Technology is now in every industry and it is improving experiences both online and in real life. In hotels, it can be used in many different ways – to increase visitors and to make their stay more convenient. Since most people now carry smartphones with them at all time, there are many ways to utilise that technology for hotels and hospitality businesses.
Booking software and tech
One of the many ways you can use tech in a hotel is through software bookings. There are so many different software on the market now and many of them will make the booking super easy. If the process is easy and quick, more people are likely to book. In the same way, if it’s complicated and takes a long time – people will likely switch to a different website and book at another hotel instead.
Wi-fi for customers
One of the major things that people look for in their accommodation today is Free wi-fi. Since everyone wants to post on social media and tell their friends about their stay, it’s important that they can connect without any extra cost. This is such an easy thing to implement today, and it’s not as expensive as it used to be. Besides, you’ll lose more money if you don’t have wifi because people won’t want to book. So make sure you have the technology available so everyone can use it.
Social media and #hashtags
This relates to the previous point – if your guests can access free wifi, they will likely want to post on social media. For example, if you have a hotel in Tasmania, you want to make sure you promote all the aesthetics that are unique to Tassie. Especially if your hotel looks nice or has a beautiful day spa or restaurant. If you use a specific hashtag for your hotel, for example, #OurHotelStories, encourage all your visitors to use the same ones. On top of that, try to get everyone to ‘Check-in’ to your hotel on social media, such as Facebook and Instagram. That’s also a great way to spread the word about your facility.
Virtual Tour
This is a great opportunity for Hotels! Since people want to know what the place looks like, you can create a ‘virtual tour’ of the place to show them exactly what they will get. There is a hotel that does this really well for their day spa in Tasmania, using a virtual tour to show off the facilities. I don’t know about you but if I saw that I’d be pretty keen for a massage! This just shows people what they will get – especially the aesthetic – so they will be excited to take their own photos as well.
Recruitment
Use technology to find new staff! There is a lot of opportunities for hotels to use technology to recruit and find new staff – especially if in remote areas. One great way is to use social media to make a ‘call-out’ to people to see if someone wants to work for you. Another fun way is to use video submissions! Encourage people to send in videos telling you why they want to work for you, it’s a great way to attract new young people for hospitality jobs online. I have even found jobs myself that way – on Instagram stories.
