At the height of the pandemic, companies around the world scrambled and spent thousands of dollars getting the equipment needed so their employees could work remotely.
If they couldn’t come to work, work would come to them.
But, for the hospitality industry, for the most part, that just was not possible. How do you run a hotel without people being physically present? Hotels had to shut their doors, and the industry lost billions of dollars in revenue as travel and tourism screeched to a halt.
Sure, many companies weathered the downturn well enough and, for some, productivity levels actually increased. But, the hotel industry, and all other industries requiring workers to be in a brick-and-mortar building, had to close, take out loans, or figure out another way to stay afloat in a sea of uncertainty.
Years later, we’re still scratching our heads trying to figure out a way to make this possible, as remote work has become a very desirable job benefit.
The labor shortage still hasn’t improved, and hotel owners have been put in a position to think outside the box. With so many other industries offering benefits, like working from home, the hospitality industry must figure out a way to entice workers in a different capacity.
While hotels have certainly evolved in countless aspects of the business, this industry is about being hospitable. How can we continue to be hospitable when we take out human contact?
Technology.
We’ve implemented kiosks, as check-in services are often provided by someone hundreds of miles away who can respond to guests at all hours.
There’s some testing being done around robots, so, perhaps one day in the future, we’ll have robots making your bed, cleaning your bathroom, and emptying your garbage.
“We must be strategic and think ahead because old practices will no longer work. The old way of thinking no longer helps our bottom line.”
Technology is also allowing employees to get paid quicker and more often, and cashless tipping via smartphone is becoming the way of the future.
While these changes won’t be the final solutions to our problems, they certainly can help. If we can figure out a way to minimize the labor shortage, offer employees what they want, provide a better work-life balance, and demonstrate a clear career path for those we employ, we can become the competitive industry that other industries will want to learn from.
The world changed due to the global pandemic, and things will never be the same again. We must be strategic and think ahead because old practices will no longer work. The old way of thinking no longer helps our bottom line.
Workforce management is a whole new ballgame, are you ready to step up to the plate?
