Let’s imagine your guest walking into your hotel after a long trip. The receptionist greets them by name, hands over their favorite room, and even has their go-to drink waiting at the bar. Perfect service, right?
Now, imagine providing a similar level of service for hundreds of guests across multiple properties – without exhausting your team or spending a fortune.
That’s where things get tricky.
Guests today expect service that feels personal. But as hotels grow, maintaining that level of attention becomes a challenge. Staff get overwhelmed, operations slow down, and suddenly, what used to feel personal starts feeling robotic or inconsistent.
So, how do you scale up without losing the human touch? The key is smart processes and the right technology. In this article, we’ll break down:
- ● How guest expectations have changed over time.
- ● The biggest obstacles hotels face when trying to scale personalized service.
- ● How technology can help without replacing real human connection.
- ● Practical steps to make it all work in daily operations.
Let’s get into it.
What do your guests want today?
With social media and review platforms providing insights into hotels around the world, guest expectations are rising – and fast.
In addition to personalization, guests are increasingly seeking high-end experiences. They prefer to avoid any communication at the front desk and head straight to their rooms.
Then, they want real-time responses to their questions, whether through an app or messaging service. They also crave unique, local experiences.
All this change is driven by several key factors:
● The rise of the experience economy
Guests are not just booking a place to sleep, they're booking an experience. This desire for memorable, aesthetic, and one-of-a-kind stays is at an all-time high.
● Technology is always accessible
With mobile apps, AI, and smart tech at their fingertips, guests have become accustomed to instant request resolution. They expect personalized service to be readily available at their convenience.
● Competition is fierce
Platforms like Airbnb have expanded guests’ options, making it crucial for hotels to stand out and be creative in offering their services.
Real-world cases of successful personalization
This shift in expectations affects properties of all sizes differently.
For instance, small hotels or independent properties may struggle to meet the growing demand for personalization without a large staff or high-tech systems. Mid-sized hotels typically have more resources but still face challenges in scaling solutions that don’t complicate their operations.
On the other hand, larger hotels or chains can manage scale, yet they often grapple with delivering consistent personalized service across all the rooms and locations.
To put things into perspective, let’s look at a few examples of how personalized service is being executed effectively:
● Marriott’s Bonvoy app: This app allows guests to select room preferences, check in online, and even chat directly with hotel staff – all from their phones.
● Four Seasons: Known for their exceptional customer service, they remember guest preferences (like favorite restaurants and room amenities) to provide a tailored experience during repeat visits.
● Airbnb: While not a traditional hotel, Airbnb excels at delivering personalized recommendations based on past stays, location preferences, and guest profiles.
All these examples highlight how hospitality businesses can successfully adapt to evolving guest expectations while maintaining their unique charm.
The struggle of growing and maintaining a personal touch
It’s all about finding the right balance.
On one hand, hotels need to be efficient to stay profitable and manage growing guest numbers. On the other hand, they can’t afford to sacrifice the personalized experiences that keep guests coming back.
The key challenges in this situation are usually the following:
Resource allocation issues
With growing demand, hotels often find themselves stretched thin. There’s only so much a limited team can do, and trying to keep up with guest expectations can result in burnout, mistakes, or missed opportunities.
Staff training and consistency
As the team expands, maintaining consistent service standards can become a struggle. It’s crucial to train new staff effectively to uphold the same level of personalized service. Inconsistent experiences across different shifts or properties can lead to bad reviews.
Data management and usage
To offer personalized service, hotels need to collect and analyze guest data. But managing and making sense of this data is a lot of work, especially when you’re dealing with multiple locations or systems. Without proper data management, your efforts may fall flat.
Cost implications
Delivering personalized service at scale often requires more staff, better systems, and improved technology, leading to higher costs. Balancing cost efficiency while maintaining a personal touch is what should be the cornerstone of all your strategy.
How technology can help you solve that
While it might sound like a paradox, it’s entirely possible to scale your guest service efforts without sacrificing that personal connection.
Technology, when used effectively, can be the key to bridging this gap. The right systems can help streamline operations, reduce manual workload, and ensure consistent service, while making the guest experience feel more personalized.
