3 Ways Unified Communications Can Help Your Hotel Succeed

/0 Comments/in /by

Good communication is crucial for the success of your hotel. You need to be able to communicate effectively with everyone within your company as well as with your guests, to ensure that everything is running smoothly, and your guests have a memorable experience.

 

Here are three ways unified communications can help your hotel succeed.

 

Save Money

Your staff and office team need the tools that will enable them to communicate quickly and effectively, so they can meet your guests’ demands.

But business communication technology can be a pricy investment, including the bulky hardware and expensive software that is sometimes required.

With several unified communications options available, you can lower the costs of your existing communications infrastructure with more affordable solutions, including virtualized servers, and using more cost-effective software.

 

Improve Communication

With the help of unified communications, your staff can be highly mobile with technology that will allow you to reach them anytime regardless of location, allowing you to offer superior service to your guests.

We help you implement SharePoint 365 because of its ability to increase hotel staff internal communication. SharePoint sites provide the members of your hotel team access to the guest’s needs and hotel plans so that nothing gets missed

With the help of unified communications, you can avoid slower work production due to ineffective communication with your staff, and improve communication with your guests to ensure they are satisfied with their experience at your hotel.

 

Make Your Guests Happy

With the help of unified communications, you and your hotel staff have immediate access to the hotel’s plans, documents, and critical hotel announcements so they can remain informed and productive without any issues.

When your staff is communicating effectively and have all of the correct information at their disposal, they are able to accommodate your guests more quickly and effectively.

And with this improved communication system, your staff can provide your guests with the information they need much faster, and offer the amenities they want, in order to make sure they have an amazing and carefree experience at your hotel.

Tips for Improving Guest Experience at Your Hotel

/0 Comments/in /by

Let’s jog through the hotel booking process. These days travelers are pulling up their smartphones, choosing the specific benefits they want, pining for the best deal, and reading reviews before they even pull the credit card out. What sets a 4-star and 5-star reviewed hotel apart from all of the others? One answer—customer experience. In the hotel business, you are accommodating a variety of travelers with various demands, so how do you make the experience memorable for everyone?

 

Five Tips for Improving the Experience

When you are developing a strategy to improve your guests’ experiences, remember that the experience begins as soon as travelers begin searching for a hotel and continues right through checkout. Focus on all aspects of their search, stay, and checkout.

Give them what they want

If you are going to embrace the technology model, make sure you provide your guests with the opportunity to do so as well. What do guests want? They want free Wi-Fi and internet access. If you cannot offer something that simple, your hotel will be the first to be deleted off the list. If your hotel does offer access, make sure it is safe, secure, swift, and always accessible.

Keep it clean

Cleanliness can make or break a guest’s experience. We have all seen the undercover footage of shady cleaning practices, if there are any at all. Make sure you are using the correct chemicals and equipment, and ensure everyone who works at the hotel is properly trained and actually sticking to the plan. Technology assists hotels in effectively monitoring employee tasks.

Make sure training reflects your hotel’s image

Staff training and customer service execution must align with the hotel’s brand and image. Your guests should feel they are welcomed, accommodated, and cared for. Encourage your staff to step out of their traditional roles to ensure the hotel guest is cared for and acknowledged every time he/she is on the hotel grounds. A smile, a greeting, and a quick check in to make sure the guest’s needs are being met are easy and effective ways to improve the guest experience. Often, training and workshops are delivered with gusto, but they fall flat when employees leave. Training should be frequent and standards must be enforced. Managers can take the time to get out into the hotel and observe employees tasks and interactions, offering advice and improvement strategies to ensure the hotel is offering the best service and experience possible.

Be consistent

Consistency is a major part of the guest experience. Whether your hotel is a local establishment or international brand, the experience and expectations must be consistent. Online interaction, booking, check-in, the stay, and checkout must all be cohesive, painless, and efficient. Do not let technology blunders and poor guest interactions tarnish your hotel’s image. Your hotel’s level of service must be consistent if you want to attract loyal guests and encourage new travelers.

Embrace technology to improve the experience

Hospitality cloud is an excellent way to save money while improving your guest experience. Hotels that embrace hospitality programs can increase the number of bookings, reduce the amount of energy used by the hotel and its existing infrastructure, gain and maintain PCI compliance, and eliminate costly downtime.

How To Handle Negative Hotel Reviews

How To Handle Negative Hotel Reviews On Social Media

/0 Comments/in , /by

As a member of the hospitality industry, you probably understand the importance of social media for marketing purposes. It has the ability to quickly and efficiently connect you with new customers, while helping you retain the loyalty of previous guests.

Social media allows your guests to communicate with you directly to praise you for your excellent customer service, or to give you positive feedback after a memorable experience.

But it can also be a method for guests to share a negative experience and any issues they may have encountered during their stay at your hotel.

Social media is a powerful marketing tool, and it’s important to know how to handle the bad feedback with the good.

Here are a few tips on how to handle negative hotel reviews on social media.

 

Be Responsive

If a guest leaves negative feedback, it’s very important to respond quickly to address their concerns.

A good manager should approach the customer directly and with sympathy, and by politely asking the guest to call or email you directly, it will help by:

-Reassuring your guest that you are taking their issues seriously and will try to help them in any way possible.

