Many hoteliers are planning now for revenue recovery as soon as sheltering in place orders are lifted, and simultaneously auditing cleaning and sanitization procedures to ensure guest wellness.
The coronavirus pandemic has introduced new wellness challenges and processes that hoteliers must address. No matter the approach, hoteliers need solutions to ensure efficient operations, manage contracts and documents with accuracy and timeliness, and track the return on investment at the individual property level and at the portfolio level.
Contract Management
The stakes have never been higher for hoteliers to ensure contracts aren’t renewed without allowing for the proper review procedures. Unintentional renewals and buyouts subtract from the critical bottom line. At the same time, as a result of current events, hoteliers will also need to add or expand certain types of services such as in-room deep cleaning, fuller laundry services, CDC-approved cleaners and disinfectants, and frequent sanitation services for public spaces.
A contract management tool allows hoteliers to digitize and automate contract management, and store contracts electronically for instant access by those who need it. Reduce costs by eliminating the costs of paper, printing, storage and manual tracking processes.
Labor Expenses
As a natural result of the coronavirus pandemic, labor resources have grabbed the spotlight. With housekeeping and other labor requirements taking center stage for guest health, safety and wellness, labor expense management tools that integrate with performance results at the property and performance levels are a must-have.
Some hoteliers have reduced staff while maintaining payroll. Some have reduced staff until travel resumes at profitable levels, and will add seasonal, hourly or permanent staff accordingly. Others have added staff and added payroll to address now housekeeping needs and processes.
In all scenarios, a robust labor dashboard is essential to providing hoteliers with a snapshot into up-to-the-minute labor expenses and an understanding of where they can add value.
Employee Records
It’s critical to wellness, safety and guest health that hoteliers implement a record-keeping process to maintain records of guest and staff movement. This includes maintaining guest registration records, employee work assignments, documentation of key control procedures including the electronic lock records, and security camera closed circuit tapes.
A digital document management solution with timestamps is a must. This will help trace who has been in contact with any ill individuals that have been to your property and is especially important if someone in your hotel has been confirmed to have been ill. These records should be kept for a minimum of 90 days.
Net Promoter Score
Return on investment in terms of hotel wellness is measured in both average daily rate as well as guest satisfaction rates. Hoteliers can measure wellness with NPS metrics that measure the quality of a guest’s sleep or their job performance after a stay. To measure the return on wellness, ask NPS questions that include sentiment or productivity after using any of the following:
- Fitness center or spa experience
- Classes such as yoga, cardio, boot camp, etc
- Value of a hotel-adjacent fitness partner such as Equinox or Soul Cycle
- Health-oriented amenities such as a running concierge with coach-led runs and route maps and gear-lending
- Clean eating programs
- In-room amenities such as on-demand in-room fitness videos, Mood Boxes, advanced air purifiers, treadmills, stationary bikes and yoga mats
Are they performing better at work because they stayed at a hotel that offered a sense of wellbeing, or tangible wellness services and amenities? A portfolio management solution that includes NPS data – such as Medallia – helps to answer questions that help hoteliers quantify the return on wellness.
Real-Time Impact Information
Knowledge is power. With the global impact of the coronavirus on the travel industry, hoteliers benefit from real-time information on crisis hotspots, new impact data, and recommended precautions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Just like you can check the weather or your Yelp rating, look for a portfolio dashboard that includes global impact data to help you make informed decisions that are relevant to hotel guest wellness and markets you serve.
myDigitalOffice partners with hoteliers to provide these types of back-office solutions for process automation, budgeting and forecasting, operations optimization and profitability management. Connect with us today to schedule your personalized demo.
