tourism & hospitality technology and front office - e-pg

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Tourism & Hospitality

Front Office Operations & Management

Technology and Front Office

Principal Investigator Prof. S. P. Bansal Vice chancellor

Indira Gandhi University, Meerpur, Rewari, Haryana

Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Prashant K. Gautam Director, UIHMT

Panjab University, Chandigarh

Paper Coordinator Dr. Ankush Ambardar Assistant Professor

Department of Tourism & Hotel Management

Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra

Content Writer Mr. Anish Slath

Asst. Professor, UIHTM, Panjab University,

Chandigarh

Tel

Content Reviewer Prof. Manjula Chaudhary Professor

Department of Tourism & Hotel Management

Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra

Module: 28, Technology and Front Office

Paper: 07, Front Office Operations & Management

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Items Description of Module

Subject Name Tourism and Hospitality

Paper Name Front office operations and management.

Module Title Technology and Front Office

Module Id Module no-28

Pre- Requisites Basic knowledge different Hotel Department

Objectives To understand the role of technology in front office

Keywords Technology, Front Office, Computers

QUADRANT-I

Module 27: Hotel Sales

1. Learning Outcome

2. Introduction

3. A brief history of technological advancements of hospitality Industry

4. Role of Technology in Front Office

5. Summary

1. LEARNING OUTCOME

After completing this module students will be able to:

i. Understand what is the role of technology in front office

ii. Understanding the historical development of technology in Front Office

iii. Know the new technological trend

iv. Understand how to be a good sales person

2. INTRODUCTION

Since the inception of hospitality industry all the work that used o be performed in the hotels was done

manually, a hotel room booking took a lot of time during those days due to the absence of technology

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that we see today. The technological advancements that took place changed the entire experience of

room reservation and speed of deliverance of the services. The end of Second World War saw a boom

in the economy of west; the consumers could afford cars and easily travel across the countries. And

this was the time when the hotel industry also saw an evolutionary change in the technological

advancement of the hospitality industry,

3. HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS IN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

1. ROOM RESERVATIONS: The growth of hospitality industry has also seen the growth in the

process by which the rooms used to be reserved in the hotels. Till 1940 telegram, postal mail and

telephones played a crucial role in the reservation of the rooms the guests used to choose any of the

three and used to reserve their rooms in the hotels. This system had a major flaw that often the room

reservations either used to get lost or were not noted down by the front desk therefore it used to cause a

lot of harassment to both the hotel and the guest. The development of the first hotel reservation system

‘Hoteltype’ in the year 1947 revolutionised the room reservation process. The instant room

reservations confirmations given by the machine created a lot of ease for the guest to plan their travel

accordingly.

2. IN ROOM FEATURES AND ENTERTAINMENT: The air conditioning became an amenity in

all the luxury hotels by in 1950. Televisions were a luxury that was for a selected few hotels, but the

boom in the economy after Second World War changed the entire scenario of in room entertainment.

In the year 1951, Hilton was the first chain hotel to introduce television sets in all their guest rooms

3. PAYMENT: Till 1950 the mode of payment in the hotels was by Cash, the introduction of credit

card changed the system of payments entirely. The diner’s club card which was introduced in that era

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changed the guest experience of payments. The payments were easier and no one had to wait for the

change to be given back by the hotels.

4. THE 1960S – 24 Hour room service and mini-bars introduced: The hotel industry saw a tremendous

boom in 60s, amenities such as vending machines and retraceable drying lines were introduced by

Intercontinental hotels, The Westin was the first chain hotel to introduce 24 hour room service and

Travelodge came up with a concept of wheel chair friendly rooms. The introduction of Minibars in

many high end hotels saw an interesting change in the services of the hotel industry, However it was

not until 1970 that mini-bar revolutionised the in-room service when Hilton Hong Kong stocked their

Minibars with alcohol. This saw an increase in the room sales overnight thus the entire hospitality

industry started stacking the Minibars with alcoholic drinks

5. The 1970s – In-Room Colour TV and introduction of Concierge services: The emergence of colour

TV in the 70’s completely change the in room entertainment services being provided by the hotels.

