Humanising hospitality through technology
Providing exceptional service to guests lies at the heart of the hospitality industry’s mission. Recent technological advancements are transforming the industry at speed, including innovations to boost efficiency and convenience, but there are concerns about the possible loss of the ‘human touch’ as a result. Written jointly by Deloitte and Mews, this article explores how technology can enhance the human experience in hospitality, demonstrating how hotels can harness technological innovation to create more personalised, meaningful, and ultimately more human guest experiences.
Embracing technology to enhance the human touch
A recent US hospitality survey shows that while 76% of hoteliers agree that personalisation boosts reputation and repeat business, a similar proportion (70%) believe that technology enables better-personalised guest experiences such as allowing guests to customise their stay from room preferences to dining options. Connecting a hotel’s property management system (PMS) with a client relationship management solution makes for more effortless personalised communication. Mews for Salesforce, for example, provides a seamless two-way link between a hotel’s PMS and its marketing platform. It enables hoteliers to deliver tailored offers based on past guest behaviours and sends personalised recommendations throughout the guest’s stay.
Technology can also be used to share relevant offers based on guest needs. Tools such as Knowland, an artificial intelligence (AI) enabled data-powered platform, can analyse data from various sources, including social media and online reviews, to provide insights into guest preferences and help hoteliers make informed sales and marketing decisions. In the future, a central application that deploys speech recognition technology as an intelligent agent (IA) will be a must. An AI marketing ‘bot’ can engage guests based on triggers like location, time between visits, or the time of day. LoopMe is a platform that uses beacon technology and AI to detect when a guest is near a particular location, such as a restaurant or spa, triggering an AI-powered marketing bot that delivers targeted ads and promotions accordingly.
Adopting automation to reduce labour costs and increase efficiencies
Labour shortages continue to negatively impact the hospitality industry. According to a survey of hoteliers 67% reported staffing shortages this year. Technology can offer solution to counter staffing issues, including automating manual tasks to allow hotel staff to focus on more meaningful work, like guest interaction. Handheld devices can also provide staff with real-time guest preferences, enabling personalised service anywhere on the property. However, hoteliers will need to balance the time their staff interacts with technology with the time they spent interacting with guests. It will be key to implement technology solutions that can work seamlessly in the background and free hotel staff to focus on ensuring the guests enjoy their stay by minimising time spent on administrative tasks.
Mews is pioneering this approach to hotel technology by prioritising and embedding in their solution ‘user disengagement’ a practice that free people from technology or processes that do not add value to the guest experience. Mews actively measures how much time the platform can give back to guest-facing teams. By minimising time interacting with the technology, Mews empowers staff to focus on what truly matters: connecting with guests. Mews is aiming for 100% user disengagement – or a zero-screen environment. The idea is that automating and streamlining ‘golden tasks,’ such as checking guests in and out at the front desk, housekeeping room updates, and adding restrictions, can save staff a significant amount of time.
“Technology in hospitality should enhance communication and remove all barriers to a trusting relationship that can come between a guest and their host. We always think of the hospitality industry as the most human industry, and technology should liberate us from screens and forms to maximise the human connection.”
– Richard Valtr, Founder, Mews Systems
Another area where technology can deliver efficiencies is around how to service guests around the clock which often carries additional staff costs such as higher pay for employees working night shifts. Mews Kiosk is a technology solution that decreases the number of manual front-office tasks and waiting times for guests by turning a tablet into a digital greeter and puts guests in control of their check-in and check-out. Mews customers save an average of six hours per month using Mews Terminals and have seen a 19% higher success rate of payments. Piaggio Fast Forward is a food delivery robot that brings dishes back and forth to the kitchen, freeing up waiting staff to focus on guests. It can operate 15 hours on a single charge and delivers items to guest rooms 24 hours a day. Guests have responded positively to the convenience of having access to room service around the clock, and hotels have reported significant reductions in labour costs as a result. In addition, the robots have helped to improve guest satisfaction scores by providing a consistently high level of service. The human-robot team will likely enhance worker safety and prevent burnout while boosting productivity and accelerating efficiency.
Another area where technology offers efficiency gains is AI-powered data solutions related to sustainability. BeCause offers hotels and travel companies a solution to eliminate redundancies in sustainability data collection and reporting. Hotels and other travel companies can efficiently collect, coordinate, and communicate sustainability data in one place, resulting in cost savings and tangible impacts on the planet, people, and profits.
