President & CEO at AD1 Global, a fully-integrated hospitality, acquisition, development & management company headquartered in Florida.
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Minimizing the gap between what is ultimately delivered and what is expected is key in the hospitality industry. From the reservation process, registration, room service, cleaning and security, as well as the endless amenities and details, everything is set up in a way that allows management to work and flow smoothly, which, in the end, result in great consumer experiences.
The tourism and hotel industry specifically are among the most affected businesses by the Covid-19 pandemic. Forced flight cancellations and restrictions on travel both nationally and internationally have severely impacted this sector that relies on tourism and travel on a daily basis. Faced with this challenge, the ability to react and adapt to this constantly changing climate has been and will continue to be very important in the coming months. The ability to rise above and move forward will determine the future success of many companies.
Among all the plans that are being proposed and implemented to bring the sector back to normalcy, many focus on technology, especially those that control hygiene and safety measures and eliminate the need for physical contact. Applications and systems are being developed that will allow for the control of sanitary and hygiene requirements in real time. This will allow companies to not only control tasks internally, but also to communicate with guests and provide more specific information, such as the products used for cleaning their rooms, the type of laundry detergent used for bedding or if the remote control has a disposable cover.
Other technological systems that facilitate contactless protocols are also a major and necessary development in this situation. Great examples are the implementation of digital menus that can be accessed via QR code in restaurants and online check-in, avoiding both contact with surfaces and proximity between guests and hotel staff. This, in addition to being safer and more hygienic, improves the user’s experience due to its speed and ease of use.
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Overall, technology at the service of human beings will be a decisive competitive factor for the industry in this new environment since it will improve internal control, communication with the guest and allow for 100% digitization of actions that until now implied physical contact.
But most important for us as hoteliers is to not miss out on the opportunity of taking proper actions to serve hosts and to authentically say, “I’m here to help to mitigate the situation.” As a result of this, you will be better positioned when times change to be rewarded by a loyal guest. Nowadays, it is more about to give than to ask for.
At AD1 Global, we are focused on being resilient and dedicated to our guest-center culture. We’re putting extra effort into adapting to this new climate and working harder than ever, learning quickly that it is not the things we cannot control that define our success.
Despite the market downturn in these unprecedented times, as well as the respective reductions in operating costs, hoteliers must commit ourselves to continue offering great experiences to our guests. I genuinely believe that there are times when you have to sell and there are times you have to serve. As encouragement and recognition, both guests and the industry will reward the effort and dedication of chains and hotels for maintaining high standards of quality and service.
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