How To Choose The Best Tech Partner For A Small Hotel
The ever-changing technology will continue to improve the work style, travelers’ expectations, and guest experiences in the hospitality industry. As a result, it is essential to assess and choose the right hotel tech partner for your small hotel. But, that’s not a small task as you may think.
Since the hotel industry is mainly people-centric, every hotelier wants their customers to get the best experience during their stay. This includes having efficient technology on the hotel’s property, which depends on the high-tech supplier. With the super competitive and ever-demanding modern world of hospitality, many hotels don’t need a mere vendor. They want a tech partner.
In most buying decisions, functionality and price will always take a central part. If you are not careful, selecting the right partner can be an overwhelming job. This article discusses the six primary considerations that should help you choose the best tech partner for your small hotel.
1. Industry Knowledge and Expertise
Let’s be real; hotel operations are complicated today. Therefore, there is no need to choose a technology vendor who can’t meet the hotel’s needs. It would be best if you did your research in-depth to understand the level of experience and knowledge the vendor has. If you manage to get one or several, be sure to interview and vet each of them to find a suitable match for your hotel. In the vetting room, consider asking the following questions:
- What is the location of the support and service representatives?
- Do they have any language barriers?
- Are they generalists in tech support or hospitality industry experts?
- Do they operate in conflicting time zones, which causes a delay in responses?
- Can they reach a dedicated account manager whenever they need help?
Typically, the right hotel tech partners must have a significant level of knowledge and experience. This will help them understand and fully support your business at all times. Besides that, they need to help you maximize your hotel’s investments and that you get the best value in the future.
2. Responsive Support
Regardless of what technology platform is chosen, hoteliers ought to remember that security infringement or server failures occur at crucial times. Even though we can wish that they never happen, technological malfunctions are inevitable. And if there are no suitable and timely responses from the tech partners, hotels risk expensively lost time.
Having this in mind, it is incredibly essential to choose only vendors who provide a vast range of day and night support options. This will help the hoteliers access workarounds and assistance as fast as possible if an unpredicted situation occurs. As a result, losses incurred during these times can be significantly reduced, benefiting the hotel.
3. Do Proper Research
When it comes to getting excellent service, don’t just pick a tech partner based on what they say about themselves. Instead, go with what their clients say. A good technology partner must have a track record that confirms that they are the right person for the job. And this means that they can comfortably handle anything you send their way.
In other words, check out for what their current and former clients say about them. Do they boast a reputable collection of satisfied clients, with most of them left satisfying testimonies? Or is it the other way round? Besides that, look for their documented achievements they have helped their clients make.
If possible, contact the customers and ask them questions regarding how excellent the potential partner offers responses, networks, and supports them in their hotel business. Moreover, ask about the efficiency and convenience of their technology.
4. Size Of The Tech Partner
Since technology is ever-evolving, you will never find a one-size-for approach to each need and service. You should understand that a vast partner can be a great problem just like a small one. Therefore, hoteliers need first to know how best and influential the technology partners handled similar projects in the past.
By doing so, they can gauge and understand the best type of partnership they can expect to get. At the same time, they can assess whether or not the partner is a perfect match for their business. It is also crucial to remember that smaller technology companies often innovate incredibly faster without a hassle.
They also offer instant responses to their clients’ requests and feedback about development. Plus, they put more focus on providing their clients more personal attention, which is better for your hotel business’s success.
5. Look Into The Future
Guest hotel technology doesn’t come only to solve problems at a present time. Instead, it is engineered to guide and help the user have a flawless performance into the future. While the hospitality industry is still evolving, it is obvious new ones are on their way or can adapt to the current trends and needs.
So, hotels should depend on a tech partner whose platforms can enable them to stay responsive and agile in their operations. Other than that, their systems should always provide room for adjustments and growth. During the vetting process for the best hotel tech partners, consider asking them the following:
- Is their platform scalable? Can they help improve and expand the business over time?
- Do their technological platforms provide easy integrations for cross-system functionality as your small hotel grows its level of technology?
- Does the system have flexible service or package options?
- Do they provide several solutions and platforms?
- Does the potential technology partner have a vision for their platform’s future and mostly the hospitality industry?
Final Words
Selecting a new technology partner in the hospitality industry is not an easy thing. It simply marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between the tech provider and the hotel. A people-centered approach plays a vital role in the industry by predetermining the success of a particular solution in a hotel. And impacts the hotel’s success into the future.
With the above tips, you can easily choose the best hotel tech partners who offer a genuine and profound commitment to your business’s success. And also, empower their team to perform their most exceptional tasks while keeping your guests at the frontline of all the tasks they perform.