-Allowing you to move the conversation out of a public forum, eliminating the possibility of a messy public dispute.

If the guest declines, it’s still important to continue a dialogue and respond to them until you have helped to resolve their issues.

 

Provide a Solution

When addressing guest complaints via social media, it is crucial for you to avoid confrontations and try to provide a constructive solution.

While some guests may be near impossible to please, some customers simply need help resolving their problems as soon as possible. For instance, if a client has an billing issue, instead of assuming the guest has made an error, let them know you’re going to check your records, and offer them a detailed list of charges billed to them. This way the guest can feel confident knowing you are working with them, rather than against them, and that you are taking their feedback seriously.

 

Keep Your Word 

Some hoteliers make promises (to provide better service, cleaner rooms, better amenities, etc.) to appease guests after receiving negative feedback.

And while many guests are not able to return to the hotel after their last visit to verify that these changes have been made, several potential guests who have read these reviews and responses will expect that these changes have been made.

Make sure to keep your word if you make any promises, as this will inevitably affect the experience of your new guests, the credibility you hold with them, as well as your future profits.

 

Do you have any more tips for how to handle negative hotel reviews? Let us know in the comments below!

pci compliance

PCI Compliance and Why Your Hotel Can’t Ignore It

/0 Comments/in , , /by

You’re probably already aware – PCI Compliance is a set of checks and measures that credit card companies require certain businesses to comply with. Not only that – PCI Compliance is absolutely necessary for your hotel.

Don’t believe me? Let’s think about a few consequences you could suffer if you AREN’T PCI Compliant:

  • Losing your customers’ trust and business – Think about it. If your customers don’t believe that their personal data is safe with them, do you REALLY expect them to continue doing business with you? Probably not. Put yourself in their shoes – no one wants to feel like their data is at risk.
  • Facing costly government fines – You could face up to $500,000 in fines if you aren’t PCI complaint. Yes, you read that right – 5 zeroes in that figure! That’s a LOT of money to lose for your hotel, especially over something so easily preventable.
  • Dealing with a huge hassle – If you are found to be non-compliant, you’ll first get a letter from a credit card company that informs you of the security breach. Next, you’ll have to respond with the appropriate documentation. Then, you’ll have to follow the steps in a packet you’re sent, which can include an analysis by a third party forensic company. You will also likely face fines and you must ensure the credit card issuer that no more issues will occur. Overall, it’s a big hassle that will cause you to become distracted from your job and less productive.
  • Increased card processing fees – If you aren’t complying with the PCI standards in your industry, certain credit card companies may increase your processing fees.
  • Bad publicity and tarnished reputation– Think about it. Can you remember a recent news headline that talked about how a major retailer compromised customer data? Probably so – it isn’t really a rare occurrence. And you know what the next headline involving that retailer will probably state? How they’ve lost profits and business due to the security issue. Don’t become the next headline – become PCI compliant and STAY that way.

 

Not sure if your hotel is PCI compliant? That’s okay – we’re here to help. Our experts at LIMOTTA IT want to protect your hotel by providing you with the solutions you need to become PCI compliant and stay PCI compliant.

You’ve worked hard to propel your hotel toward success – why not take one simple step to STAY successful?

Contact LIMOTTA IT today, and let’s talk about it.

cloud computing

4 Ways Cloud Computing Benefits The Hospitality Industry

/0 Comments/in , /by

Cloud computing can be very beneficial for all kinds of businesses, including hotels. By implementing a cloud computing solution, you can give yourself a competitive advantage and make your life easier at work.

And that’s not all! Here are 4 more ways cloud computing benefits the hospitality industry.

 

Cloud Computing Helps Hotels Cut Costs

With cloud computing, you only pay for what you need. That means that your upfront costs are low because you only pay for the cloud storage and computing power that your hotel needs.

You also cut hardware costs, energy costs, and operational costs with the cloud. Your need for excessive hardware in your hotel is reduced and, as a result, you won’t burn throughout as much electricity. The cloud also cuts project time, which results in cut costs and higher productivity.

 

Cloud Computing Solutions Are Reliable And Secure

With the cloud, you store your data securely and remotely instead of in an on-site physical location. That way, you don’t have to worry about losing all of your data if a natural disaster or security breach occurs at your location.

 

Cloud Computing Gives You The Flexibility To Work Remotely

Ever wondered what it would be like to work remotely?

With cloud computing, you can find out! The cloud gives you the flexibility to work from anywhere. All you need is an internet connection and a device, like a computer, tablet, or mobile phone. Then, you can access all of your critical business application from anywhere.

The whole world is your office, and you can work remotely without having to sacrifice productivity!

 

Cloud Computing Helps You Improve The Guest Experience

With cloud computing, you can improve staff collaboration immensely. So, if your guests need assistance, your staff can be more responsive in a quicker and more efficient way. Not only that – cloud computing helps you reduce downtime. That way, you and your staff can keep your guests happy and keep them coming back to your hotel in the future.

 

Overall, it’s clear that cloud computing benefits the hospitality industry. Not only that – your hotel can benefit from cloud computing in a major way. LIMOTTA IT can help you implement the exact cloud computing solution you need.

Contact us today for a free consultation!