Anthony Melchiorri, hotel fixer and host of Travel Channel’s Hotel Impossible, loves dishing out advice. From sharing best practices to tackling operational issues, he’s here to answer your questions.
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How do you choose which technology to implement at your hotel?
Technology is an incredible resource to enhance the convenience and efficiency of the guest experience. There are countless technological tools at your disposal: portable consoles that control the lights, television, and temperature of the room; smart technology that recognizes when the room is occupied and automatically adjusts to the preferred guest settings; and electrostatic sprayers and cleaning machines to keep your hotel sanitized and safe.
Technology can also be used to address a major issue currently facing the industry: the challenge of finding quality team members. Hoteliers can reduce labor costs by automating processes throughout the hotel and maintain functionality if understaffed. Smart technology also helps to conserve resources and reduce costs to your bottom line. This is crucial right now as hotels try to recoup from the financial losses of the past year. Self-manned stations and kiosks that create a check-in process and require less staff are becoming more popular, especially in cities like Las Vegas.
Technology will never fully replace the power of the human touch, but it can absolutely modernize and streamline hotel services. Examine all areas of the hotel and guest experience to see where you can reap the greatest benefits with a particular focus on reducing labor costs. We are already seeing demand return faster than the workforce, a trend that will take some time to balance out. Incorporate technology as part of a longer-term strategy to monitor costs, increase efficiency, reduce labor, and enhance the guest stay.