Sheraton-Anaheim offered free in room movies, wherein two hotels in Florida provided HBO. The mid

of 1970 was more about brand awareness, hotels such as four seasons came up with their own brand

name amenities like shampoo and soap, and Hyatt introduced Regency club which provided specialised

services to the VIP and Seniors

6. The 1980s – Introduction of PCs, Reservation Systems, In-room Phones and Keycards: The 80s was

the Era wherein massive technological advancements were seen by the hospitality Industry. Hotel

Westin introduced the system of Checkout using Credit Cards and Days Inn hotel connected all its

hotels by introducing the interactive reservation system. The teledex Corp introduced the first

telephones especially designed for Hotel Guest Room and VingCard invented the first optical Key

Card.

7. THE 1990S – CELLPHONES, LAPTOPS, INTERNET, WEBSITES AND ONLINE

BOOKING INTRODUCED: IT sector saw a great revolution during the 80’s the computers was no

more a luxury item but a necessity. They replaced manual jobs and were indispensible in their

functioning. For job application computer skills were made essential and yahoo and google search

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engines made the world smaller and accessible to huge amount of information across the world. In the

year 1994 Hyatt hotels and Promus Hotel Corporation took a lead in the IT sector by introducing their

Websites and in the year 1995 Choice Hotels International and Promus were the first to offer guests

real-time access to central reservations. Choice hotels and holiday Inn introduced the online booking

portals and Choice hotels also introduced and in-room PC as a standard Guest Amenity

8. THE 2000S – Wi-Fi, iPhone, Apps and Mobile technology Introduced: The 2000s was an era of

Information Technology, to ease out the work, people were getting more and more dependent on

laptops and computers and mobile phones came in handy for communication while on travel. The year

2003 saw a growth in Wi-Fi consumers wherein more than 6000 hotels made Wi-Fi available to their

guests, but the first advanced smart phone which offered touch screen features and user friendly

interface was launched by iPhone in 2007 revolutionised the telecom sector. The first Mobile hotel app

for guest services was introduces by Intelity in 2009 and in 2010 with the launch of Apple iPad, The

Plaze hotel for the very First time offered an in room iPad for guest use. The Conrad Hotels and

Resorts introduced the first service enabled hotel brand app which changed the view of view of mobile

technology as a bridge to guests.

The below table shows the technological advancement of hospitality industry

Sr.

No.

Year Name of the Organisation Type of technological advancement

1 1927 Hotel Statler Room radios introduced in all guest rooms

2 1947 Hotel Westin First hotel reservation system

3

1958 Sheraton

Automated electronic reservation system and first

toll free number

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1966 Intercontinental Hotels

Ice and vending machines were introduced in guest

corridors

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5 1969 Westin First chain hotels to introduce 24 hour room service

6 1973 Sheraton-Anaheim First to offer free in room service

7 1986 Teledex Corp Introduces first guest room telephones

8 1983 Westin Reservations and checkouts done by Credit Cards

9 1983 VingCard Invention of Optical Key Card

10 1994 Hyatt and Promus Hotel Corp. Hotel chains to launch websites on internet

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1995

Choice Hotels Internationals

and Promus

The first hotel to offer real time access to central

reservation

12 2003 --- More than 600 hotels make WiFi availaible to guest

13 2010 The Plaze Hotel NYC The first hotel room iPad introduced

14 2012 Conrad Hotels and Resorts Introduced the first service enabled brand app

15 2016 Henn-na-Hotel (Japan) First Robotic Hotel opens

Source: http://intelitycorp.com/main/brief-look-history-hotel-technology/

4. ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN FRONT OFFICE

The most vital department of the hotel is known as Front office. Since this area is the first point of

contact with the, it plays a very important role in giving an idea to the guest about the kind of services

he is about to get in the hotel. Starting from the door man to the reception desk each and every person

of the front office plays a vital role in developing a positive image of the hotel. Irrespective of the type

of hotel the front office department is the heart of any hotel. The reception desk is one point contact

which is situated in the lobby and is responsible for dispensing the various front office activities of the

hotel and the front desk also acts as a facilitator between the guest and the other departments of the

hotel. The basic functions that are performed by the front desk are to sell the room to the guest,

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registering the guest to the hotel, allotting rooms during check-in, account handling, cashiering, forex

and many more.

