Can Hotel Technology Help with Long and Short-term Staff Shortages?

As the labour shortage crisis in the hospitality industry continues and job offers remain unanswered, hotels are being forced to cut back on services as they struggle to cope with demand.

This week, over 65 hospitality leaders pressed the UK government to ease visa rules for staff, issuing a stark warning that the sector is "close to imploding" under the strain of the severe staffing crisis following Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Data from the Office for National Statistics has shown a 10 per cent vacancy rate in the hospitality sector, which is the equivalent of 210,000 roles.

With one of the busiest seasons in hospitality fast approaching, now is the time to get automated to survive the festive demand.

What are the advantages of automating hotel technology?
Covid has accelerated the demand for automation in the hotel industry, as hoteliers have been forced to find solutions to adhere to social distancing rules.

There are significant benefits for turning to automation, including increasing productivity, reducing operational costs, and providing a safer and enhanced experience for staff and guests.

Daily operational services such as housekeeping, cleaning and hygiene procedures are high on a hotel's priority list. The HopPMS housekeeping feature enables your front desk team to check room status, assign housekeepers, and record notes, along with managing maintenance issues, lost property and suppliers all in one place.

While there may be a staffing crisis in the hospitality industry, guests still expect first-class service. This can be achieved by automating the whole booking journey by integrating a commission-free booking engine into your hotel website. This enables you to receive direct bookings, save money by not paying 15% to OTAs, and reduce manual admin.

A Channel Manager helps you distribute your room rates across OTAs in real-time, eliminating the need to manually update every channel or calendar each time you take a new booking. A cloud-based Channel Manager lowers operational costs and ensures better booking management and eliminates double bookings.

How does technology help the hospitality staff shortage crisis?
Today's tech-savvy guests expect to use their smartphones to do almost everything. Contactless hotel tools enable guests to manage their stay from their own mobile devices, choosing their room, booking directly, and processing payments.

In addition, guests are no longer required to wait in a queue to check in as contactless tools eliminate the need for physical interaction with the front desk. Not only does this keep all parties safe, but it also reduces the requirement for additional staff.

Offer touchless food and drink orders
The contactless guest journey doesn't end at room bookings. Switching from pen and paper to providing guests with an intuitive touch screen to take food orders enables you to overcome staff shortages whilst offering a safer, more efficient and cost-effective solution.

Hop partner EloTouch is proven to increase your productivity by 14%!

Provide a branded hotel app
A hotel-branded mobile app has become an essential tool for hoteliers and guests alike in this current climate.

Enabling guests to unlock their rooms with their smartphones via Onity Bluetooth technology eliminates the need to approach the front desk for a physical key.

Guests can order room service directly from a hotel app rather than dialling the front desk. They can also book future stays and access helpful documentation to enrich their stay.

Conclusion
While technology and robotics aren't here to replace human interaction, they can help overcome staff shortages and enrich the guest experience.

If you have concerns about the current hospitality staffing crisis, speak to our knowledgeable team, who will show you how Hop can help you automate your daily operations, save time and money and get on with what you do best; look after your guest.

Book a free online demo.