Hotels face an enormous responsibility to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as demand returns, placing increased pressure on properties to respond despite limited staff and budget.
Today, morehotelsarewelcomingbackguestswho are ready for a change of scenery.While price remains a driving forcefor consumers,we can expectthem to focus moreon health and safety measures.Known as“Generation Clean ,”this travelergrouphas heightenedcleanliness expectationsthatalsomay influence shopping and bookingdecisions.Therefore, hotelsface an enormous responsibility to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as demand returns, placing increased pressure on properties to respond despite limited staff and budget.
Institutionalizing new cleaning measuresin a short amount of time is no easy feat.But then trying to maintain those practiceswith reduced staffis another challenge.Safety, security and cleanliness are going to have new elevated expectations, and standard operations and practicesmustchange accordingly. Once the market rebounds, hotels that best meet new guest expectations for meticulous standards of cleanliness–and live up to delivering on those commitments –will be best positioned to take advantage of upcoming emerging demand.
From implementation to tracking
Many hoteliers find themselvesshort-handed in managing new requirements,making servicing customers and managing workflows more challenging than ever before.TheAmadeus Service Optimization suite of solutions that includeHotSOS ,HotSOS Housekeeping ,and the newHotSOS Select ,can help to maximize a hotel team’s capabilities while ensuring the highest standards. Whether it’s wiping down frequently used areas like elevator buttons, delivering guest requests like soap or chargers, or ensuring air-conditioning and other equipment is maintained correctly, aserviceoptimization solution can assist in making sure all necessary tasks are completed with maximum efficiency.
WithAmadeusHotSOS,managerscan scheduleand trackcleaning of guestroomsand common areas as well asidentify who, whenandhow often specific areas are cleaned. Also,theycanset reminders, log escalations, and analyze reports so that productivity is maximized, enabling hotelsto do more with less.Hotels will also need to focus on performing more proactive maintenance to protect their assets, while preparing to meet new and pending requirements. Navigating through disrupted workflows and staff shortages is hard enough without having to worry about documenting each task manually.Last year alone, service optimization solutionshelped hotels tocompletemore than6 million preventative maintenance projects that improved building and asset integrity, save and repurposemore than7.9 million hours of time to complete other work, andexpedite 150 million service orders.
Hotels that standardize and automate their maintenance will lower their operating costs, mitigate risk and extend the life of their assets.
ScalingforGeneration Clean
Preparing hotelsfora futurerebound in travel demand may look different from hotel to hotel.For smaller properties, adjusting to staffreductionswillpose even greater challenges.Before the pandemic, most have operated withoutautomation tools and resources. However,given the higher demandfor sanitation and cleanliness,they’ll need a system such asHotSOSSelectto help themfulfillthose requirements.TheAmadeus Service Optimization solutioncanscale to any sizepropertyandhelp managersfocus on the priorities.WiththeCluster Teams feature, hoteliers can create groups of hotels and assign keyusersaccess to manage those hotels in a centralized fashion. This could helpmanagers and supervisorsdo more with fewer available staff while we recover.Another opportunity is tocoordinate and trackcentralizedcall center activities for guest requestsandshared engineering and maintenance staff betweennearbyproperties.
In 2019, more than 683,000 hotel staff membersfrom properties of all sizesused Amadeus Service Optimization solutions andincreasedtheironline reviewscores by completing more than 5.9 million guest rooms and staff service inspections.And sinceCOVID-19,our customershave usedoursolutionswith built-in disinfecting checklists, endorsedby the International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA),in conjunction withtheir newly launchedhealth and safety programsto build confidence among guests.
Rethinkingservice optimization
The availability of alternative accommodations ischallenginghotelstofind new ways to differentiate their offering.With shifting traveler concerns, hoteliers must deliver a level of service that stands out from other competitive offers.
To stand apart fromthecompetition, many management companies and hotel chains have developed certification programs to show appropriate safety standards and cleaning protocols have been achieved and are regularly implemented. From AHLA’s “Safe Stay” initiative to theBritish tourism industry’s social distancing quality mark, hospitality and tourism associations around the world are working hard to provide high-level guidance to travelers.
Hotels that can use the staff’s skills and technology in harmony will undoubtedly have a competitive edge in the new world of travel.Fromserving basic customer needstoexecuting highly personalized and anticipatory services,leveragingthe righttechnology can make a world of differencein providing an exceptional stay andcreating a happy, returning guest.
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