Operations
Nor is check-in the only area where new technology is transforming the hotel experience. Some operators, like Hilton, have recently introduced automated pancake machines in the breakfast hall, while IHG has developed a platform to capture guest requests on the cloud. As varied as these efforts are, however, Yu says they all have a shared purpose, noting that they ensure hoteliers can run their hotel with fewer workers. Certainly, this makes intuitive sense: those check-in kiosks mean you can hire fewer receptionists, while a pancake machine saves you a chef. Even better, Yu suggests that guests are broadly receptive to these innovations, thanks both to Covid-era distancing rules and the broad spread of digitalisation across society. “Guests are very savvy technology users,” he says. “Your home is probably a smart home.”
Not that technology is a silver bullet. For if new equipment is one way of combating the staffing shortage, operators are also looking to encourage people to work at their properties. “Hotels,” notes Rogers, “are offering potential hires a host of incentives to fill vacancies.” That’s obvious if you speak to AHLA members, with one September survey finding that 81% have increased wages, while 64% are offering greater flexibility with hours. That’s echoed by better training, Rogers continues, with Radisson now offering expert-led hospitality training videos among other educational titbits. That’s surely just as well: apart from the general battle to find staff, operators are equally struggling to secure people with the correct training. In the UK, to give just one example, hoteliers have resorted to hiring people without even looking at their CVs – probably fine for a receptionist, but more problematic for managers or chefs.
Openings for business As that previous point implies, moreover, not even a technological revolution can completely remove so-called human capital from hospitality. Beyond the practicalities – a robot can hardly be expected to cook a steak or clean a shower – Yu argues that customer expectations are important here too. For while we may all be comfortable ordering food on an app, part of the joy of staying in a hotel is that luxurious human touch. “Hotels have their iconic concierge,” he says by way of example. “Everybody knows ‘Peter’ or ‘Charlie’. And that’s part of the experience that we all enjoy.”
It matters, too, that there are so many more options for careers in hospitality – even beyond the current staffing crisis. Though Yu believes that the acute shortage is passing, Rogers stresses that
Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com 35
increases in travel and hotel demand are “creating the need for more staff, and this is leading to historic career opportunities for hotel employees”. In the US, Rogers notes, there are more than 115,000 hotel jobs currently open from sea to shining sea, a proportion matched across the Atlantic.
It makes sense, therefore, that industry groups are working so hard to promote everything a life in hospitality can offer. Known as ‘A Place to Stay’, the AHLA’s contribution is a multi-channel advertising campaign active across 14 American cities. Promising to shed light on the dozens of career options available to eager young professionals, Rogers is especially keen to stress the industry’s inherent flexibility. As he puts it: “The message we want to get across to job seekers is that if you have a skill, it’s likely transferable to the hotel industry.” With wages rising and conditions improving, it’s probably a message that workers are interested in hearing. ●
Above: Hotels are offering a range of incentives to draw in new hires.
Below: Hotel guests do not want an solely automated service when they visit.
Ceri Breeze; VTT Studio/
Shutterstock.com
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