By Ryan Haynes, Director, Haynes MarComs - travel and hospitality marketing - technology expert

Staffing hotels in a recruitment crisis to meet guest expectations

When solving one problem, you can often find ways to solve other problems. When speaking with the CIO of RBH Management, I discovered technology was helping in many other areas.

RBH Management recently undertook a full redevelopment of one of its properties. The central London hotel needed to keep costs low without compromising on guest expectations, by developing digital touchpoints within the hotel it was able to improve operations and maintain guest satisfaction. Being one of the UKs leading independent hotel management companies with a portfolio of more than 45 hotels, RBH is responsible for maximising returns for hotel owners, no easy feat when costs are spiralling out of control, guests expectations are higher than ever, and there’s a major recruitment crisis in the industry.

Working with prestigious brands like Hilton Hotels and Resorts, IHG Accor, Wyndham Worldwide and Marriott International, RBH has benchmarks to fulfil. Vibhu Gaind, CIO has been leading the digitalisation journey across the group’s portfolio. Although the group was already making technological changes, Vibhu explains how COVID19 accelerated the process. But at the core of the development the overall aim is to use technology to make contacts with guests “more meaningful”.

The group has installed staff-less check-ins and digital dining, and is experimenting with a pilot project with lobby ambassadors at the central London hotel. They can check guests in on iPads, or at kiosks. Meanwhile, they engage, answering questions about hotel services and the best places to visit.

Vibhu explains why the strategy depends on location. “You have guests in the leisure market who love in-person check-ins and want to know about the facilities and service levels. It’s a portfolio where staff-less check-in would not be considered.” But at corporate hotels in city centres, busy corporate guests often want to go directly to rooms without interacting. “You’ve used technology to enable a quick experience for the transaction. And you interact with guests at a more meaningful level.”

Vidbhu explains why it’s also important to consider typical guest behaviour because some hotels may have different strategies during the week and at weekends, when leisure guests arrive. “It’s not about how do I get the check-in done now, it’s about how do I service the guests? Make them feel welcome to give them that unique experience, that personal touch?”

Removing receptionists also allows the hotel to deploy more staff for services like F&B. “Suddenly you’re open to a level of staffing where everybody’s trained in all factors and customer service truly becomes a synergy across the hotel,” he says. “It’s about getting away from the nitty-gritty and focusing on customer service. It’s part of a big cultural shift.”

At this point, Vibhu says the hotel can look to hire multi-skilled individuals from outside the sector. “We’ve seen many peers transition to other industries over the last couple of years and we need to be bringing people in from these other sectors,” he says. Adopting the new technologies, though, does not require as much training as it once did and PMS systems are more user-friendly. But training is crucial. Vibhu also speaks about how the group has changed its approach to its tech stack to become more “Microsoft heavy”. “That makes adoption easier,” he says. But the company also considers innovative new entrants into the tech space.

He explained that they install systems that are appropriate for a particular property, rather than just having a specific system. “It is customised to each hotel. But if we see a specified system is better suited for the leisure market, we’ll use that for those hotels.”

Listen to the full conversation between Ryan Haynes and Vibhu Gaind on Travel Market Life podcast