Now a day’s everybody is tech say, they are dependent on technology and internet for almost

everything be it booking a movie ticket, doing banking services, booking hotel rooms ordering food

etc. for everything the use of technology is being done. Internet, Mobile and computers are the survival

of gadgets of today’s youth.

Think of those days when there was no internet and no computers and the bookings were made via

travel agents and telephones, let me give you an example to understand the role of technology. Back in

70,s a young couple made a booking in a resort through the travel agent in a hotel. When they reached

to the hotel to their horror they found out that their booking was tentative and never confirmed, and

since the hotel was full, they were denied the stay in the hotel and were forced to book a room at some

other place. Thus this incident left a bad memory on the minds of the young couple about the hotel and

this situation could had been avoided in case they had confirmed booking.

Now imagine if the same incident happens in today’s time, the guest would tarnish the image of the

hotel via social media and can further sue the hotel for mental harassment. Technology has changed the

hospitality industry entirely

The computers have made the job of the front office employee very easy just by the click of a button

the room reservations and room status can be checked by hotel front office employee. It has become

easy to remember the guest choices and preferences who are regular visitors thus improving the quality

and experience of service by the guest. In the recent years technological advancements have changed

the way the front office works. Here are some of the technological advancements that have taken place

in front office of a hotel

1. THE CLOUD BASED PMS

The PMS of the hotel is such which has the interface of the cloud. It is easy to use and install and has

many benefits like cost savings and increased guest satisfaction. When PMS and POS are integrated to

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the Cloud, It becomes easy for the staff of the hotel to do day to day operations directly from the tablet

or a mobile devise. The service delivery of the guests are looked after at ease and at the place they

want. Thus the service level of the hotel is elevated

The Cloud PMS helps the hotel staff to check the room status, from a remote place. The front office

employee can at sit in a cafeteria and do the bookings of the guest. They can also upgrade the guest

rooms and check the VIP status of the hotel. The cloud helps the management to check the reports and

performance from anywhere thus it helps the managers to be in-front of the guests more and interact

with them rather than just sitting at the back office

2. MOBILE DEVICE AS DOOR KEY:

The information technology has advanced so much that everything is now available at your finger tips

.Gone are those days when high end hotels used to give heavy metal key or electronic key cards to the

guests to open their rooms. Now a days a simple mobile app can do the wonders of opening the lock of

the door for you therefore it provides the guest with more security. Just by scanning the code on the

door the lock of the guest room will get unlocked. Thus the guest feels more secure and they do not

have the hassle of carrying the electronic key cards wherever they go as the guest room key is in their

smart phone

3. SERVICE AUTOMATION

Due to the advanced of technology, travelers will make use of their mobile device as one of the

platform for booking directly with the hotel. By the raising rate of the smart phones users and tablet,

mobile may replace the importance of PCs in the future—according to the Forrester Research. The

property management system of the hotel may need to be investigated on this field so to meet the

demand of the customers. Many guests prefer to do their tasks themselves, thus self service is very

much in today. A simple task like remote Check-in and Check-out, in room dining orders,

housekeeping services are being made available on the guest mobile through different Apps. A wide

range of services can be automated by the hotel for the guest, thereby freeing the staff of the hotel to

perform other activities that will lead to guest satisfaction and will give them a totally different

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experience. Service automation has helped the guests save their time and have helped them to move

directly to their rooms without standing on the long queue at the front desk.

4. FIXED-MOBILE CONVERGENCE

The in room phones that were used in the hotels are having very less role during the guests stay but the

in room phone now a days is more of an interactive device for the guest. The guest just needs to pair

his smart phone with the hotels interface and he would be able to tasks control of TV, Sound-system,

Wakeup calls, laundry and other hotel services.

