When it comes to running a hotel, bed and breakfast, or resort, the imperative goal of management is to attract guests. These guests might be first time visitors, those that have just found the place either through word of mouth or the internet, or they might be guests who have already stayed with the hotel. The latter are those that they location is trying to entice to return, ensuring that they had an excellent stay their first time around.
While both first time and multiple-stay guests are the same in that they are finding, and hopefully placing reservations with, the location, they are different in their own right. As a hotel, hostel, resort or bed and breakfast manager/owner, you want to guarantee that you are doing everything in your power to entice guests to find your business and subsequently reserve a stay with it.
There are traditional ways of going about this, but in the modern age of technology these old tactics can prove to be dated, or simply useless. Basic statistics show that travelers are getting their information in new ways, utilizing technology to boost their searches:
- 53% of people use mobile devices to research information regarding travel
- Travelers will undergo approximately 17 research sessions before booking with a location
- Travelers stated that consumer reviews, photos, recommendations, and the ability to book online are the most important characteristics they look at during research
Similarly, considering those that have already stayed with you once, there is a great deal to be said about providing a guest with an excellent experience the first time around:
- 74% of travelers state that they plan on returning to a location they have previously visited and appreciated
- 86% of consumers will stop doing business with a company that gave them a poor customer experience
- Building loyalty with only 5% of your past customers can increase average profits from anywhere between 25-100% per customer transaction
While all of this information is beneficial, how does it prove to be advantageous towards you, the business manager/owner?
There is software — hotel management solutions — available nowadays that can help you in attracting customers both new and old. This software includes data and research collected from the latest trends in hotel industry technology, allowing you, as the user, to optimize property management. Considering this hotel technology, let’s look more closely at the hotel management software features.
Hotel Management Software Features
The basics of hotel management software features run quite wide, as there are a great deal of aspects to the business that can be optimized through the use of technology. In particular, there are a variety of means that make it easier for managers and owners to control the everyday machinations within the property, between interacting with guests and managing employees:
- Hotel Reservations
- Front Desk Operations
- Payroll Management
- Employee Scheduling
- Event Management
- And Much, Much More
The utility of hotel management software features is unbounded, as they can be easily implemented to better the experience for you, as the overseer, and for all employees and guests within your property. By streamlining the process, using technology to make data and information for readily available, securely stored, and easily shared, you can use all facets of hotel management software features to better your business.