As the hospitality industry continues to evolve and adapt to changes in technology, staff behavior, and the macro environment, it's crucial for hotels to stay ahead of the curve in order to boost revenue and stay competitive. From high employee turnover to the impact of COVID-19 on bookings and guest expectations, there are a variety of challenges facing hotels today. However, by identifying and implementing the right solutions, general managers can ensure their hotels succeed while others struggle.

Challenges that Hotels Face in 2023

As a Hotel General Manager, the year 2023 presents a number of challenges that threaten the stability and profitability of your hotel. The ongoing economic recession, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the changing landscape of the hospitality industry have all contributed to these challenges. Despite these difficulties, with the right strategies and solutions in place, you can navigate these challenges and come out on top. Below are some of the specific challenges you may be facing in 2023 and examples of how they might affect your hotel operations:

  • Decrease in demand for lodging: The ongoing recession has led to a decrease in the number of people traveling, resulting in fewer bookings for hotels. This can lead to a decrease in revenue and make it more difficult to maintain profitability.
  • Increased competition from alternative forms of accommodation: With the rise of platforms like Airbnb, hotels are facing increased competition from alternative forms of accommodation. This can make it more difficult to attract guests, and can lead to a decrease in revenue.
  • High employee turnover rates: High employee turnover rates can make it difficult to consistently deliver on guest expectations and can lead to a lack of trained and experienced staff. This can result in poor guest service, lower guest satisfaction, and negative reviews.
  • Changing guest expectations: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to changes in guest expectations, with a greater focus on safety and cleanliness. Hotels must now invest in new technologies and protocols to meet these expectations, such as touchless check-ins and increased cleaning and sanitation measures.
  • Adapting to technology: As technology continues to advance, guests are now expecting more seamless and personalized experiences, from booking to check-out. Hotels must adapt to these changes by implementing new technologies, such as mobile check-in, keyless room entry, and self-service kiosks. However, the implementation of new protocols and technologies can be costly for hotels, and this can be a challenge for some hotels to implement.
  • Balancing guest and employee safety: With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, hotels must balance the safety of guests and employees. This can include implementing new protocols and technologies, such as touchless check-ins and increased cleaning and sanitation measures, but also can be difficult to implement and maintain.

Digitizing the Guest Experience to Delight and Impress

The guest experience is a critical component of any hotel's success. With the rise of technology and the shift in guest expectations, hotels are facing new challenges in providing a seamless, personalized experience. By digitizing key processes such as booking, check-in and check-out, and guest interactions, hotels can improve efficiency, enhance the guest experience, and ultimately drive revenue.

  • Check-in and Check-out: Digitizing check-in and check-out processes can greatly enhance the guest experience and provide a more efficient and streamlined process. By implementing options such as using a kiosk to check in and out or using smartphones as a key to the room, hotels can allow guests to bypass the traditional front desk check-in process and go straight to their rooms. This not only improves the guest experience, but also provides an added level of safety and hygiene in the wake of COVID-19. These technologies also enable guests to check-in and check-out on their own time and convenience, which can be a great value add.
  • Guest Requests: By digitizing guest request processes, hotels can improve their ability to efficiently and effectively respond to guests' needs. This can be done by implementing technologies such as using QR codes placed in the guest room that lead to digital forms for guests to submit requests, and providing staff with digital operations software to quickly respond to these requests. This allows for a more personalized experience for guests and improves their satisfaction. Additionally, chatbots can be used to provide immediate assistance, and voice-enabled assistants can be placed in rooms for guests to make requests and receive information. These technologies not only improve guest satisfaction but also increase the efficiency of the hotel's operations.
  • Room Service: By digitizing room service processes, hotels can provide guests with an efficient, convenient, and personalized experience. This can include implementing features such as live updating menus, digital ordering, and mobile payments. Additionally, hotels can create room service promotions like happy hours with discounts and connecting to local vendors to outsource kitchen and expand options. This not only improves the guest experience but also increases revenue by making it easier for guests to order and pay for room service. By digitizing room service, hotels can also track and analyze real-time data on orders which can inform decisions on menu offerings, pricing, and staffing. This can ultimately help hotels optimize their room service operations and increase revenue
  • In-room Technology: Digitizing in-room technology can also enhance the guest experience. This can include smart room controls, voice-enabled assistants, and even virtual reality experiences. These technologies can provide guests with a more personalized and interactive experience, improving overall satisfaction and creating a memorable stay.

By digitizing key processes such as check-in and check-out, guest requests, room service, and in-room technology, hotels can improve the guest experience, increase efficiency, and ultimately drive revenue. These optimizations can lead to improved reviews, increased bookings, and an overall enhancement of the hotel's brand reputation, making it a win-win situation for both the hotel and its guests.

Digitizing Frontline and Maintenance Improves Operational Efficiency

The success of a hotel depends largely on the ability to optimize operations and provide a seamless experience for guests. With the rapid changes in technology, staff behavior, and the macro environment, it can be difficult to consistently deliver on guest expectations. The implementation of digital solutions such as maintenance management, deskless team operations, housekeeping software and more can help streamline the guest experience, improve efficiency, and ultimately drive revenue. With the right solutions in place, you'll be able to identify problems in your operations, and take informed action to improve your bottom line.

Digitized Preventive Maintenance Reduces Equipment Downtime

Preventive maintenance is a critical aspect of hotel operations, as it ensures that equipment is functioning correctly, and reduces the likelihood of unexpected breakdowns. By implementing software that can handle task and work order management, hotels can quickly assign tasks to teams or individuals, and track progress in real-time. This can include creating recurring tasks, work orders, PPM’s, meetings and more in minutes, and assigning tasks to teams or individuals. Attaching templates and details such as category, location, priority, and requiring images for accountability, it's possible to ensure that tasks are completed on time, and that equipment is functioning correctly. With real-time tracking, hotels can quickly identify and address any issues that may arise, reducing downtime and improving overall efficiency.

