In May 2021 we proudly announced Relay It Forward, a national partnership with the American Hotel & Lodging (AHLA) Foundation. At a time when every element of the hospitality industry was impacted due to COVID-19, we wanted to find even more ways to give back. 

As part of Relay It Forward, in addition to rewarding every purchase of Relay push-to-talk devices by a hotel, we created a scholarship program. In the past few months, we’ve begun to sponsor several hotel employee training and development provided by the Foundation’s Empowering Youth Program, which recruits Opportunity Youth to entry-level hotel positions. Among other things, the training provides the next generation of hotel employees with valuable job skills. But the scholarship isn’t limited to younger applicants. There are also opportunities for more seasoned hotel staffers interested in spending time updating and improving existing skills. 

At Relay, we’re proud that our devices connect distanced workers and empower them through the use of a panic button and a completely connected cellular network. Contact us to find out how to empower your staff and clientele through connectivity with a device that alerts anyone to potential danger.

Meet Robert Soto

One of the first recipients of a Relay It Forward scholarship is Robert Soto who completed a degree in Hospitality Management. Though he’s originally from Chicago, Soto now makes his home in Vail Valley, Colorado. As he describes it “I live and work at 8,000 feet.” While Soto has worked in the hospitality industry for over two decades, he’s dabbled in some other careers along the way, but he’s always come back to the hospitality industry. 

Learn more about Robert Soto and his journey below.

What do you like most about working in hospitality?

Robert Soto: It’s not nine to five and it’s always different. You could stay at the same place ten times and have a different experience every single time. It’s guest service-oriented and I’m a guest service person. I like that it’s not the same thing every day.

Your hotel hours were cut a little bit during the pandemic. You used that extra time to complete your bachelor’s degree, what made you decide to do that? 

Robert Soto: I came to a point where I was going to keep hitting a glass ceiling even without moving, so I need a four-year degree. I mentally got ready to go back to school at an advanced age. And to do it online and also work full time to put myself through school… It was just a choice and the hardest thing was to start. 

I’m an African American man. I’m in my 40s. I grew up in the inner city of Chicago. I’ve lived and worked in Atlanta and Alaska and Sun Valley, Idaho. And having spoken with some of my colleagues I understood that many of us stop and start our careers for many reasons. I realized that I have all this experience but I’m not going to get to where I want to go without that four-year degree.

Once I got started I was able to stay disciplined and focused, but the hardest thing was going back for my wellbeing in terms of job acceleration and growth. I had all this experience but I was not going to go anywhere without that degree.

There were times when it was a real struggle. At one point I worked two jobs that were 30 miles apart. Or times when I had to be up at five in the morning.

Do you think you would have been able to continue attending college full time without this scholarship? 

Robert Soto: I think I would have because I would have been able to get a loan because somebody always wants to put you in more debt. But what would have happened is it would have exacerbated everything I was talking about what I was going through. 

One of the cool things about going to school with a full-time job is that I’m not in a position where I’m looking for a job, but it would have been several thousand dollars more that I would have had to worry about. 

What the scholarship did was it just gave me a sense of calm and peace of mind. It also helped me focus. I wouldn’t have dropped out of school without the scholarship, but it definitely would have been more stressful. 

 

The Relay difference:

If you’re ready to set up your own network of panic buttons, look no further than Relay. Our products are affordable and efficient. Relay is an easy to deploy, flexible panic button. Best yet, it’s also an elevated communications solution, so you’re combining two critical line items into one (with better value). With Relay, you save money, setup is nonexistent, and our products offer hotel staff a practical, easy solution.

Q&A with Janet Jaiswal, VP of Global Marketing at Cloudbeds,

Does it ever feel as though digital transformation in the hospitality industry moves at warp speed? That’s because technology innovation really has sped up drastically in the past months.

Last fall McKinsey & Company released a survey with information on how COVID-19 brought about accelerated digitization of customer and supply chain interactions. The executives polled revealed that things really are moving faster than before with shares of “digital or digitally enabled products in their portfolios has accelerated by a shocking seven years.” Beyond investing in digital stocks, there is more of an actual investment in digital products to improve the quality of one’s professional life, most especially in the hospitality industry.

Based on all the innovations shared at HITEC 2021, It would seem as though hotels are at the forefront of the newest tech revolution. But not all hotels, casinos, and resorts are keeping up with the emerging technologies. Unfortunately, that means many hospitality-related businesses are missing out on the tools that could help transform their hospitality-related businesses.

