You are here: Home / Archives for Hotels & Resorts

Maximize the Potential of Your Technology Applications through Training

August 23, 2010 By

The quickest way to realize the greatest potential from your current technology applications is to commit to an ongoing training program with supervisors and staff members. It sounds simple enough, just as it did when the system was first installed. Think back to when you sat through all the sales demos and asked all of those “will we be able to…” questions. What’s happened since then? Are you making use of all those billing options and guest history capabilities that were so important to everyone? What about all of the little features that were deemed so critical to helping improve guest service? Ouch! Don’t feel guilty or embarrassed, you’re probably not alone.

As much as software developers have tried to make it all seem like rocket science, it’s really not. Checking guests in and checking guests out at a hotel or resort is little-changed over the last 30 years. The billing needs of guests are also relatively the same. Splitting bills so that some charges go here, while others go there, has been around since way before adult-only movies in hotel rooms were introduced. All of these needs were addressed in the very first wave of hotel and restaurant computer installations. Know that every time you hear a desk clerk in a hotel or resort, or server in a restaurant say, “our system can’t do that”, somewhere a team of software engineers just rolled their eyes and sadly shook their heads. So before falling victim to the “this system is @%#&%” syndrome, perhaps focus instead on making sure that your application is being used as it was designed to be used to accomplish the specific business objectives of your hotel, resort or restaurant.

Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind when attempting technology training.

1)      First and foremost, don’t attempt to accomplish too much in a single session. Layout a schedule over many weeks and months, but remember to stick to it. Adjust as necessary, but keep it ongoing.

2)      Your staff member’s ability to comprehend specific functions will vary, so be prepared to adjust to their individual rates of retention.

3)      Be prepared to be flexible. Just as you are about to begin is invariably when “the bus pulls up”.

4)      Involve others in the teaching. Believe it or not, there may actually be a supervisor or staff member on-board that is more knowledgeable about a specific function or procedure, so give them the floor.

5)      Keep it fun. Break it up into smaller more manageable bites. Reduce the stress.

6)      Have a review procedure in place throughout the week. Set-up practice situations. Positive repetition is a great teacher.

If you have further questions about getting started, please feel free to consult with the experts at My Technology Pros for a little help or additional thoughts on making any technology easy.

Filed Under: Hotels & Resorts Tagged With: , , ,

Hotels and Resorts use of Social Media

July 9, 2010 By

It is becoming increasingly difficult to view a hotel or resort website that doesn’t have the Facebook, Twitter and/or Linkedin icons somewhere on its homepage. Recently, I was involved in a project that required me to visit literally hundreds of hotel and resort websites, and I was shocked by what a poor effort so many properties put into their social media marketing. I definitely had a few “OMG” moments when leaving a beautiful, well done website only to link to their neglected and poorly managed Facebook page. 

If you decide to incorporate social media into your internet marketing plan, there are a few basic, yet important, details to keep in mind:

1)      Don’t treat your Fans to a daily dose of specials. The Fan base of most hotels and resorts will be quite widely dispersed, so keep in mind that receiving your daily dinner special will become quite annoying to someone located hundreds of miles away.

2)      Keep your postings reasonably short and to the point.

3)      Keep your messages upbeat and positive. Fans don’t want to read complaints about the third straight day of rain.

4)      Reinforce the reasons people become fans in the first place. If it’s because of your sunsets, post photos of sunsets. If it’s because of your great staff, then post notes of interest about key personnel and photos of them in their work areas. In short, reinforce the great memories and positive experiences.

5)      Periodically post a “Special for our Fans”. No one wants to be marketed to every day, but we all enjoy receiving a truly special deal once in a while. Remember… a 10% discount off rack rated rooms is NOT a truly special deal.  Be imaginative.

6)      If you use your site as a platform to discuss broader issues (political, environmental, social), do so in a way that positively conveys your efforts rather than condemns the actions of others.

7)      Closely monitor posted comments. You have a choice of how to deal with negative posts. You can either post a response, or you can delete it. Simply deleting the comment, however, may not always be the best course of action.       

