2023: The Year We Take Back the Meaning of In-Person Events
As we begin a New Year with new and returning board members, and I take the position of Chapter President at The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Boston Chapter, we are ready with a packed agenda and a great outlook with guest speakers, panels, and social/networking events along the way.
As we begin a New Year with new and returning board members, and I take the position of Chapter President at The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Boston Chapter, we are ready with a packed agenda and a great outlook with guest speakers, panels, and social/networking events along the way. This can only be successful with the support of our local hoteliers for event space and sponsorship, and our local photographer. I couldn’t be more thrilled to lead a wonderful team of hospitality professionals. Our mission statement has strengthened over the years and even more after two years of online meetings. This is the year we take back the meaning of in-person events and bring networking to the next level.
The word on the street is that after the last several years we have realized as an industry the need to advance the current tech stack for hotels and resorts. The focus for 2023 and beyond is on innovation and technology. The days of legacy systems, long-term contracts, and dishing out a ton of cash are over! Let’s face it, there are limited cloud-based platforms out there that align themselves with operators that want to help grow your business and increase revenues while providing a better guest experience.
Photo Credit: David Fox
Not knowing where to begin with implementing new systems, we go on the search for “what’s new”. We look to our peers and read all the case studies and press releases on new and upcoming products. So many times I’ve heard “I know we need to upgrade, but I just don’t have the time or the resources to start the process”Yes, it can get overwhelming and confusing to know what you need and what you want. We find organizations will stick with what’s already in place vs. what’s better for business but those properties will be left behind as technology continues to enhance operational efficiencies, reduce operating costs and assist with the consistent labor shortages our industry continues to experience. It’s a large project to take on but long term it’s a project that needs to take place sooner rather than later.
With the guest in mind when searching for new products, travelers are more likely to book your hotel or resort when they can control their own experiences. We have to give them what they don’t have at home. No longer are the days of the flat-screen TV or the iPod docking stations in the guest rooms, they are no longer a luxury, it’s a basic requirement. Guests want the convenience of ordering what they want when they want it and they want to control the process on their own personal devices. How many of your guests are ordering through third-party ordering apps from their guest room because your In-Room Dining order taker called out sick and no one is picking up the phone or when your restaurant is closed, or short-staffed and they don’t want to wait for a table or to stand in line? You would be surprised if you had the time to stand in your lobby during peak dining times and watch how many deliveries your doorman or front desk accepts.
Adding a solution like the GoTab platform will boost your food and beverage revenues, enhance the guest experience, and give you a competitive edge over your comp-set. Empowering your guest to open, and share tabs, one tap ordering anywhere throughout your hotel or resort, provides you the opportunity to collect guest preferences and tailor their experience around their ordering patterns and behaviors. This is taking it to the next level, guests want that magical moment and by creating their own experiences they are going to remember.
GoTab Inc offers a point-of-sale, on-demand ordering and payment system, RFID ordering, and kitchen display with two-way communications between operator and guest to streamline efficiencies and enhance service. GoTab allows you to take the transactional tasks out of the hands of your server and adds hospitality back into your daily service while growing your revenues by 30%, turning tables faster, and increasing staff tips by 20%. Going with GoTab will be the new norm.
Photo Credit: David Fox
Situated “in the heart of it all, yet tranquil enough to make you feel away from it all too,” The Limelight Hotel Snowmass offers 99 hotel rooms and 11 residences, as well as footsteps-to-gondola access in winter and summer — right in the middle of Snowmass Base Village.
The Situation
Especially over the last few years, the Limelight Hotels IT team had witnessed a significant shift to contactless technology in the hospitality industry. After evaluating friction points in the guest journey, aligning with modern technology platforms in their restaurant was determined to be an effective way to offer elevated contactless dining experiences to their guests while also evolving their technology platforms to continue to support long-term company goals. Limelight Hotel partnered with GoTab to provide an enhanced on-demand dining experience on par with the brand’s reputation for exceptional guest service.
The Solution
Reducing Staff Touch Points Without Sacrificing Guest Experience
Guests are now able to begin a tab from their room or the property’s restaurant by scanning a QR code, texting a link to friends or family members on the ski slope to add in their orders, then meeting up together at the patio or lodge to enjoy their meal and après ski festivities without interruption. By streamlining tasks like inputting orders and processing payments, this eliminates friction for hotel staff and allows them to focus on delivering renowned guest service for a memorable experience. Since partnering with GoTab, Limelight Snowmass has consistently seen higher check averages and sales.
“We found the Point of Sale platforms we were looking at offered the guest and staff limited opportunities to further reduce touch points or improve the traditional restaurant experience. The GoTab platform enabled the guest to take an active role over the flow of their experience while simultaneously reducing touch points and further streamlining restaurant operations.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group
According to the Limelight Hotels team, some of the other platforms that were evaluated were either missing some of the pieces they were looking for, had weak customer support models, or had little willingness to develop integrations to existing hotel platforms already in place. To that end, GoTab integrated with cloud-based platform, Infor. Together, GoTab and Infor are providing dynamic solutions to support central, efficient service across hotel amenities and deliver exceptional guest experiences.
“Previously, guests would call down to the restaurant to begin an order from their room or while they were out enjoying the ski slopes. Using GoTab, guests can now place orders from anywhere on the resort, giving them the on-demand service they want without interrupting their day. GoTab empowers us to give control to the guest, reducing touch points and streamlining overall restaurant operations, making Limelight Hotel the resort of choice for Snowmass.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group
Since introducing GoTab, The Limelight Hotel has seen a consistent level of upsells and items sold per check resulting in additional revenue capture. They have been able to maintain service levels in their restaurants during periods when there was reduced staffing available without significantly diminishing the guest experience.
The Benefits
Eliminate Phone Orders – Take Orders from the Slopes. Guests can start a tab from their room or on the mountain without interrupting the flow of their day.
Future-Proofed Technologies – Delivering elevated contactless ordering via integration with the Infor hotel management platform.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