We asked Janet Jaiswal, VP of Global Marketing at Cloudbeds, a cloud-based integrated platform for the hospitality industry, for some of her insights into how to channel the newest technologies. She offered tips to improve everything from bookings to customer service to your bottom line.

Digital technology trends accelerated by the pandemic

After nearly two really tough years, the hotel industry is seeing encouraging signs of recovery. But it’s also a bewildering time in figuring out how to implement and use new technology. “Properties can no longer run at full capacity without tools like self-service and automation,” Jaiswal said. She added that “More and more travelers are becoming comfortable with digital technology trends accelerated by the pandemic, such as keyless door locks and self-serve room check-in and check-out.”

 

HOTELS MUST EMBRACE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION TO ATTRACT THEIR GUESTS AND PROVIDE THEM WITH UNIQUE AND DIFFERENTIATING EXPERIENCES.

 

Jaiswal mentioned the resurgence of spending on travel. “Millennials are increasingly traveling. Today, they represent 31.5% of the world’s population, spending more than $550 million a year in the US alone. They are undoubtedly the new modern travelers setting the expectations of our industry.”  Which has a direct impact on how hotels must pivot to embrace these travelers. According to Jaiswal, “The confluence of these trends means that hotels must embrace digital transformation to attract their guests and provide them with unique and differentiating experiences.”

But those transformations aren’t necessarily cosmetic or trendy. “The biggest mistake that hoteliers can make is thinking that SmartTVs or in-room tablets are enough to satisfy the modern traveler,” Jaiswal said. Instead, “it’s about providing a 360° digital experience in offers, reservations, room access, guest communications, payments, and much more.” The question that hoteliers should be asking is, “What can we do to make every touchpoint of the guest experience more convenient and more seamless?”

Minor technology upgrades with major impact

You might be surprised to find out that not only do some hotels lag behind when it comes to technology, but some still rely on pen, paper, and handwritten notes for important admin tasks. “Technology has been a great equalizer in many industries, and the hotel industry is no exception. It levels the playing field for smaller hotels with the larger, more established hotel chains,” Jaiswal said. Though it’s not always the case. “Unfortunately, many small hotels today still manage their property using old-fashioned pen and paper or a basic spreadsheet in many parts of the world.”

While it can be intimidating to consider setting up or upgrading your technology, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Relay panic buttons offer a state-of-the-art solution that’s also affordable. So if setting up associate alert devices is a priority for your hotel, you can probably check it off your list sooner than anticipated.

At Relay, we’re proud that our devices connect distanced workers and empower them through the use of a panic button and a completely connected cellular network. Contact us to find out how to empower your staff and clientele through connectivity with a device that alerts anyone to potential danger.

As for the rest of the tech you really need, Jaiswal said “investing in technologies does not always require a large budget and hiring an IT professional. There are many ways to make minor technology upgrades to a hotel that can drive significant ROI.” One of the first steps might be to make up a wish list, a budget, and a timeline to help figure out how to take those next steps.

Start with your website

Jaiswal reminds us that nearly 150 million travel bookings are made online each year. Is your property well equipped to capture those online bookings? “Having a well-optimized website and a mobile-friendly booking engine is a huge first step in making sure travelers can both find and book your property online,” Jaiswal said. “Best of all, it’s one of the hotel’s most profitable channels.”

Implement a channel manager

It’s entirely possible that despite your best efforts you’re missing potential income. Jaiswal said to consider other channels where you might be selling rooms. “Many small properties often rely on selling on a single channel, such as Booking.com or Airbnb, because it can be time-consuming to manage inventory and room rates across multiple channels. Having a simple tool called a channel manager allows you to connect your property’s inventory and availability across multiple channels, so you only have to manage rates in one place.”

If you’re unfamiliar with channel managers, they’re a technology that allows hotels to offer online listings across multiple booking sites, apps, and more. Managing rooms and rates is easily managed as well. Hoteltechreport.com compiled a list of the ten best channel managers for hotels to manage everything from booking to room inventory.

Consider an integrated payment solution

Jaiswal said adding an integrated payments solution can make all the difference when it comes to saving your staff time and headaches. “Accepting credit card payments can be a huge hassle when it comes time to reconcile your books — which payment belongs to which guest?” She recommends the newer integrated payments solutions which not only automate this process to save you hours of manual work. “They also offer convenient ways for the guest to pay, such as contactless and mobile e-wallet payments, which ultimately enhances the guest experience.”

