Trends that will strengthen the Hospitality Industry in 2022
The pandemic has had a significant impact on the hospitality industry with hoteliers focusing not only on the revenue side but also on cutting costs. A great many have found a balance by working with their suppliers in reducing or renegotiating partnership terms. That said, in 2022, Russian hoteliers will be looking at technology to help them streamline their business processes within the hotel.
Maximising profits through technology
Business owners understand that whilst guests used to be attracted to impressive technological amenities, such as a digital wall in their room, they are no longer willing to pay a higher price for the privilege. Instead, they want technology that will make their stay more comfortable rather than impressive.
For example, we offer a suite of integrations, developed with our partners, that allow for contactless check-in and check-out, and the electronic receipt sent to the guest’s email address.
Hotels and restaurants are also benefiting from a new approach by business owners. Cooperation with various food delivery companies has resulted in hoteliers expanding their market reach beyond the hotel by doing not only the catering, but also deliveries.
In this respect, we are very proud of the integration of Simphony Cloud has with one of the leading courier delivery companies in Russia and the CIS. This allows you to place and receive an order to your office or home directly from the guest interface. All the courier does is collect and deliver the order to the guest.
Minimum commission
QR codes used to be something of an exotic concept, but this format has now become widespread. Almost all restaurants now accept payment via code, and our systems also offer a quick payment system.
SBP significantly reduces the fees paid to peer-to-peer centers, as the interest that goes through the quick payment system is much lower than that charged by traditional cards.
In addition to fast payment systems, we have also implemented projects with the electronic payment system ECOMMPAY. The payment is immediately visible in the Suite8 or OPERA system, and the guest receives all the booking details: check-in/out times, room type, room cost, plus other parameters. The letter is sent from the hotel address in either English or Russian, depending on the guest profile setting in the PMS. This technology has already been implemented by early adopters and our customers are delighted with the speed of online payment.
We also offer customers a choice of billing systems, allowing them to select from several options. and pick the one or the combination that best suits them. This is not only user-friendly (payments for bookings go straight to the PMS and are reflected in the guest’s bill), but also improves the efficiency of reception and the reservations department, which in turn helps the revenue manager to see all prepayments instantly.
These features not only help to reduce commission and improve control, but they also allow hotel staff to concentrate on their guests rather than technical issues.
Reducing equipment costs
A large proportion of a hotel’s budget is spent on equipment, especially when it comes time to replacing the server. Servers in branded hotels have a very short lifespan and for some, must be renewed every year.
The adoption of cloud technology by European and Asian hotels is a growing trend and represents a significant cost saving for business owners who no longer need to buy a server or provide the environment for it to operate in. We take care of the security and upgrades, allowing the hotel or restaurant to focus on serving customers, attracting new guests, analyzing statistics, and investing the money saved on equipment into business development.
Cloud PMS is not yet a familiar technology for our country, but the Simphony Cloud system for restaurants has already been tried out in Russia, and many of our customers are happy with it.
Joint OPERA and Simphony Cloud systems that have been installed come in a single hardware and software complex, which is also localized. This means that it has fiscal interfaces, interfaces for foreign registration and offloading, interfaces with credit cards, as well as interfaces with other systems, such as HRS Back Office, or other accounting or financial systems.
Secure clouds
Some have voiced concerns about the risks of the database in the cloud. As far as we can judge from the trends seen in Europe and around the world, there are no significant security risks with cloud technology.
In many ways, it is far more secure than the traditional on-premises solution. One significant advantage of cloud systems is that the integrity of the database is preserved, because we take care of backups, and part of the service that we provide to our customers when they apply.
Independently of what we do or say, the marketplace developed its own dynamics and laws. Whether we like it or not, the cloud is already part of everyday life. Hoteliers who are receptive to this movement and embrace these technologies are already gaining an advantage over their competitors. HRS is in step with these times, we are already offering our customers new technologies that are shaping the future of the industry and bringing maximum efficiency to their businesses.
Author: Vladimir Efimov
HRS Managing Director Eastern Europe and Central Asia
This article has been originally published on hotel.report on January 27, 2022.
