08 Apr Advantages of Cloud Services for Hotels & Hospitality Providers
Key Advantages of Cloud Based Services for Hotels and Other Hospitality Providers
In part one of this series on the benefits of cloud-based service for hospitality providers like small to mid-sized hoteliers and franchise locations of nationally known chains, we discussed the key considerations for moving operations to the cloud:
• Reduced capital and IT costs associated with maintaining and monitoring an onsite server and network infrastructure
• Increased flexibility for employees and guests to access critical information that can enhance the overall guest experience
• Options to move repetitive building level operational processes into automated workflows
• Top level security that exceeds industry standards to protect sensitive guest information and payment details
• Peace of mind knowing that critical data is backed up regularly and with smart redundancies to ensure you can pick right back up after an incident should there be a localized event that impacts your organization
• Reliable uptimes and impressive processing speeds that make downtime and apologies for “slow systems” or other failures at the point of guest service a thing of the past.
Specific Use Case Scenarios for Cloud Based Services for Hotel Operators
Let’s break the guest experience down into four primary elements: pre-arrival, check in, occupancy period, and check out.
The right cloud-based platform can give hoteliers and their staff critical insights that create a high level guest experience. from the moment a guest books a room until the day of departure.
Pre-Arrival: In the not so distant past, hotels paid expensive commissions to booking sites, but now cloud services can help hotels with revenue and resource management by offering rooms to the right potential guests at the right prices to increase both revenue and occupancy.
Check in: Plans change. Guests are delayed. Cloud based platforms can help deliver critical information to front desk staff that alleviates guest stress and empowers staff to provide a seamless, white glove experience for harried travelers.
Cloud based platforms also allow hotels to gather data points about why guests are traveling to the destination which increases opportunities for personalized service and special handling of guests with specific needs.
Occupancy: During a guest’s stay, the cloud can help staff anticipate needs by relying on an Internet of Things that underpin the guest experience. From wireless key access to smart thermostats, guests enjoy a frictionless experience while building level maintenance is managed by smart devices on a reliable system.
Should a guest have a less than exceptional experience, cloud-based programs can use machine learning protocols to provide consistent service recovery.
Cloud based hospitality programs can also process pre-arrival and check in data to deliver targeted upsells or suggestions for enhanced guest experiences directly to a guest’s mobile device.
Check-out: The pandemic has changed the way today’s hotel guests want to interact with staff. While forced at first to go contactless, now the majority of guests prefer a self-service experience at their time of departure. But as a hospitality provider, you still want to deliver a top notch check out experience.
A workflow that anticipates the needs of a guest as they leave your property can be built inside your cloud platform. From triggering the delivery of the folio to alerting housekeeping that a room is ready to turn, you can increase efficiency for both guests and management simultaneously. Understanding the day-to-day labor demands helps managers set staffing levels to maximize efficiency, productivity, and guest experience.
The Cloud Offers Flexibility – Even for Properties With Legacy Programs
Sure, these modern cloud platforms modernize hotel management and operations…but what if your property is tied to a desktop loaded legacy system?
You can still get the benefits of the cloud.
The days of having programs and people tethered to desktops is over. Small, mid-sized, franchised, and privately owned hotels can implement a virtual desktop system that allows for the same cost savings and guest satisfying flexibility.
By partnering with a DaaS provider, you can get the same functionality from your current legacy applications as you can with a 100% cloud-based operating system. A virtual desktop takes your current programs and makes them accessible from anywhere on your property — and beyond for authorized users — and from a wide range of devices. Staff can move about the grounds and click into the programs that power your facility to increase productivity and point of sale service opportunities.
Cost savings comes from taking advantage of the cloud provider’s infrastructure to host, process, and store your data safely and securely from an offsite location. No more maintaining an onsite server room or the IT staff to support it.
If you’re currently operating on a hybrid system with some aspects of operations handled by cloud programs and others by desktop programs, you can expect a reduction in capital expenses with increased efficiency of workflows and information exchange between programs and your onsite smart devices.
Want to See Exactly How the Cloud Could Work for Your Hotels?
Trying to migrate to a new tech stack can be disruptive to your business so it’s never a decision to be taken lightly or based on straight sales talk. You have guest needs to meet and revenue goals that need to be considered.
At CyberlinkASP we don’t talk in tech speak, we talk in real speak. Our experts want to understand your needs and then create a customized solution to reduce costs and overhead while improving your guest experience using our state-of-the-art data centers and network capabilities.
Reach out for a personalized demo where we give you the opportunity to put our product to the test under real demands using your data, programs, and workflows.
We are confident we can optimize your current tech so you can get all the benefits of a fully integrated cloud platform even if you have legacy applications that are non-negotiables for running your hospitality business.
Give our hospitality industry insiders a call today and see what the power of the cloud can do for your hotel property.