Four ways technology can help keep staff happy and guests happier

One hundred percent of respondents to a recent hospitality industry the 2024 Hospitality Industry Spend Survey suggested that digital transformation was “very important” or “somewhat important” to the success of their enterprise. However, 42% of those polled said that budget constraints are their biggest challenge to implementing their digital strategy.

High-speed WiFi is still the most important technology feature travelers consider when evaluating hotels, according to 71% of Morning Consult survey respondents. Those same respondents noted that mobile check-in/check-out is also highly sought-after.

Overall, 71% of hotel operators agree that guests perceive guest-facing technologies as empowering, according to Hospitality Technology. Investing in technology to meet these expectations is vital to creating the 5-star guest experiences that maximize revenue, increase traffic to hotel amenities and foster guest loyalty that spurs repeat visits.

One challenge facing hoteliers is of major concern, and it centers on the managers and staff that run their properties. Staffing challenges illuminated in a recent Axonify study, noted that “High-stress levels were cited by 73% of managers, followed by understaffing (70%), long working hours (67%), and challenging guest interactions (53%).” That study also noted frustrations among workers, leading to a range of negative reactions, including quitting (49%), leaving shifts early (47%), emotional outbursts (46%), and sharing their grievances on social media (41%).

Technology improvements can help reduce stress among frontline workers, while improving the guest experience and sharpening the competitive edge of hospitality organizations. By taking a proactive approach to hospitality technology, here’s four ways that you can use your IT investment to make your staff and your guests happy to show up at your hotel.

Deliver exceptional guest experiences

Today’s hotel guests expect reliable connectivity and customizable content-rich entertainment options. Investing in technology to meet these expectations is vital to creating 5-star guest experiences that drive revenue per available room (RevPAR), increase traffic to hotel amenities and foster the guest loyalty that spurs repeat visits. 

When guests can engage digitally and request property amenities, such as in-room dining, spa appointments or golf tee times, it can increase RevPAR and decrease challenging guest interactions. Enabling seamless mobile device integration can increase the use of keyless entry, or mobile check-in and checkout which 41% of guests say is one is one of the top three features when evaluating a hotel.

Automating these functions can alleviate some staff issues brought on by understaffing, such as longer working hours.

Provide reliable and secure connectivity

Technology is integral to the guest experience at hotels, motels and resorts — and it can also improve your operations. Guest-facing touchpoints and operational technologies depend on a network with dedicated IT support, preferably managed by a trusted technology partner. Investing in network modernization and managed services can elevate the guest experience and help your team be more productive.

“Having Managed WiFi allows us to keep our guests connected from anywhere. Our outdoor waterparks, our indoor waterparks, our outdoor common area space all pick up great signal now,” explains Joe Eck, Chief Operating Officer, Wilderness Resort. “Being able to provide our guests with five-star WiFi service is huge for us.”

By opting for ultra-high speed fast fiber connectivity, backed by stringent service-level agreements hoteliers can keep staff and systems reliably connected, reducing frustration level of workers considerably. And as for guests? As one hospitality IT director tells, “Internet is as important as hot water in a guest room. Certainly, I know which I’ll hear about first if there’s ever a problem.”

Boost revenue and guest loyalty with customized services

A proactive approach to technology often dictates whether hotels can grow their RevPAR. Accessing the benefits of technology requires investment, but it can also create new pathways to drive revenue, increase guest loyalty and encourage positive guest reviews. 

While most guests expect free WiFi service, business and bleisure travelers especially count on access to higher bandwidth and are willing to pay for the privilege. Conference planners also seek out hotel and event venues based on the quality of the WiFi experience.

Investing in in-room entertainment is another way hoteliers can see revenue growth from their technology investments. There are solutions available that offer guests a seamless streaming experience and access to local and national programming as well. Solutions can advance the overall in-room experience with interactive technology and applications, as well as personalization tools that can feed guest information directly into the hotel’s property management system.

Eliminate complexity and reduce costs by streamlining vendors

Modernizing your network can improve the guest experience and help lower costs by introducing operational efficiencies. By shifting hospitality IT costs from CapEX to OpEX with managed services, hoteliers can drive simplicity and predictability to their balance sheets. OpEX spending on managed services removes the large initial IT investment while keeping pace with changing networking requirements and emerging security risks, all for one monthly fee. With a managed services approach, you can ease the burden on your IT staff, ensure high level performance and maximize your IT budget.

How Spectrum Enterprise can help

Spectrum Enterprise offers managed and co-managed reliable, scalable all-in-one solutions customized to your hospitality organization’s unique needs and objectives. Our solutions empower you to provide innovative guest amenities, easily manage operations and grow your business. As you work to solidify your budget, connect with us and ask about special promotional offers for the technologies you need to power exceptional guest experiences and operational efficiencies.

See our Hotel Technology Budgeting Checklist for more on the topics covered in this blog post, and then find out more about why Spectrum Enterprise provides technology solutions to over 95% of the top hotel brands in the US.