Efficient Reactive Work Order Management Drives Happy Guests

Reactive work order management is an important aspect of hotel operations. With software that can handle task and work order management, hotels can quickly assign tasks to teams or individuals, and track progress in real-time. This can include creating work orders, assigning tasks to teams or individuals, attaching templates and details such as category, location, priority, and requiring images for accountability. With real-time tracking, hotels can quickly identify and address any issues that may arise, improving overall efficiency and guest satisfaction.

Streamlined Housekeeping Management Ensures Consistent Brand Standards

Housekeeping Management is a critical aspect of hotel operations, as it ensures that guest rooms are clean, and that guests are satisfied with their stay. By implementing software that can handle task and work order management, hotels can quickly assign tasks to teams or individuals, and track progress in real-time. This can include creating recurring tasks, work orders, PPM’s, meetings and more in minutes, and assigning tasks to teams or individuals. Attaching templates and details such as category, location, priority, and requiring images for accountability, hotels can ensure that tasks are completed on time, and that guest rooms are clean and well-maintained. With real-time tracking, hotels can quickly identify and address any issues that may arise, improving overall efficiency and guest satisfaction.

Digital Logs and Standardized Processes Provide Crucial Data For Decisioning

Digital logs and standardized processes are an important aspect of hotel operations, as they ensure that tasks are completed correctly, and that guests are satisfied with their stay. By implementing software that can handle task and work order management, hotels can quickly assign tasks to teams or individuals, and track progress in real-time. This can include creating recurring tasks, work orders, PPM’s, meetings and more in minutes, and assigning tasks to teams or individuals. Attaching templates and details such as category, location, priority, and requiring images for accountability, hotels can ensure that tasks are completed on time, and that guest requests are addressed quickly and efficiently. With real-time tracking, hotels can quickly identify and address any issues that may arise, improving overall efficiency and guest satisfaction.

Guest-centric Digital Requests Management Greatly Increases Speed to Resolution

Guest requests are an important aspect of hotel operations, as they ensure that guests are satisfied with their stay. By implementing software that can handle guest requests, hotels can quickly address guest needs, and track progress in real-time. This can include creating digital forms or QR codes for guests to make requests, chatbots to provide immediate assistance, and even voice-enabled assistants in rooms. These technologies allow hotels to provide a more personalized experience and improve guest satisfaction. By digitizing guest requests, hotels can increase efficiency, improve the guest experience, and ultimately drive revenue.

Hotel Technology Companies to Check Out in 2023

Cloud Based PMS Systems Offer More Integrations and Better Pricing than Legacy Systems

  1. Opera Cloud PMS: Opera Cloud PMS is a cloud-based hotel property management system that helps hotels manage reservations, guest profiles, and room assignments. It also includes features such as rate management, inventory control, and revenue management. Opera Cloud PMS is designed to integrate with a wide range of other systems, including CRM, sales and catering, and business intelligence tools, making it a great option for hotels looking to optimize their bookings.
  2. Cloudbeds: Cloudbeds is a cloud-based property management system designed for hotels, hostels, vacation rentals, and other types of properties. It offers a range of features to help hotels manage bookings, guest profiles, and reservations. These features include rate management, inventory control, and revenue management. Cloudbeds integrates with a wide range of other systems, including booking engines, channel managers, and payment gateways, making it a great option for hotels looking to improve their bookings.
  3. Hotelogix PMS: Hotelogix PMS is a cloud-based property management system designed specifically for hotels. It offers a range of features to help hotels manage bookings, guest profiles, and reservations. These features include rate management, inventory control, and revenue management. Hotelogix PMS is designed to integrate with a wide range of other systems, including booking engines, channel managers, and payment gateways, making it a great option for hotels looking to optimize their booking channels.
  4. Mews PMS: Mews PMS is a cloud-based property management system designed specifically for hotels and hostels. It offers a range of features to help hotels manage bookings, guest profiles, and reservations. These features include rate management, inventory control, and revenue management. Additionally, Mews PMS has features such as the ability to manage housekeeping and maintenance, and it is designed to integrate with a wide range of other systems, including booking engines, channel managers, and payment gateways, making it a great option for hotels looking to optimize their bookings, and also manage their operations in an efficient way.

Cloud Based Hotel Operations Software Eliminates Pen and Paper and Streamlines Teams

  1. Xenia: Xenia is a software platform that enables maintenance management and deskless team operations to provide managers an integrated view of facility and employee health. It includes tools such as form template library, task and work order management, task and work order scheduling, messaging and chats, and report and analytics.
  2. Alice: Alice is a cloud-based hotel operations management software that helps hotels streamline their operations and improve guest satisfaction. It includes features such as task management, team communication, and real-time reporting. Additionally, Alice has a mobile app for housekeeping staff, which allows them to update room status, and communicate with the front office.
  3. Quore: Quore is a cloud-based hotel operations and housekeeping management software that helps hotels streamline their operations and improve guest satisfaction. It includes features such as work order management, preventive maintenance scheduling, and real-time reporting, it also allows for a direct communication with the housekeeping staff, and it has a mobile app for staff to access the system from anywhere.
  4. Flexkeeping: Flexkeeping is a cloud-based hotel housekeeping management software that helps hotels streamline their housekeeping operations and improve guest satisfaction. It includes features such as room status tracking, task assignment, and real-time reporting, it also allows for a direct communication with the housekeeping staff, and it has a mobile app for staff to access the system from anywhere. It also has a feature for the staff to request additional supplies or maintenance directly from the app.