In recent times, there have been many conversations about tech adoption in the hospitality industry, not just to aid the hotelier but also the consumer.
From seamless check-ins to hassle-free room-service and paperless payments — there are many ways in which technology integration assists hotel guests. Also, on the business side, technology and big data are helping hoteliers analyse guest behaviour, occupancy trends, ARR movement to build into their business planning.
Playing catch-up with online travel agencies and digital marketing gurus, the hospitality industry is now firmly on the path to adopting and deploying technology at a very fast pace.
From the moment a guest intends to search for a hotel to when she makes a booking, her on-stay experience and check-out and post-sales will all be heavily influenced by this complementary approach to service, using a combination of soft skills and technology acumen. The last decade has seen a major shift in how hotels are marketed and sold. The arrival of online travel agents (OTAs) and price comparison sites and apps have given traditional hotels some serious thinking to do.
For this reason, the hiring profile for hospitality professionals is also undergoing a shift — while gradual, it is about to reach the ‘upside-down’ threshold — that is, soft-skills expertise alone will not cut the muster as the industry strives to catalyse this transformation at an individual level.
Academic institutions and management programmes for hospitality professionals need an urgent overhaul of curriculum and training to help prepare leaders who are geared up to take up new challenges. This skilling revamp is required across all levels of the hospitality value-chain, especially the frontline employees who own the ‘moment of truth’ in the delivery of guest-experience.
Hospitality industry will need to balance quality of service, customer value and business model through an integrated approach. While soft skills help spark and strengthen emotional engagement and connection that is so essential to the hospitality business, the role of technology in interacting with and assisting guests is set to grow further and complement the overall experience.
For example, the millennial customer is an avid mobile user. Businesses will need to expand their presence and expertise on this platform to innovate and create lasting customer engagement.
Business, marketing and service staff will therefore need to also adopt a technology-first mindset.
An integrated approach of value, service and experience by combining soft skills, technology and the right business model will set the course for the strong growth of the industry in the future.
( Dinesh R. is CHRO at OYO )
