The covid-19 pandemic hit the hospitality industry the hardest but with the help of technological advancements, the sector is getting back to business

Since time immemorial, we have seen that critical situations have often had life-changing results. As is human nature, driven up to the wall, people bounce back with more grit and determination. And Covid-19 pandemic has proved this in more ways than one. Nowhere is this as apparent as in the use of new science and technology – across all sectors, but especially in hospitality, one of the worst hit by it. But then hospitality is one sector that has quickly adapted and adopted technological and digital solutions, be it in operations, marketing or services, providing seamless services to its clients as before – contactless but not without the personal attention and warmth of before to get back on its feet.

What we have today are contactless check-ins, touch-less payments and scannable QR codes for restaurant menus and mobile room keys. Hi-end technology has seeped in every nook and cranny, be it security, in-room entertainment, refrigeration, air-conditioning and air-handling units, lighting, supply chain and logistics, electricity and water supply, transportation, horticulture, architecture and design or F&B, including kitchens, banquets, restaurants and in-room dining. So much so that hoteliers today cannot think of going back to their older ways, even after we are rid of the pandemic. The technology will only move forward from here, they say.

TECHNOLOGY CHANGING THE FACE OF HOSPITALITY IN PRESENT TIMES

Sudeep Jain, Managing Director, South West Asia, IHG Hotels & Resorts 

With the need for social distancing and minimising human contact, the use of technology is playing a crucial role in the hospitality sector. We too are using technology in different ways to minimise physical interaction among guests and colleagues at our hotels. This includes applying QR code menus, global roll out mobile check-in/check-out and piloting other mobile-enabled improvements as well as real-time Pay-With-Points.

Nikhil Sharma, Regional Director, Eurasia, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Be it travel or hotel management, digitalisation is pivoting the operations of the hospitality industry for some time now. Since the beginning of the pandemic, contactless services have become the new norm. We are all set to see a boom in the core operational processes like checking-in and checking-out procedures and usage of mobile room keys.

Souvagya Mohapatra, Managing Director, Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts for India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan

Smart technology is not a new concept for the hospitality industry. Technology transformations have been implemented in almost all our departments like cloud software, marketing automation, leveraging real-time guest intelligence to provide personalised communications, management and operational tools, contactless in-stay experiences among others.

Vinay Deshpande, Senior Vice President and Head of Digital & IT, IHCL

The hospitality industry has rapidly begun embracing technological solutions that have a vital role to play in enabling and accelerating the recovery of the travel industry by creating seamless experiences for travellers. With health becoming the biggest priority and guests seeking socially distanced experiences, enhanced safety and hygiene measures during the course of their stay at our hotels, the use of technology while engaging with consumers is more important than ever.

Arijit Bhattacharjee, VP-Information Systems, ITC

Post-Covid-19, there has been a need for new service design in the hotel industry. Limiting contact between guests and associates has become a defining characteristic. The cultural implications of new generations of guests wanting more control over their experiences via mobile devices has been in place for some time but now there has been a rapid change in how guests would like to “connect, interact and transact” with hotels during the new normal.

Nilesh Patel, Director of IT, Accor India & South Asia

One of the biggest changes that Accor has embraced is the adoption of technology at every level – From room bookings to check-ins, check-outs, payment procedures, digital posters and digital menus, automation in revenue management, digital training of staff to using self-assessment platform, iAuditor. Our global initiative, ALLSAFE, is designed to reassure guests with an all-encompassing set of procedures responding to new consumer behaviours and expectations around a safe experience.

Suman Sur, Director, Information Technology and E-Marketing, The Park Hotels

As an industry, I think we should be opening up to AI as much as we can. For example, hotels are turning to having the Cloud hotel PMS software to ensure a lower cost of software ownership. There are specific apps which can be provided to guests for personalised attention as well as a manageable system. Contactless technology assisting guest experience, virtual reality tours, QR code-based transactions, hotel e-magazines and air purifiers in guest rooms have been changing the face of hospitality already.

Mansur Baig, Area Director - IT Operations South Asia, Marriott International

The pandemic has affected human life globally and the rising demand for new technologies has paved the way for transition to modern practices that would yield a safe environment for all. Guests can use contactless QR codes using mobile phones to avail of all amenities. Contactless payments will only evolve with time as it ranks high on the customer satisfaction index and is compatible with loyalty programmes. Mobile check-ins, AR-VR supported technology, chat-bots and Artificial Intelligence are the future game-changers of hospitality and will play an integral part in defining the guest experience.

POST-PANDEMIC TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS

Sudeep Jain

We are using QR code menus at our F&B establishments, global rollout of mobile check-in and check-out and piloting other mobile-enabled improvements as well as real-time Pay-With-Points. Cloud-based IHG Concerto platform allows us to rapidly deploy new technology and colleague training, blending core hotel applications into one seamless, powerful platform capable of enhancing the guest, owner and colleague experience.