Keep it simple

When a hotel operates more efficiently, guests take notice. And it isn’t always the overpriced technology upgrades that improve their experience. The simple technologies mentioned above “vastly improve the lives of both hoteliers and their guests, and they don’t require huge upfront investments,” Jaiswal said.

Newer cloud-based SaaS platforms like Cloudbeds are able to offer properties access to these tools for modest monthly subscription or transaction fees, allowing a hotelier to start small and expand from there.

And it might seem like a no-brainer, but make sure your staff is trained in all the new protocols and systems.

 

The Relay difference:

If you’re ready to set up your own network of panic buttons, look no further than Relay. Our products are affordable and efficient. Relay is an easy to deploy, flexible panic button. Best yet, it’s also an elevated communications solution, so you’re combining two critical line items into one (with better value). With Relay, you save money, setup is nonexistent, and our products offer hotel staff a practical, easy solution.

 

One of the greatest dichotomies of the hospitality industry is finding the right balance between exceptional customer service and bleeding-edge technology. But neither you nor your guests should have to sacrifice excellent service for constantly updated and improved tech. Instead, it’s wisest to shift from the more traditional corporate mindset to incorporate ways to dip into that data lake you’ve collected to find ways to make your staff more efficient and effective.

 

What stays and what goes?

During the Hotel Data Conference held in Nashville, TN, in August 2021, panels of hotel industry experts analyzed various topics and predictions. At a breakout session called “Operational changes: What stays and what goes?” there was a deep dive into both the operational changes in hotels and projections of what might come next. While much changes quickly right now as the industry reopens more fully, some trends remain evergreen. And one of the topics that came up repeatedly during the conference was the need to fully utilize and leverage all that data you’ve been gathering.

 

“So many hotels and golf resorts are so busy focusing on the guest experience that they lose sight of keeping staff happy.”

 

5 tips to get started with leveraging your data

If you’re looking for a few quick ways to leverage your data to elevate your staff’s productivity, we pulled together a starter list to inspire you.

 

1. Update your staff loyalty programs. So many hotels and golf resorts are so busy focusing on the guest experience that they lose sight of keeping staff happy.

As hotel occupancy continues to grow, it’s crucial to remember that if your team is unhappy, they could be eyeing other options.

Our survey discovered that nearly 50% of hospitality workers might switch jobs for better tech. By ignoring your staff’s happiness factor, you might be encouraging them to seek employment elsewhere.

Now is a great time to do a deeper analysis of your staff’s likes or pet peeves. And instead of grumbling about the results being potentially costly, realize that hiring or training alternate staff would be far more expensive. Try rewarding the most loyal, conscientious, or even cheerful staffers with rewards ranging from free lunch to upgraded tech. Allow them to become your internal brand ambassadors to their coworkers.

 

2. Shift team leaders. Despite vigilant vetting processes, not everyone hired for a specific role is best suited for the job.

Take some time to analyze positive results, growth, feedback, and more to learn more about those who act as team leaders for the rest of your staff. If there’s a positive result, reward them. If they don’t seem as well suited to the job as anticipated, try sitting down with them and discussing the results of your analysis, and offering them a chance to improve. In the interim, consider shifting someone from a different team to bolster a lagging group. Depending on feedback or other data, you may find that moving team leaders will improve the entire staff’s outlook and output.

 

3. Identify potential trouble spots. The reason some teams underperform could be because of their specific environment. Or perhaps they’re avoiding certain areas of the property.

By studying data gleaned from associate alert devices, you may discover that certain areas of your property are considered less safe by staffers. It’s also possible they avoid shifts in those spots. By making a few changes like upgraded lighting sensors and outfitting all staffers with updated and easy-to-use panic buttons, you instill more confidence in remote staff. Housekeeping teams then understand that isolated rooms or hotel areas are as safe as the front desk.

 

At Relay, we’re proud that our devices connect distanced workers at hotels and empower them through the use of a panic button and a completely connected cellular network. Contact us to find out how to empower your staff and clientele through connectivity with a device that alerts anyone to potential danger.

 

4. Understand how to support meeting planners. As predictions for upcoming business travel continue to grow, hotels have to learn how to accommodate a greater volume of guests.

By best understanding the needs of meeting planners, you can pave the way for more advance group bookings. By leveraging the data you gather from past meeting planners, you understand the way their own needs have shifted and by association the clients they serve.

Depending on how useful you find this data, you can decide if it’s worth it to create a specific branded portal or incentive program geared just to meeting planners and their groups.

