While the hospitality industry is known for providing pampering experiences for guests, there’s a constant underlying pressure to keep an eye on spending. Then again, if you don’t spend, you can’t provide guests with the best possible experience, which feels contradictory as well as frustrating. The key is finding a balance between investing in your property and touchpoints, while constantly tracking your investments and payoffs. And hopefully, the payoffs far outweigh the spending.

Depending on your ultimate goals, you’ll probably have to spend a bit to earn even more. And so while it might theoretically seem counterintuitive to upgrade your technology to save money, it actually makes perfect sense.

We recently shared results from a survey we conducted that found 50% of hospitality workers might switch jobs for better tech. From smart thermostats to electricity monitors, there are some quick tech upgrades to keep in mind which will probably improve your bottom line.

1. Stop wasting energy

According to Energy Star, America’s estimated 47,000 hotels spend an average of $2,196 per available room each year on energy. If you’re wondering just what a big drain this is on resources, that represents about six percent of all operating costs.

Use tech to save
Try to identify the rooms or spaces that use the most energy and consider installing timers or other devices that automatically sense when someone isn’t in the room for a specific amount of time. Consider calling in a light designer who can help you set up a new system that will both appeal to guests, allowing them to shut lights when they’re not using their rooms or turn them off before they return.

2. Don’t overheat your space

Another major issue in the hospitality industry is the egregious waste of heating or cooling in unoccupied rooms. While it’s crucial to regulate temperatures to keep furniture and appliances from warping, there’s no need to overdo it when rooms might be empty for extended periods of time.

Use tech to save
The internet of things can extend beyond your home to your property as well. By setting up heating or cooling sensors throughout your hotel, you can keep rooms comfortably cool or warm without overspending. You can also monitor them from a specific hub or app. As with electricity usage, an energy efficiency consultant can help you understand where trouble spots might be.

3. Keep staff connected

When managing a large staff it can be difficult to keep track of individual employees, especially housekeeping staff who spend a large part of their days going room-to-room. While you’ll need to connect with remote staffers in case of an emergency, you can save time and energy by creating an interconnected network of devices that allow staffers to check in regularly.

Use tech to save
With the nationwide rollout of the so-called panic button laws for hotels, it’s inevitable that you’ll have to outfit your staff with associate alert devices at some point in the near future. By researching the best options now, you’ll end up saving both time and money. By choosing the best option for your staff and budget and figuring out any potential hiccups in advance, you’ll also protect the safety of your staff and guests.

And let’s face it; by continuing to allow staff to use personal mobile devices for hotel issues, you’re almost greenlighting them goofing off as well.

At Relay, we’re proud that our devices connect distanced workers at Hotels and empower them through the use of a panic button and a completely connected cellular network. Contact us to find out how to empower your staff and clientele through connectivity with a device that alerts anyone to potential danger.

4. Integrate your finance and accounting

Large luxury chains have an advantage over independent properties in that they can afford software and automation products that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. But by searching around for alternate options, any property of any size can find similar products at a fraction of the cost.

Use tech to save
We noticed Hotel In A Box, which is described as being “a fully integrated finance and technology solution designed specifically for the hospitality industry,” is now affordably priced and more accessible to businesses of all sizes. By investing in a product to manage everything from property management, point of sale, payroll, and banking systems along with the capacity to create advanced reports you’re freeing up time that employees can spend creating more personal experiences for guests. By automating the repeat tasks, you have now have the potential to add more creativity to your suite of services as well.

5. Improve guest experience

Your guests rely on their smartphones to help them enjoy their stay, so why miss the opportunity to connect with them on a branded app as well? According to the Oracle Hospitality report, “room cleanliness is, by far, the most important criterion for overall guest satisfaction.” Along those lines, 35% of guests said they would like the ability to schedule room cleaning, and 26% said they would appreciate a smartphone notification indicating that their room was being cleaned.

Use tech to save
The Oracle report said that hotels for the most part “aren’t pursuing guest-facing technology to address such housekeeping requests. Rather, hotels are primarily using mobile technology to improve housekeeping staff performance.” While that’s a great approach, it leaves a giant gap in performance. By automating room cleaning updates, you’re also freeing up staff from having to constantly respond to questions about clean rooms or room availability.

