Mobile Apps For Competitive Advantage

In today’s competitive business environment hotels have to adopt every means to have an edge over other contenders and a key weapon in their arsenal is technology. Mobile apps are being used constantly by the industry to provide better service to their customers. Mobile websites and apps help customers to browse through the hotel’s services, read the reviews and book rooms. Latest technological advances have contributed towards making check-in and check-out and other guest related processes easy, seamless and fast. Some hotels have even made it possible for guests to have voice controlled rooms where they can control the lighting, temperature, TV, draperies, etc in their rooms vocally. Ashok Malkani examines how hotels have managed greater guest satisfaction, while at the same time enabling them to have a better rapport with guests by understanding their likes and dislikes with the aid of mobile apps.

- Ashok Malkani

The Indian hospitality industry has been progressing at a steady pace. Current trends represent a positive growth in the coming years. Presently over 29,000 rooms are under construction which are expected to be added to the country’s inventory over the next 5-6 years. This positive growth, according to analysts, is mainly due to advanced management system.

Technology has, it is believed, impacted the hospitality industry in a positive way. Right hotel management system or PMS (property management system) can help the industry grow manifold.

Adoption of right technology can help hoteliers to ensure enhanced operational capabilities. In today’s highly competitive market, hoteliers should not look at the investment in hotel management system as an added operational cost but as an advantage for securing more business. Rather technology can be used by hoteliers to save on operational costs and providing better services to guests.

There can be no doubt that technology has impacted the hospitality industry in a positive way. Most of the customers today use mobile apps. According to Nielsen (a leading global information & measurement company) data, a smartphone user spends around 85% of the time on apps. Clearly, mobile technology, powered by the internet and the presence of apps, is a game changing development for hotel industry for better consumer service and engagement

Yes, in this environment, it is imperative that hotels get on board with what mobile has to offer, otherwise they will find business slipping away from them.

As the customer experience is top of the line for hotel business, hotel managers and owners are taking support of mobile apps. Some of the features of mobile apps for hotel industry are:

Live and Up-to-date Information Sharing

Better Trend Predictions Based on Customer Behaviour

Maintaining Long-term Relationships and Connecting with Customers