The role of modern PMS in guest service
With the right PMS, you can automate many processes that traditionally required manual intervention, such as guest check-ins, billing, or managing reservations, freeing up your team to focus on guest interactions.
Moreover, a robust PMS offers:
✓ Real-time data
Track guest preferences and behaviors as they happen, allowing for immediate responses and personalized experiences.
✓ Centralized management
Manage guest interactions, requests, and feedback from one platform, ensuring no detail is overlooked.
✓ Multi-location support
For chains or larger properties, a PMS allows you to maintain consistent service across multiple locations, all while managing them from a central system.
How automation supports (not replaces) the human touch
How automation supports (not replaces) the human touch
Automation can sound like a buzzword, but when used correctly, it’s a game-changer.
It doesn’t mean less personal interaction, it simply means your staff can focus on what really matters. You allow your team to spend more time on meaningful guest interactions.
Some examples of automation’s role include:
✓ Automated check-ins and check-outs
Guests can skip the front desk, and your staff can focus on making sure everything about their stay is perfect.
✓ Guest preference tracking
Use automation to remember guest preferences, from room temperature to dining habits, so you’re always prepared when they arrive.
✓ Task automation for staff
Automate cleaning schedules, maintenance requests, and billing to ensure your team is always on top of things without feeling overwhelmed.
Implementation strategies for your success
Adopting the right technology solution is a process, and getting it right will ensure your efforts don’t just look good on paper, but they’ll work in real life too. Let’s see what you can do here to do it right.
1. Assess your current operations
Before you start investing in new systems or changing how things work, it’s essential to take a good look at your current operations.
What’s working? What isn’t? Consider these areas:
● Guest experience. Are your guests happy with the level of personalization they receive, or is there room for improvement?
● Staff workload. Do your team members feel stretched thin, or are they able to focus on guest relationships?
● Technology gaps. Are there areas where technology could streamline processes or make things more efficient?
2. Select the right technology
Once you have a clear picture of where you stand, it’s time to choose a solution that fits your needs. When it comes to Property Management Software, it’s crucial to find one that provides flexibility, especially for medium-sized hotels that want to grow.
HotelFriend’s Select package is a great choice for hotels that want to choose only the features they need and scale on the go.
With this package, you can create a solution that fits your property without paying for extras that don’t bring any extra value. Whether you only want basic software plus resources management tools, or you also opt for a self-service kiosk (yes, we have that!) – Select package offers you full freedom to choose.
3. Training your team and gaining buy-in
New technology can be overwhelming for staff, but training is key to success. To ensure your team is on board with the changes, you’ll need to:
● Offer comprehensive training. Make sure your staff understands how the new system will improve their day-to-day tasks.
● Highlight benefits. Help staff see how the system can ease their workload and enhance their ability to deliver personalized service.
● Foster a culture of improvement. Encouraging buy-in from all levels of the team ensures that everyone works together to make the transition smooth.
4. Measuring success and ROI
As you implement your new system, keep track of your results. What’s working? Are guests more satisfied with their personalized experiences? Are staff more efficient in handling requests?
Key performance indicators like guest satisfaction scores, staff productivity, and revenue growth provide insight into whether the investment is paying off. If the system enhances service quality and operational efficiency, the long-term benefits will be clear.
5. Planning for the future
As your property continues to grow, you can always plan for scalability. You’ll want to ensure that your technology can adapt to future needs.
A scalable system ensures that new modules or integrations can be added as demand increases, allowing for continuous improvements without disrupting operations. Reliable customer support from the provider also plays a crucial role in long-term success, offering guidance when challenges arise.
Lastly, part of growing is planning for the unexpected, such as a global pandemic or an unforeseen economic downturn. Having a robust, flexible system in place allows you to pivot quickly when needed. With the right technology, you can adapt to changing circumstances without compromising guest satisfaction.
Key takeaways
Personalized service is no longer just a luxury, but an expectation. However, as properties grow, maintaining that level of attention while managing operations at scale can be a challenge. Limited resources, staff training, and communication gaps often stand in the way of delivering a perfect guest experience.
Here, the right technology can make all the difference. A modern PMS helps organize your operations while preserving the personal touch guests appreciate. Automation isn’t about replacing hospitality, it’s about enhancing it, and making every guest feel valued without overburdening your team.
