Trends in technology – how the UK hospitality industry is adapting in 2020

With rapid developments in technology comes the increased automation of many industries. The hospitality industry is not exempt. With the rise of hosted experiences and homesharing options, hotels have to adapt and find ways to make their services more appealing. For managers in hospitality, these changes can be for both client-facing and internal processes. Generally speaking, these changes are all about streamlining the information flow and speeding up communication. Whether in front of guests or behind the scenes, managers have started to implement these practices for optimizing their establishment’s work. Backroom operations - managed workflow Employees-only digital platforms will help managers communicate with their subordinates in real-time. In the past, this was challenging because managers cannot be in all places in the hotel at once. A digital platform where they can interact with their employees will help managers smooth any bumps in operations in various places onsite, without needing to be there physically. And because the platform is customised for their hotel, managers can be assured that their conversations and data would remain private. This is in contrast to using existing channels like social media, where they have no control over the data they send. Automating customer relationship management Rather than appointing a person to chat with curious visitors to the company’s social media pages, using chatbots makes handling questions more efficient. Automating processes like these can help employees direct their attention to more pressing matters. 2020 will see more hotels using automated responses for business tasks like answering FAQs. Hotel check-ins and storing visitor information can also be automated, which helps the hotel staff collate information easier and leaves them with more creative tasks such as remembering guests’ preferences and tailoring hotel experiences for them. The use of mobile is also important in maintaining good customer relations. Because nearly everybody owns a smartphone these days, most people go online to do everyday tasks. Hiring a cab, ordering food, and booking hotel stays are all done online, and hotels that have built mobile sites are better positioned to rank for search terms on their hotel. Increased popularity in human resources tech HR practitioners employed by hotels are also going to be more likely to invest in recruitment technology. These days, hospitality establishments no longer post a job ad and sift through thousands of applications. After Brexit, companies need to adapt to the new realities of the workforce. Software like TALEO helps companies recruit candidates whose resumes look the most similar to the job description they posted. This drastically cuts down on the time and mental energy human resources professionals expend when recruiting. Using artificial intelligence to aid in scheduling is also fast becoming an option. This is especially important in staff-heavy operations like the one’s hotels and resorts have. Being able to access your schedule at least a couple of weeks ahead helps both workers and managers. On the one hand, it gives workers a sense of ownership with regard to their schedule. On the other, the managers are able to see their company’s next few days with a better bird’s eye view. The bottom line Hotel owners must adapt to today’s increasingly electronic workplace. They have already begun to do so, with their use of recruitment software, digital communications platforms, and mobile and CRM optimization. With the way technology is developing today, it seems like these trends will be here to stay. For more hotel industry news in the UK and beyond, join the Hotel Owner community. Register for free and have access to hundreds of articles on the hospitality market today.