The Relay difference:

If you’re ready to set up your own network of panic buttons, look no further than Relay. Our products are affordable and efficient. Relay is an easy to deploy, flexible panic button. Best yet, it’s also an elevated communications solution, so you’re combining two critical line items into one (with better value). With Relay, you save money, setup is nonexistent, and our products offer hotel staff a practical, easy solution.

The hotel industry has evolved drastically over the past year or so, and in most ways, it’s for the better. But as we collectively figure out what’s next for the industry overall, it’s crucial to take stock of what we do best and what could use tweaking. More than that, those in the hospitality industry are trying to figure out how to update and upgrade the notion of high tech/high touch.

It’s somewhat ironic that an industry known for touch points, has been scrambling for the past few months to figure out how to amp up their tech approach. Even as you update your own operations, it’s worth repeating that your hospitality service points should always be a top priority.

To help you figure out how to keep the human touch while upgrading your tech approach, we came up with a list of ten things to keep in mind.

1. Always keep your touch points updated. As much as guests love the reliability and comfort of a trusted hotel chain, they love novelty as well. Keep updating and improving the places your clientele interacts with your brand.

2. Personalize as often as possible. If you’ve ever attended a conference you’ve seen the ubiquitous “Hello my name is” name tags. People like seeing their name or initials on things, even if it’s the foam of their morning latte. Some years ago we stayed at the Glasshouse Hotel in Edinburgh and still marvel over the fact that they made up customized cards saying we were in residence.

3. Add sensory experiences. From a signature scent to home-baked cookies, people remember the scent of their favorite spaces. One hotel cited often for their signature scent is the Ritz Carlton, New York iconic hotel’s 50 Central Park scent. Most amazing about this fragrance is the fact that it was inspired by what its creator, Antica Farmacista, refers to as a “scent map” of Central Park.

4. Create a way to stay in touch. Whether it’s a birthday greeting or a secret recipe shared with specific guests, you can create the feeling of a relationship instead of a transaction.

5. Add visual cues. Infographics work online for a reason, they provide visual cues to help absorb information. Remind guests that their safety and that of employees is always a priority, by creating an easy-to-understand visual guide to both safety exits and a key to associate alert devices. In this way, you reassure guests instead of making them wonder why staffers have suddenly started wearing panic buttons.

At Relay, we’re proud that our devices connect workers and empower them through the use of a panic button and a completely connected cellular network. Contact us to find out how to empower your staff through connectivity with a device that alerts anyone to potential danger.

“Don’t just pay lip service to human contact, be sure to actually have someone available to address concerns that might arise along the way.”

6. Offer alternatives to A.I. Be sensitive to older guests, non-tech natives, or those with potential hearing impairments or other issues. Make it clear that while there is now an electronic way of connecting, there is also an easy way to connect with a human being.

7. Make it easy. Don’t just pay lip service to human contact, be sure to actually have someone available to address concerns that might arise along the way. Don’t make your guests struggle to find a way to interact with an actual person.

8. Create “easter egg” type amenities accessible only through your app. If you want to encourage interaction, you should probably come up with reasons for guests past and present to stay in touch. Maybe it’s a weekly treasure hunt (virtual, of course) or points-based system that rewards guests for checking in and offers them incentives to keep doing that.

9. Remember the hand-written note rule. Sure a quick “TY” counts for a thank you note these days, but it isn’t particularly thoughtful, even as it acknowledges someone’s kind act. Instead, try to send out hand-written notes to your best customers or even to commemorate an occasion. If a couple celebrated their destination wedding at your location, consider sending them a hand-written anniversary card inviting them back. It’s thoughtful, it’s also good business.

10. Keep updating. Much in the same way that your favorite software requires regular updates and upgrades, so should your human touch approach.

The Relay difference:

Relay is establishing a benchmark for the next technological revolution that focuses on innovative, durable, and highly adaptive voice-first technology for frontline workers. Our vision is to empower frontline teams with technology that allows them to safely and quickly connect to the people and information they need to get their jobs done more efficiently.