Personalisation through data analysis
Technology enables the collection and analysis of vast amounts of data. Combined and interrogated that data can help better understand guest needs to customise room settings, food preferences and even entertainment options. Technology-enabled personalisation enhances the guests’ experience by making them feel understood and valued, thereby enhancing the human element. For instance, a family-owned Austrian hotel group partnered with GauVendi to provide dynamic, attribute-based booking. Guests can personalise their stay by choosing specific features (for example, high floor, sea view, a bath as well as a shower). Results showed that 60% of guests use the automatically generated ‘most popular’ options. Moreover, AI is used to analyse guest feedback from various platforms, such as TrustYou online reviews and surveys, gathering insights that help hotels improve their services and address specific guest needs. Fornova is a platform that provides hoteliers with real-time data about market trends and competitor pricing. These insights help hotels optimise their distribution and revenue management strategies.
Perfecting guest communication
Digital platforms and tools have revolutionised the way hotels communicate with their guests. Mobile apps, chatbots and social media platforms allow for instant, around-the-clock communication. While these tools are technology-driven, they can be programmed to speak in a friendly, human, and personalised manner. AI chatbots on hotel websites and social media platforms provide instant responses to guest queries, improving the booking experience.
Edwardian Hotels’ AI chatbot, Edward, can assist guests with inquiries ranging from room amenities to requests for extra pillows. In Hotel Oderberger’s chatbot Odi resolves 97% of guest queries. By using technology to provide pricing quotes, process bookings and automate reservation creation, reservation agents can have time to deal with more complex queries and requests that require human intervention.
Improving safety
Automation will continue to improve safety in hospitality too, as machines can be used to perform tasks that are too time-consuming or tiring. Hoteliers are using robots to deliver items to guests and housekeeping staff, as well as for cleaning and security purposes, thereby significantly reducing risk to staff and labour costs. For example, housekeeping and maintenance robots offer significant advantages by consistently performing repetitive tasks at a high level. They also reduce effort and minimise the risk of human error and injury in tasks such as cleaning floors, windows, and pools, and mowing lawns.
AI will also enhance hotel security by identifying suspicious behaviour or unattended items through surveillance systems. The K5 security robot can travel indoors or outdoors at up to three miles per hour, reducing the need for security guards to make rounds. If guests require assistance, they can quickly reach a member of staff by pressing an intercom button.
Developing AI with human-like qualities
A fascinating evolution is underway – the introduction of human-like qualities into AI technology. With the rise of anthropomorphism (attributing human characteristics or behaviours to an object) in AI, it is easy to imagine scenarios where AI, endowed with human-like traits, continues to expand the use of advanced technologies to alleviate staff burdens and stress in the hospitality sector.
Soon, an AI-powered chatbot could respond to a guest's complaint with empathy, helping to defuse the situation and turn it into a positive experience. A virtual concierge could be programmed to have human-like traits, such as a sense of humour or the ability to recognise and respond to human emotions.
A balanced approach is essential, weighing increased productivity and resource efficiency against potential societal impacts, with safeguards where necessary. While AI's ability to rapidly analyse data and provide nuanced insights is already remarkable, the next step will likely involve AI interacting with us in ways that feel increasingly intuitively human.
"Technology undoubtedly enhances efficiency and guest experiences, but it is paramount to retain a core focus on the value of human interaction. By strategically integrating technology into an organisation, staff are supported and empowered to genuinely enrich guest touchpoints. This, in turn, enables the business to improve employee productivity and deliver exceptional, highly personalised experiences."
– Leila Jiwnani, Head of Hospitality and Leisure, Deloitte UK
Looking ahead
Even the biggest sceptics cannot deny that technology greatly improves efficiency and guest experiences. However, as we embrace digital transformation, it is crucial not to lose sight of the value of human interactions. By blending technology with a personal touch, hotels can optimise operations, support staff, and create experiences that truly stand out.
While cutting-edge solutions like AI and robots offer many benefits, they should serve to enhance, not overshadow, the human warmth and empathy that define exceptional hospitality. To achieve this balance, it is essential to:
- Help stakeholders understand the value of the technology to gain their support.
- Invest in training and support to close the technology gap among staff, enabling them to trust it and use it confidently while maintaining a human-centric approach to hospitality.
- Encourage guests and staff to embrace technology by clearly communicating its benefits and offering choices that enhance their experience.
Technology can strengthen human connections. The key is to use technology to better understand and meet guest needs, improve communication, empower staff, and create unique experiences.
