Hot Topics—The right technology can boost the bottom line, guest satisfaction

Any hotelier will tell you that the hotel economy has been faced with constricting profitability potential for years. Hotel rates are as high as hoteliers feel they can charge, and they have to find different ways to lower costs.
Hoteliers have turned to various technologies to streamline their operations, which is helping them make more money and free up time to create a better on-site experience—which ultimately leads to higher guest satisfaction.
In the latest Hotel Business Hot Topics session, “Smart Technology: Solutions for Higher Profitability and GS Scores,” in partnership with Procell InSite, moderator Glenn Haussman, founder/host, No Vacancy Live Podcast, was joined by panelists Chris Richardson, VP, engineering and sustainability, Davidson Hospitality Group; Michael Blank, principal, Woodmont Lodging; Michelle Potorski, VP/GM, B2B Duracell Professional North America, Duracell Inc.; and Barry Phillips, senior director, commercial and operations systems, Loews Hotels & Co, to discuss just what technologies hotels are turning to, and what they need to know to maximize their efforts.
“Technology is kind of the Wild West for hotels,” said Blank. “We are excited about where we can implement new technology to save money or enhance revenue. We are constantly looking at new technologies to drive the business in a new direction.
For Blank, the most important factor in choosing a technology platform is that it has to show a return on investment (ROI) quickly. “There are so many options today,” he said. “The problem is that it is so fragmented, and we have to figure out what works with the systems we have in place—how quickly can it be integrated and implemented and how easy is it for the staff to use? We are factoring all these pieces in addition to how much it costs to see how well it drives returns to the bottom line.”
Philips agreed that integration was key to bringing in new technology to his properties. “One of the things I have seen the past couple of years is vendors not necessarily playing nice with each other,” he said. “If we want a product, that is the product we should go with and if we want it to integrate to your product, even though you might have a competitor, we should place nice together and really integrate easily.”
For Richardson, the focus is on utilities when it comes to looking for technology that will help the company save money. “Anything utility-wise—electricity, water consumption, gas consumption; we start high, and then we go for long-hanging fruit, which can be from pools all the way to door locks and automated hand sinks.”
He has worked with Procell InSite’s integrated device management platform to help them keep track of the batteries that operate the door locks and hand sinks.
The platform monitors all of a hotel’s battery-operated devices and determines where and when batteries need to be replaced so operations can proactively decide when to replace them.
“It takes the guesswork out,” said Potorski. “It also helps them understand when to replace things like consumables, including paper towels and soap in soap dispensers. It integrates into every platform. The idea is that we are device agnostic and work across every battery-powered device.”
For more on this Hot Topics session, including other bottom-line helping technologies and what the panelists view as the biggest hotel technology advancement, make sure to check out the October issue of Hotel Business.
Download the audio version from the No Vacancy podcast channel where you get your shows.
Watch the session
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