 

5. Beat the competition. It’s not petty to want to outperform the competition. A huge part of the guest experience is staff performance. By ignoring collected data about your team, you could be negatively impacting your bottom line. It’s also possible that that tiniest tweak could increase guest satisfaction drastically. By ignoring the collected data, you’re effectively ignoring your customer’s needs and desires.

 

 

The Relay difference:

Relay is establishing a benchmark for the next technological revolution that focuses on innovative, durable, and highly adaptive voice-first technology for frontline workers. Our vision is to empower frontline teams with technology that allows them to safely and quickly connect to the people and information they need to get their jobs done more efficiently.

 

While the hospitality industry is known for providing pampering experiences for guests, there’s a constant underlying pressure to keep an eye on spending. Then again, if you don’t spend, you can’t provide guests with the best possible experience, which feels contradictory as well as frustrating. The key is finding a balance between investing in your property and touchpoints, while constantly tracking your investments and payoffs. And hopefully, the payoffs far outweigh the spending.

Depending on your ultimate goals, you’ll probably have to spend a bit to earn even more. And so while it might theoretically seem counterintuitive to upgrade your technology to save money, it actually makes perfect sense.

We recently shared results from a survey we conducted that found 50% of hospitality workers might switch jobs for better tech. From smart thermostats to electricity monitors, there are some quick tech upgrades to keep in mind which will probably improve your bottom line.

1. Stop wasting energy

According to Energy Star, America’s estimated 47,000 hotels spend an average of $2,196 per available room each year on energy. If you’re wondering just what a big drain this is on resources, that represents about six percent of all operating costs.

Use tech to save
Try to identify the rooms or spaces that use the most energy and consider installing timers or other devices that automatically sense when someone isn’t in the room for a specific amount of time. Consider calling in a light designer who can help you set up a new system that will both appeal to guests, allowing them to shut lights when they’re not using their rooms or turn them off before they return.

 

2. Don’t overheat your space

Another major issue in the hospitality industry is the egregious waste of heating or cooling in unoccupied rooms. While it’s crucial to regulate temperatures to keep furniture and appliances from warping, there’s no need to overdo it when rooms might be empty for extended periods of time.

Use tech to save
The internet of things can extend beyond your home to your property as well. By setting up heating or cooling sensors throughout your hotel, you can keep rooms comfortably cool or warm without overspending. You can also monitor them from a specific hub or app. As with electricity usage, an energy efficiency consultant can help you understand where trouble spots might be.

 

3. Keep staff connected

When managing a large staff it can be difficult to keep track of individual employees, especially housekeeping staff who spend a large part of their days going room-to-room. While you’ll need to connect with remote staffers in case of an emergency, you can save time and energy by creating an interconnected network of devices that allow staffers to check in regularly.

Use tech to save
With the nationwide rollout of the so-called panic button laws for hotels, it’s inevitable that you’ll have to outfit your staff with associate alert devices at some point in the near future. By researching the best options now, you’ll end up saving both time and money. By choosing the best option for your staff and budget and figuring out any potential hiccups in advance, you’ll also protect the safety of your staff and guests.

And let’s face it; by continuing to allow staff to use personal mobile devices for hotel issues, you’re almost greenlighting them goofing off as well.

 

At Relay, we’re proud that our devices connect distanced workers at Hotels and empower them through the use of a panic button and a completely connected cellular network. Contact us to find out how to empower your staff and clientele through connectivity with a device that alerts anyone to potential danger.

 

4. Integrate your finance and accounting

Large luxury chains have an advantage over independent properties in that they can afford software and automation products that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. But by searching around for alternate options, any property of any size can find similar products at a fraction of the cost.

Use tech to save
We noticed Hotel In A Box, which is described as being “a fully integrated finance and technology solution designed specifically for the hospitality industry,” is now affordably priced and more accessible to businesses of all sizes. By investing in a product to manage everything from property management, point of sale, payroll, and banking systems along with the capacity to create advanced reports you’re freeing up time that employees can spend creating more personal experiences for guests. By automating the repeat tasks, you have now have the potential to add more creativity to your suite of services as well.

 

5. Improve guest experience

Your guests rely on their smartphones to help them enjoy their stay, so why miss the opportunity to connect with them on a branded app as well? According to the Oracle Hospitality report, “room cleanliness is, by far, the most important criterion for overall guest satisfaction.” Along those lines, 35% of guests said they would like the ability to schedule room cleaning, and 26% said they would appreciate a smartphone notification indicating that their room was being cleaned.

