The Transformation of Guest Expectations: Is Technology Keeping Up?

How do guests want to interact with your brand? We used to focus on feedback from the guest after they departed, usually via surveys, to correct any issues before they told friends and family at gatherings. Not long after, it changed to capturing their feedback before departing to limit the potential of unfavorable reviews on social platforms and travel review sites. Today of course, with more mobile, technology-savvy guests, they can post feedback instantly, perhaps while they're still on property. There's never been a better time for hotels and resorts to be strategically proactive with their technology objectives.

It's unavoidable. Relentless innovation is revolutionizing our industry. In some hospitality services, guests interact with the latest self-serve gadgets in the lobby, or use their own handheld devices to check-in and make plans for dinner. It's not just happening on the frontline, which guests can directly observe, it's also throughout back of house systems. A healthy awareness of growing innovation, combined with a strong technology presence, reflects the hotel's vision of the future. Technology innovation is key to building strong brands and developing exceptional guest relationships.

Hoteliers in many instances are using loyalty programs and incentives to learn more about their guests including their behaviors outside the property. The challenge for hospitality operators is finding the optimum mix of digital and human interactions to create a personalized guest experience that is as hands-on or hands-off as a guest would like, while respecting their privacy.

In this editorial, Agilysys provides some guidance for hotels and resorts that seek strategic technology to support their guest service and business growth objectives.