Given below are some of the ways the hospitality industry has leveraged technology to overcome the challenges:
- Reduced operational and support cost by improving efficiencies through process and technology excellence
- Consistent brand experience to customers byensuring scalable infrastructure, repeatable processes and integrated systems
- Truly differentiated customer experience by creating enterprise frameworks and making use of smart technology to provide a seamless view of the customer across the value chain and at service-delivery touch points, including those managed by channel partners
The hospitality sector today is going through a phase of tremendous change in its operational strategy. Technology is becoming an integral part of it. One such area that has seen rapid improvements brought on by the growing use of technology is housekeeping. In a labour intensive activity like housekeeping, hospitality technology introduces enhanced efficiency and reduces operational costs. The largest cost in a hotel’s balance sheet is manpower. Forty percent of these manpower expenses is directly linked to housekeeping. Hotels are demanding technology-based solutions that can enable them to reduce these costs and optimize manpower through innovative means.
Some of the technology leveraged by the housekeeping department has been I Pads and smart phones with specific housekeeping applications, kiosk based stations and text message modules to address guests requests and grievances rapidly. Numerous housekeeping functions such as room cleaning, lost and found, supplies and inventory, accessing mini bar using telephones or kiosks and other mundane functions have been automated using smart housekeeping applications. Complaints from guests can be addressed faster through text messages, rather than through staff stationed at a desk. The constant endeavor is to provide guests with personalized service in the least possible time.
Some of the requests for housekeeping departments include applications for tracking a janitor’s cleaning time, floor- wise duty roster for cleaning schedules and comprehensive housekeeping console, which allows floor-wise and user-wise performance tracking. This tracking is useful for guest supplies, laundry, room cleaning and housekeeping inventory information.
Benefits of Technology in Housekeeping
- Instant communication between housekeeping staff and real time availability to streamline check-in / check-out at reception
- Saves time in room allocation process and management of housekeeping schedules
- Increases room attendant productivity by 20%, saves up to 40% time of floor supervisor and eliminates 80% of calls to front office
- Helps in optimizing laundry and housekeeping schedules throughout the day
- Allows fair spread of work among housekeeping staff
- Minimizes expenses of overstaffing and understaffing on daily, weekly and monthly basis
- Provides accurate forecasting of staffing needs
Reports can be derived which help in increasing the productivity and achieve service excellence.