Use tech to save
The Oracle report said that hotels for the most part “aren’t pursuing guest-facing technology to address such housekeeping requests. Rather, hotels are primarily using mobile technology to improve housekeeping staff performance.” While that’s a great approach, it leaves a giant gap in performance. By automating room cleaning updates, you’re also freeing up staff from having to constantly respond to questions about clean rooms or room availability.

 

The Relay difference:

If you’re ready to set up your own network of panic buttons, look no further than Relay. Our products are affordable and efficient. Relay is an easy to deploy, flexible panic button. Best yet, it’s also an elevated communications solution, so you’re combining two critical line items into one (with better value). With Relay, you save money, setup is nonexistent, and our products offer hotel staff a practical, easy solution.

The hotel industry has evolved drastically over the past year or so, and in most ways, it’s for the better. But as we collectively figure out what’s next for the industry overall, it’s crucial to take stock of what we do best and what could use tweaking. More than that, those in the hospitality industry are trying to figure out how to update and upgrade the notion of high tech/high touch.

It’s somewhat ironic that an industry known for touch points, has been scrambling for the past few months to figure out how to amp up their tech approach. Even as you update your own operations, it’s worth repeating that your hospitality service points should always be a top priority.

To help you figure out how to keep the human touch while upgrading your tech approach, we came up with a list of ten things to keep in mind.

1. Always keep your touch points updated. As much as guests love the reliability and comfort of a trusted hotel chain, they love novelty as well. Keep updating and improving the places your clientele interacts with your brand.

2. Personalize as often as possible. If you’ve ever attended a conference you’ve seen the ubiquitous “Hello my name is” name tags. People like seeing their name or initials on things, even if it’s the foam of their morning latte. Some years ago we stayed at the Glasshouse Hotel in Edinburgh and still marvel over the fact that they made up customized cards saying we were in residence.

3. Add sensory experiences. From a signature scent to home-baked cookies, people remember the scent of their favorite spaces. One hotel cited often for their signature scent is the Ritz Carlton, New York iconic hotel’s 50 Central Park scent. Most amazing about this fragrance is the fact that it was inspired by what its creator, Antica Farmacista, refers to as a “scent map” of Central Park.

4. Create a way to stay in touch. Whether it’s a birthday greeting or a secret recipe shared with specific guests, you can create the feeling of a relationship instead of a transaction.

5. Add visual cues. Infographics work online for a reason, they provide visual cues to help absorb information. Remind guests that their safety and that of employees is always a priority, by creating an easy-to-understand visual guide to both safety exits and a key to associate alert devices. In this way, you reassure guests instead of making them wonder why staffers have suddenly started wearing panic buttons.

 

At Relay, we’re proud that our devices connect workers and empower them through the use of a panic button and a completely connected cellular network. Contact us to find out how to empower your staff through connectivity with a device that alerts anyone to potential danger.

“Don’t just pay lip service to human contact, be sure to actually have someone available to address concerns that might arise along the way.”

 

6. Offer alternatives to A.I. Be sensitive to older guests, non-tech natives, or those with potential hearing impairments or other issues. Make it clear that while there is now an electronic way of connecting, there is also an easy way to connect with a human being.

7. Make it easy. Don’t just pay lip service to human contact, be sure to actually have someone available to address concerns that might arise along the way. Don’t make your guests struggle to find a way to interact with an actual person.

8. Create “easter egg” type amenities accessible only through your app. If you want to encourage interaction, you should probably come up with reasons for guests past and present to stay in touch. Maybe it’s a weekly treasure hunt (virtual, of course) or points-based system that rewards guests for checking in and offers them incentives to keep doing that.

9. Remember the hand-written note rule. Sure a quick “TY” counts for a thank you note these days, but it isn’t particularly thoughtful, even as it acknowledges someone’s kind act. Instead, try to send out hand-written notes to your best customers or even to commemorate an occasion. If a couple celebrated their destination wedding at your location, consider sending them a hand-written anniversary card inviting them back. It’s thoughtful, it’s also good business.

10. Keep updating. Much in the same way that your favorite software requires regular updates and upgrades, so should your human touch approach.

 

 

The Relay difference:

Relay is establishing a benchmark for the next technological revolution that focuses on innovative, durable, and highly adaptive voice-first technology for frontline workers. Our vision is to empower frontline teams with technology that allows them to safely and quickly connect to the people and information they need to get their jobs done more efficiently.