Technology integration is essential to any hospitality business. This is especially true because how people plan their trips and decide where they will stay relies almost entirely on technology. It is possible to plan and travel without it, but using the internet to research locations and accommodations is indeed the norm. Hospitality businesses such as hotels and short-term rentals have only been keeping up with the trend of integrating technology into their properties and booking processes. Of course, some accommodation types will have a greater ability to integrate more technology faster. Still, there is no reason why your hostel should refrain from jumping on this trend as well. Especially with the growing number of digital nomads or hybrid workers, it is essential to get ahead of this before you get left behind. So, let’s find the best way to maintain your hostel with technology.
Optimize Your Administrative Process
Using the right software for your booking process can help simplify this process for you and your staff. Picking the right software will help you and your team shorten the amount of time spent on administrative work and process reservations faster. Programs like Guesty help centralize your guest communications and keep a visual calendar of your rooms and how long someone has booked them. If you operate on OTA sites in addition to your website, this will be especially helpful to you. Another thing you can do is prepare general automated messages. Automated messages are great if there is specific arrival information you need your guests to know. Or if you need information from them before their arrival. Doing something as small as automated messages can save your staff and yourself time to work on more pressing tasks.
You can also go ahead and build an FAQ sheet with their answers. You accomplish a few things by having these already created and made available for your staff. First, you ensure communication is clear. This is helpful in the event questions are being asked that some staff members need help knowing the answers to. Secondly, you save time. Rather than having to write out these potentially long answers, you can copy and paste them into the chat.
Keep Your Rooms Secure
While most hostels are very safe, you should not fear for your personal safety. However, people might stay there with sticky fingers. Especially if your hostel is trying to cater to digital nomads, they will be a bigger target for pickpockets. You can help make your guests feel more comfortable by installing smart locks on your hostel doors if you have any private rooms and suites. Of course, if your rooms are meant to be shared by six people or more who might not all know each other, a smart lock might not be for you. You can try offering lockers or safes where your guests can safely store their belongings if you cannot install smart locks.
No matter what, your guests will appreciate the security. However, installing smart locks can also go a long way in elevating your hostel experience. Smart locks are a great way to maintain your hostel with technology. Having security options available for your guests will help them to feel more comfortable during their stay.
Effective Online Marketing
Undeniably, digital marketing is essential to most businesses these days. Especially in the hospitality business, most travelers base their accommodations decisions on online reviews. While some hospitality businesses will rely on it more than others, digital marketing through social media is perfect for hostels. This is because it will be one of the best ways for you to reach your audience of young adults. Do keep in mind that social media is just one component of effectively marketing your hostel. It’s the attention grabber. But having a well-working and designed website is just as important. This also helps your guests understand your brand and what kind of hostel you run. You can better attract your target group when your brand image is clear.
Install Room Monitors
You might not think so at first, but installing room monitors is a great way to maintain your hostel with technology, and here’s why. Room monitors such as Alertify are completely privacy safe and help prevent damage in your hostel rooms. The device does this by monitoring noise decibel levels and occupancy in the room of its installation. Alertify also detects cigarette smoke, mold growth, and temperature changes, all on a room-by-room basis. You are kept in the loop of these on-goings through customizable notifications, and you will also have access to Alertify’s online portal. This portal lets you view individual reports of what activities occurred and when. Alertify gives you the proof you need if you require financial compensation for damages to your room during a guest’s stay. By protecting your rooms from potential damage from cigarette smoke or noise complaints, Alertify can help to save your business money.
