Digitalization drives a surge in productivity in the hospitality sector
Hotel staff using Mews perform administrative tasks faster month-on-month
Mews, the industry-leading hospitality cloud, has revealed that staff using its technology saved a collective of almost 5,000 hours (the equivalent of 7 months) in administrative time this summer1.
Between the impact of COVID-19, the change in business travel, the rise of new traveler profiles and the staffing challenges seen across the sector, the hospitality industry has embraced technology to automate more tasks and provide a more seamless guest experience.
The latest data from Mews suggests that as hotel technology becomes more embedded, staff continue to become more efficient. With hotel staff performing almost half of their administrative tasks more quickly than in the previous month2, from check-in to check-out and closing a bill, staff have more time to invest in their guests.
The efficiency gains come as hotels have seen a 54% staff turnover during the summer months3, a rise of 10% from last year. Additionally, 70% of hoteliers have also reported experiencing challenges when recruiting staff4.
24% increase in front-desk staff efficiency
Analysis published today in an IDC White Paper, sponsored by Mews, concluded that by automating repetitive tasks, front desk staff experience a 24% increase in productivity5.
For hotel groups, this can be the equivalent workload of around 12 full-time employees in the organization. This time-saving gives front-desk staff 35% more time to support guests, improving the overall customer experience.
For each guest, they’re saving at least five minutes a day on administration, which gives them more time to spend on customer experience. Automation is so important. All the repetitive tasks are now done by Mews, and this frees our employees to talk to and help our guests,
said one property interviewed by IDC.
Payments
By automating payment processes and reducing the need for multiple payment providers, not only is managing finances faster but the risk of errors is significantly reduced, and security is increased. With Mews, hotels can pre-authorize and charge credit cards before guest arrival, reducing no-show rates and ensuring smoother check-ins. This not only saves time for employees, but also improves the overall guest experience.
There is no need to manually input numbers on the payment terminal anymore. With Mews, we can take pre-authorization in advance before guests arrive or charge credit cards in advance,
according to a Mews customer.
At the heart of hospitality is human-to-human interaction, where people choose to work in the industry to serve guests. At Mews, we aspire for a screenless world where staff have the time to truly focus on what matters: their guests. It’s clear from the data that we’re heading in the right direction. By helping staff become more efficient, it means they can reinvest their time in providing personal experiences for their guests. Matt Welle, CEO of Mews
Welle added As guest profiles and needs continue to change, hospitality brands are focused on driving efficiency to provide better guest experiences, all the while increasing their revenue streams.
Download the full IDC White Paper, sponsored by Mews, for more findings.
About Mews
Mews is the leading platform for the new era of hospitality. Powering over 5,500 customers across more than 85 countries, Mews Hospitality Cloud is designed to streamline operations for modern hoteliers, transform the guest experience and create more profitable businesses. Customers include BWH Hotels, Strawberry, The Social Hub and Airelles Collection. Mews was named Best PMS (2024) and listed among the Best Places to Work in Hotel Tech (2021, 2022, 2024) by Hotel Tech Report, as well as World's Best Hotel PMS Provider (2023) and World's Best Independent Hotel PMS Provider (2022, 2023, 2024) by World Travel Tech Awards. Mews won the Top 250 Golden Scaler Award in 2024, given to the fastest growing company in the Netherlands, and most recently, was awarded the Tech Hero 2024 Award at CIODAY. Mews has raised $335 million from investors including Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Kinnevik and Revaia to transform hospitality.