5. LOCATION-BASED SERVICES

Imagine a situation that just by a click of the button you are able to locate all the employees of your

hotel, this technology of now a day’s being used by high end hotels wherein the management can keep

a track of the effectiveness of the hotels employees. Location based services will help the management

to understand the exact amount of staff required during a particular shift and it will also keep a tab on

the leaves of the employees.

6. TECH LOUNGES

The guest lounges and business areas have become totally Wi-Fi enabled. The corporate world of today

of very busy, an employee carries his office work even when they are travelling thus the access to

internet has become a dire necessity now a days. Therefore the hotel lobbies and business centres have

been transformed as a wireless hub where free Wi-Fi facilities are available. Number of guests when

searching for a hotel room online keeps this as a criterion for selection of a hotel and in case any hotel

is not offering the Wi-Fi services the room occupancy for such hotel is supposed to go down.

7. TECH-ENABLED MEETING SPACES

The old concept of meeting spaces were just a collection of table and chairs but in the modern world

this concept has become ineffective, The modern day business hubs have transformed themselves into

a smart meeting room where along with sitting space multimedia services along with

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videoconferencing facilities is being made available to the guests. They provide limited catering

disturbance during the long meeting and these rooms are highly advanced in technology and no require

a dedicated engineer throughout the meeting hours. Along with it for larger gatherings the guests often

demand these kind of services from the hotel thus the hotel should be ready with portable equipments

so that the needs of the guest can be catered to.

8. SOCIAL LISTENING

A word of mouth can do wonders to the image of the hotel. Guests have a lot to say about their

experience about the hotel but sometimes they don’t say it directly, they take the help of social media.

Social media has become an integral part of almost everybody’s life, guests now a days share their

experience along with pictures on social media thus social media has indirectly become a biggest mode

of companies advertisement. Therefore the hotels have to give their best and have to provide excellent

service to the guests as if in social media the image of a hotel starts going down, the hotel may loose on

the business. Social media also helps the hotel to find out about the guest need , wants and complaints

and further help the hotel to keep an eye on the competition.

9. HOTELS ARE OFFERING CUSTOMIZED EXPERIENCES VIA TECHNOLOGY.

By the use of the technology the service delivered by the hotels can be customized even before

checking in to the hotel. Just by sitting at the comfort of your room the guest needs to login to the user

interface of the hotel and has to select the options available like room temperature, artwork, music

selection etc. The guest when arrives at the hotel will get the exact services as was selected by him.

Thus every guest can have a unique experience staying at the hotel as the hotels now days are looking

forward to provide tailor made service options to the guest according to their needs and in return

enhancing the service experience of the guest during the stay

10. FRONT DESK ELIMINATION:

Imagine a hotel where there is no front desk at all how would it be, front desk free hotels have been a

hot topic of discussing in the hospitality industry now a days. Since the technology has advanced so

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much that from the remote places the guest can do the front desk activities like check-in, Check-out,

Settling of bills etc. Thus the future hotels will be free from front desk and the guests can directly walk

into their rooms. But the elimination of front desk means the elimination of the personal touch from the

hotel front office area, since front desk serves the first point of contact between the guest and the hotel,

therefore it helps the customer to get an idea of the hotel services and its brand image further in case of

any problem the guest first calls the front desk, therefore if the front desk goes from the hotel so will

go the personal touch from the hotel which in maximum number of times has been a necessary

elements in the repeat guests.

5. SUMMARY

Technology is improving everyday and in future there will be establishments which will not have a

front desk, the automated check-in technology has been adopted already by the several chain hotels.

Smart phone has revolutionized the telecom industry and the way it has taken over the hospitality

industry is commendable. Different apps for smart phone users help them to tailor make the services of

the hotel and starting from check in to check out all the activities can be performed by the guest

himself thus no need to interact with front office employees and no hassle of standing in long queue.

The guest would receive a text from the hotel informing him about the room number on the day of

Check in the guest will go directly to the room and place the smart phone on the door lock thus making

the check in process extremely easy. Thus technology has played an important role in the upliftment of

the hotel industry; it has helped to traveler to communicate and give feedbacks about the hotel and

lastly has helped the organizations to improve their services.

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tourism & hospitality technology and front office - e-pg

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