You would like to read
- HappyEasyGo launches discount offers on air travel for Holi
- Digital Therapeutics Company Fitterfly launches post COVID recovery program for people with diabetes
- Travel can improve your mental health: Anjum Khanna
- Artificial Intelligence and IoT can improve travel experience
- Proindia becomes the analytics partner of LNFS England
New Delhi [India], July 16 (ANI/SRV Media): While tech-powered customer experiences have been around for a while (such as online check-in for flights), the initial purpose was to save people time by utilising the tech at their fingertips.
However, since the arrival of COVID, the role of technology to deliver a contactless guest experience has become essential, rather than just a convenience.
Empowering post-COVID travel
When COVID first made its unwelcome appearance, the hospitality and accommodation industry was one of the worst to be affected.
"The COVID-19 pandemic caught the entire hospitality sector off guard," says Chander Baljee, Chairman and Managing Director of (https://www.royalorchidhotels.com) Royal Orchid Hotels in Bangalore. "The resulting impact of the outbreak left hotels with no choice but to innovate, develop and adopt agile strategies to meet the ever-evolving guest needs. Among the areas that saw a paradigm shift in the way things were done is the adoption of digital technologies by the hotels."
Property Management System (PMS) software provider, RMS Cloud, was one of the first hospitality vendors to respond to hoteliers' and their guests' needs. "We recognised that contactless guest experiences would be the future of hospitality," says Peter Ferris, Global Sales & Marketing Officer at RMS Cloud. "Our team put their heads together, and within two weeks of initial lockdowns, RMS rolled out a guest declaration and contact tracing form to help properties navigate the new normal."
This digital in-product wizard enabled properties to manage guest and staff safety while still maintaining service standards upon reopening. By predicting the future of technology, RMS' tech support empowered operators during an unprecedented operational crisis, enabling many to stay in business thanks to the tools made available in their PMS.
Tailored COVID declarations - making safety compliance easy
The guest declaration wizard offers customisable fields, enabling properties to tailor screening questions to align with local contact tracing regulations. Questions answered insufficiently are flagged in the property's PMS, allowing them to immediately contact the guest. This prioritises the health and safety of staff and guests and ensures guests are permitted to travel before they arrive on-site.
Enabling guest self-service with digital check-ins
According to Baljee, hoteliers need to strike the balance between guest expectations and costs while also taking a long-term view of things to come in order to be future-ready.
"It's become evident that technologies such as contactless guest interactions and digitising the customer journey at every possible touchpoint will not just help engage with guests better but also spur guest confidence," says Mr Baljee.
To help hoteliers achieve this balance, RMS provides a customer-facing guest portal, which enables guests to manage every aspect of their reservation. During the pandemic, RMS also introduced the option for guests to complete a pre-check-in via the guest portal.
This ability to check-in from one's device prior to arrival (or boarding the plane if taken as an example) has already proven to be a hit among travellers and boasts numerous benefits that have become a vital tool for operators and guests alike as we move to resume post-pandemic travel.
"RMS' pre-check-in functionality is advantageous for both the guest and hotelier, now and in the future," says Peter. "As well as keeping face-to-face contact to a minimum by reducing how long the guest spends at reception, it also creates a more efficient workflow for hotel staff, as pre-check-ins are automatically updated in the PMS."
Fully contactless digital key integration
Cloud-based platforms like RMS have the capability to integrate with other hospitality systems, enabling properties to build their perfect technology ecosystem. By integrating with a digital key provider, properties can take their check-in experience one step further by offering a fully contactless guest journey. If the guest's mobile number is captured under their reservation, they can bypass reception and head straight to their room, while the property sends an encrypted digital key to their mobile device.
Cutting-edge, self-serve tech is here for the long haul; not only will this streamline the guest journey, but it will also deliver a safe experience for all involved. Guest-facing tech such as a mobile portal also eliminates the need to invest in bulky and expensive technology by putting a personal kiosk in the palm of your guest's hand.
By managing guest expectations while also delivering first-class customer service, hoteliers will lay the foundations for positive word-of-mouth reviews and most importantly, long-term loyalty to your brand.
Join RMS at the forefront of hospitality technology.
Visit (https://www.rmscloud.com) RMS Cloud or follow on social media.
This story is provided by SRV Media. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV Media)
DISCLAIMER
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