Nikhil Sharma

We have introduced three major offerings that include Wyndham mobile app which helps the users to book any Wyndham hotel in a maximum of three taps with the ‘Lightning Book’ feature. Users can earn Wyndham reward points on each booking. Its other feature, My App Passport, allows guests to track their engagements with unique stamps and animations when they achieve the select in-app accomplishments, such as booking a stay or redeeming points. Guests can use the app to update their Wyndham Rewards profile, preferences and payment methods. Wyndham’s hybrid meeting solution concept that combines the best of live-streaming and in-person participation to encourage higher attendance and support corporate business recovery in the current climate. Wyndham Easy Book has been designed to simplify the booking process and give travellers access to competitive rates and stays at Wyndham-branded hotels, along with special discounts on longer business stays.

Souvagya Mohapatra

Our soon-to-open resort in the Maldives focusses on smart technology that offer guests a seamless stay, allowing them to technologically switch on and off whenever they wish. In recent years, we have implemented several smart energy management initiatives, such as key-card-based energy management system and sensor, along with a focus on solar energy production as a form of clean power.

Vinay Deshpande

With the implementation of I-ZEST: IHCL’s Zero-touch Service Transformation initiatives as part of our Tajness: A Commitment Restrengthened programme, the contactless experience of pre-planned check-in and check-out, digital payments, QR codes etc has been made possible across most of our hotels. We have also implemented keyless entries. Similarly, our restaurants have adopted smart menus, menus through QR codes with some hotels are adopting digital menus on televisions too. The Qmin App, IHCL’s culinary and food delivery platform, can reside on a consumer’s device and allow them to order food from our signature restaurants across cities. It also allows customers to schedule and plan virtual celebrations across cities where Qmin’s services are present. For our employees, we have visual facial recognition for attendance, and a wristband-based social distancing system to track employee movements at hotels while maintaining social distancing. 

Arijit Bhattacharjee

We recently introduced the F & B ordering feature on the ITC Hotels app for guests to take the contract-less hospitality experience to the next level. The app provides guests a differentiated dining and delivery experience through a seamless interface. We have also developed a digital platform using Internet of Things (IoT) technology which offers guest room automation convenience and entertainment features to guests in select ITC Hotels across India. This solution provides command and control in the hands of the guests wherein they can manage and control guest room lighting, air conditioning, room door access, place in-room dining orders, carry out television operations, access hotel information directory and watch video on demand content. 

Nilesh Patel

We have collaborated with Microsoft to launch All Connect, a hybrid meetings concept that enables corporate customers and meeting planners to combine physical in-hotel meetings with virtual interactions simultaneously across multiple locations. For weddings, we rolled out Vivaah at Novotel, conceptualised for the contemporary virtual weddings and extended a hybrid approach. It offers customised and flexible packages and guests can select a host hotel in any city as their wedding venue.

Suman Sur

We have digitalised all guest activity touch points starting from reservations, contactless check-in and check-out and all service requests. Guests can order by using QR codes, view and verify invoices, order room services and pay digitally. We have installed glass dividers on the reception for extra safety of both travellers and associates, increased the frequency of sanitising the high-touch guest areas and are using electrostatic sprayers to disinfect guestrooms, gyms, and other public areas.

Mansur Baig

We have enabled our hotels to function more smartly and efficiently with technology-based solutions that also helped drive more business and offer more guest satisfaction. These include contactless check-in and check-out; Digital Mobile Keys for loyalty members to use smartphones as room key to access guest rooms and common areas; Digital Room Directory which guests can access through QR Code on their own device; Digital Menu that can be accessed by guests from their personal device; Contactless Digital Payments that can be done online via QR codes and Digital Valet wherein the valet requests guests to step out of the vehicle and guide them to self-pick their printed tag from the entry point.

PANDEMIC SPEEDING UP TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS

Sudeep Jain

The immediate need to find solutions for social distancing and minimising physical contact has led to fast deployment of technology enabled solutions.  

Nikhil Sharma

The health safety and well-being of our guests, team members and partners continues to be our top priority since the beginning of the pandemic and adopting contactless, digital solutions play a key part in supporting our partners with providing guests memorable and safe experiences. 

Souvagya Mohapatra

We have replaced physical menus with scannable QR codes. Instead of physical compendiums in the villas, we share information through mobile apps. Resort brochures and marketing collateral are all digital. 

Vinay Deshpande

As health concerns dominated the global atmosphere, customer requirements and trends changed rapidly, all of which made technology the front-runner. 

Nilesh Patel

We launched Cloud migration initiative with the focus now on opening new hotels with Cloud technologies and progressively migrating the existing hotels to the Cloud.

Suman Sur

We brought a new revenue model, online food ordering and delivering service using technology in operations and increasing customer interaction.

Mansur Baig

Working with new norms focussing on guest safety across all hotel touch points, we took multiple initiatives to go contactless, working closely with our technology partners in building solutions and fine-tuning them to meet our standards of safety while ensuring there was no compromise in the overall guest experience.

This article was published in BW hotelier issue dated '' with cover story titled 'SMART MANTRAS ISSUE VOL 7, ISSUE 4'