Great!  So now what? Well, if you are already involved in Social Media, I recommend you take a look at what is being done, or not being done, on your behalf. Is it a positive reflection of your property? Does it follow most of the guidelines above?  If not, then I suggest getting more active in those efforts. If you are not currently involved in Social Media, but are feeling the desire to get started, make sure you have thought through the details and the commitment required. Foremost, it really needs to be a part of someone’s daily routine. That person or team needs to have a clear set of guidelines and practices. Only then can your Social Media marketing efforts truly be successful.

Remember, too, that My Technology Pros is always ready to help with your technology, web and, yes, even Social Media needs.

Filed Under: Hotels & Resorts Tagged With: , , ,

Flash With Discretion

June 16, 2010 By
Hotel and resort marketers should begin the “experience” the moment a prospective guest or meeting planner visits their website. The imagery of beautifully landscaped grounds, luxurious rooms and suites, exceptional dining options should captivate the visitor. The opportunities to showcase well appointed meeting spaces, breathtaking outdoor function areas or outstanding recreational amenities are extremely important components for a successful website. But equally important is a website that is highly functional.
In recent years there has been a trend toward the use of Adobe Flash to convey property images with a bit more punch. Before you choose to go down that road, there are a few things about utilizing a browser plug-in such as Adobe Flash you should first consider. Listed are a few of the key considerations:
  1. Security concerns (http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html) surrounding the vulnerability of Flash to exploitation and attack have led many charged with maintaining system security simply to block sites employing Flash.  Other users find Flash advertisements on websites bothersome, leading them to download Flash blockers like ClickToFlash, which stop Flash from playing altogether. This means certain viewers simply won’t see your photos at all.
  2. Some web browsers will not play Flash content before the user clicks on a content download link.
  3. Apple does not allow Flash on its mobile devices. According to AdMob’s April 2010 report, the iPhone accounts for over 41% of all smartphone web traffic, while the iPod Touch accounts for more than 90% of “mobile internet device” traffic. Furthermore, though Adobe is still reportedly working on making Flash available for other smartphones, it is not, as of this writing, available on  any smartphone. Add in the iPad, the device currently flying off Apple Store shelves, and the percentage of mobile users not viewing Flash is well over 90%.
  4. Many users become upset with sites where Flash is utilized when surfing on their laptop due to the heavy battery drain caused by Flash. 
When it is time to give your website a fresh look or major overhaul, don’t be afraid of introducing some multimedia. After consulting with your web design team, you may still even elect to use Flash because you are comfortable that the positives outweigh the negatives in your particular situation. However, before making that decision, don’t be afraid to ask if there are alternatives such as simply embedding video in a web page, or employing new HTML5 and CSS3 code. If you want the viewer to be engaged from the very first moment, remember that high functionality will undoubtedly play a role in that experience.  
Filed Under: Hotels & Resorts Tagged With: , ,

Keep Your Content Fresh

June 6, 2010 By

Perhaps the one most important thing any hotel or resort can do to assure the success of its website is to update continually the copy content. There is nothing worse than poorly written, outdated information. This is not to suggest that all of the site copy needs to be rewritten constantly. In fact, you will want to avoid undoing all of the excellent SEO work your internet marketing company may have done on your behalf. Instead, have areas on your website where you can comfortably change and update such items as:

  • an activities calendar
  • a listing of local events
  • the profiles of key associates
  • new menu offerings
  • copies of recent press releases

If you have a sufficient inventory of good photography, you may also want to consider swapping out a photo or two now and again. Keep it fresh; remember this is not like the printed brochure you redo every couple of years.

Changes to your site generally can be made quickly and easily by the person or team that did your website design work. If you are comfortable with a “do it yourself” approach, talk with your site designer about installing a WordPress section where after 15 minutes of basic instruction you can start making your own changes.  A quick word of caution, though, is simply to be diligent about managing consistency. Once you are comfortable that those proper quality assurance procedures are in place, then go ahead and get started. Search engines will love you for it as will your loyal, repeat guests and customers.

Filed Under: Hotels & Resorts Tagged With: , ,