Hotel tech budgeting checklist

When guests travel, they expect an experience enriched by technology. That expectation includes seamless and fast WiFi; easy access to streaming apps and favorite TV networks; and contactless folio review, checkout and other conveniences. At the same time, you need to consider back-of-house solutions, invisible to guests, that support systems and empower your hotel staff.

The hotel market is very competitive. As you plan your annual budget, start by weighing the level of investment needed against the potential value for your guests, staff, operations and profitability. How will you differentiate your hotel technology experience from your competition? How will you inspire repeat visits and grow guest revenue?

The following checklist spotlights the key hospitality technology you may want to invest in to improve guest experiences, help manage costs, adapt as expectations evolve, free resource-constrained IT staff and grow revenue per available room (RevPAR).

1. Deliver exceptional guest experiences

Whether traveling for business or leisure, guests expect ubiquitous connectivity and content-rich entertainment options customized to their interests. Investing in technology to meet these expectations is vital to creating 5-star guest experiences that drive revenue, increase traffic to hotel amenities and foster guest loyalty that spurs repeat visits. Here’s how you can use your IT investment to optimize the guest experience and sharpen your competitive advantage.

• Provide fast, reliable and seamless WiFi in guest rooms and throughout the property, from meeting rooms to the pool.
• Offer branded and personalized in-room entertainment with a wide variety of content.
• Empower guests to engage digitally and request property amenities, such as in-room dining, spa appointments or golf tee times.
• Enable instant communication, staff collaboration and seamless mobile device integration with unified communications (UC).
   

2. Provide reliable, seamless and secure connectivity

Technology is integral to the guest experience at hotels, motels and resorts — and it can also optimize 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. Here are opportunities to advance your network.

• Guard sensitive guest, staff, financial and other data from cyberthreats with comprehensive network security that can help you comply with standards such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
• Supply ultrafast fiber connectivity backed by uptime service-level agreements that keep your staff and systems reliably connected.
• Maintain full-featured network services managed by a single partner to support seamless guest-facing technology experiences and provide greater convenience.
• Integrate cloud-based UC services with your property management system to enable hospitality staff to communicate and collaborate from anywhere.
   

3. Boost revenue and guest loyalty with premium, customized services

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. By taking a proactive approach to hospitality technology, here are ways operators can grow their RevPAR.

• Offer premium WiFi options to guests for an additional fee or as a complimentary value-add to your brand’s loyalty or rewards members.
• Deliver, promote and monetize dedicated WiFi packages for conferences, meetings and special events.
• Drive brand loyalty and better reviews by offering immersive, content-rich in-room entertainment and TV experiences.
   

4. Eliminate complexity and reduce costs by streamlining vendors

Modernizing your network can improve the guest experience and help lower costs by introducing operational efficiencies, but it also brings complexity. With a managed services approach, you can ease the burden on your IT staff, ensure high-level performance and maximize your IT budget.

• Relieve your IT staff by relying on a trusted partner’s deep technology expertise to monitor and manage your hospitality IT.
• Find savings and efficiencies by working with a single managed services partner.
• Shift your hospitality IT costs from capex to opex with managed services that bring simplicity and predictability to your balance sheet.
• Simplify operations by consolidating platforms and dashboards with one all-inclusive network management solution.
   

More than 95% of the top hotel brands in the United States trust Spectrum Business® for technology solutions.
 

Choose a trusted technology partner that meets your needs

Spectrum Business 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.
 

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