The internet has not only become an important aspect in our lives, but is has also become necessary to many of our everyday functions. Think about how much your use the internet when planning one single family vacation. You probably research possible locations and activities in that location. You might have even looked at food choices in the area. When it came time to book your hotel and air travel, you likely logged into the internet. The latest trends in hotel industry technology are beneficial in more ways than booking. You will find, with the coming years that vacation travel is even more convenient because of use of technology.
Ability to price shop
Perhaps the best thing about internet usage in hospitality management software systems is the ability to price shop with hotel reservations software. Previously, you had to accept the hotel?s pricing, unless you had the time to call around to multiple hotels. This could take hours, and you were likely to get similar prices.
Today, the internet and hotel reservations software programs allow you to directly access hotels discounted pricing. You can price compare immediately, getting you the best price available. The global hotel industry generated approximately between 400 and 500 billion U.S. dollars in revenue each year, one third of that revenue is attributable to the United States. It helps to save money where you can.
Ability to check in
If you have traveled by airplane lately, you have probably already been a witness to the increases of technology. In previous times, you had to show up at the airport many hours before boarding, wait in a long line, just to check in. Many of the airlines today allow you to check in from the convenience of your mobile phone, allowing you to arrive much later. You can spend more time in your destination of choice, and less time sitting around the airport.
You will also find this convenience of mobile check in with hotel reservations software. Many of the larger chains of hotels also allow mobile check ins. This is extremely convenient if you will be arriving much later than check in time, or if you are simply too exhausted to wait in a long line at the hotel front desk. Instead, you can use the latest hotel reservations software to check in, getting your room number and code for your booked room.
Access to loyalty programs
Previously, loyalty programs were more difficult to track. You would swipe a loyalty card when visiting your favorite brand of hotel, but you had little access to how close you were to receiving a reward. It would also be difficult to identify if a hotel visit did not register to your loyalty account. Hotels software today allows for better tracking, both for the customer and the hotel itself. This is important, as according to CEB research, 96% of customers forced to expend high effort with a company over a problem are likely to be disloyal. Customers want brand loyalty to come simple and to also be convenient.
Customer complaints
When a customer has a problem with a brand or a hotel specifically, they want their complaint handled immediately, and to their standards. Hotel front desk software allows hotels to better handle these types of customer complaints. According to Harris Interactive and RightNow, 86% of consumers quit doing business with a company in 2011 because of a bad customer experience. The ability to handle complaints in a timely and effective manner can significantly increase customer satisfaction, and thus customer loyalty.
Technology has, no doubt changed the world that we live in. It has provided up with a level of convenience and speed that we never could have imagined. Booking a family vacation is quicker than ever. The advanced hotel reservations software not only allows up to make price effective reservations online quickly, but it also gives us easier check in and check out abilities. We can also use these programs to better track our loyalty rewards progress and to communicate problems with our visit with the local management.
