanding our guests and getting repeat business.

I think the time is nearing when hotel GM’s and hotel corporate offices will have to grapple with the implications of big data as the increasing volume and detail of information captured by hotels increases , the rise of multimedia, social media, and the Internet are fueling exponential growth in data for the foreseeable future.