Manet Mobile Solutions (MMS) continues performing innovation on its IT platform to implement increasingly smart and flexible digital solutions for Travel industry. Thanks to its devops partner, Neboola, a new cloud platform has been implemented on Amazon AWS to drive our Continuous Improvement approach.
Neboola recently helped MMS to carry out a further step towards containerizing its digital services. The best choice in terms of costs and benefits to deploy a containerized cloud platform without the obstacle of external dependencies or legacy environments fell on ECS Fargate, the AWS branded and fully-managed container orchestration service, which allows excellent levels of scalability, reliability and cost optimization.
A few dozen yaml code lines were suitable for creating a Bitbucket pipeline to smartly automate the build and release of new software versions in the development and production environments.
Amazon AWS ECS is the simplest and most immediate way to quickly get in touch with the advantages of containerization. The choice to adopt this technology is essential to tackle the project by using an efficient and cost-effective approach.
“I am very satisfied with the results obtained thanks to the introduction of these technologies. The cost of AWS ECS service is highly competitive and the effort required to see our software up & running is minimal with respect to the traditional IT architectures. This means accelerating new features release and cutting the time to market for our ideas and our new business initiatives. This can be extremely important both for startups and for traditional companies: this approach helps to become more efficient and to emerge in an increasingly competitive industry.“
This is how Andrea Proietti, CIO at Manet Mobile Solutions, has commented his experience with AWS ECS.
With continuous changes and developments in the digital world, industries and businesses need to adapt to the latest technological innovations and advancements.
After every decade, every industry experiences the need to go through a series of technological changes and transformations. And same is the case with the hospitality and food and beverage industry.
Today, hotel guests prefer to stay at those hotels than can offer a personalized hotel experience to their guests. Right from selecting the best snowbird heliskiing destinations to getting details about accommodations and reservations; people prefer a more quick, reliable and efficient customer service.
Benefits of providing personalized services to the clients
All kinds of hotel operators are actively adapting to the latest technologies that are specially made for the hotel industry. Right from building personalized mobile apps to providing virtual room tours, hotel operators are using all their digital resources to improve the overall quality of their service for their clients.
Today, hotels are aware of the competition between both new and old hotel operators. As a result, businesses are striving hard to find stand out by offering more personalized services to their clients.
To survive amidst the corona pandemic, companies need to upgrade their internal and external business operations.
The Internet of Things (IoT) in the hospitality industry
By using the latest technological solutions, hotel operators can address different issues related to the hospitality industry and find effective ways to solve them.
Today the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) can be seen everywhere. Through smart rooms, guests can control all different amenities. And with the help of AI bots, guests can get a timely response on behalf of the hotel operators.
Whether it is IoT (Internet of Things), AI (Artificial Intelligence) or VR, (Virtual Reality), the hotel industry is benefiting a lot by using these technologies.
Giving access to different amenities and services through the mobile app or voice assistants
Just like any other service industry today, clients expect a smooth and uninterrupted hotel experience. The use of technology and the level of service given to customers should be better than what clients have access to at home.
With the rise of Airbnb and other online lodging services, accommodation that is backed by IoT and other smart features are becoming more popular among the general public.
• An IoT enabled smart room allows guests to access all amenities and services through the hotel’s own mobile app or voice assistants like Siri or Alexa. • In smart rooms, all appliances, gadgets, and amenities are controlled by IoT hardware and voice assistants. • Smart rooms help the guests to get more personalized and timely services from the hotel operators.
The use of automated chatbots in the hospitality industry
AI solutions, when combined with ML (machine learning), can determine big data that gives more accurate estimates for improving the decision-making powers.
One of the most famous examples of the implementation of AI in the hospitality industry is the increasing use of chatbots. These automated bots can:
• Help to improve the overall user experience of guests during their stay at a hotel. • Are programmed to interact with hotel guests through various apps. • Can provide relevant information regarding purchase history, accommodation, food preferences, online and offline payment options, recreational activities offered, etc.
With time and continuous testing and support, these bots tend to improve and become more for giving suggestions and recommendation to guests.
Analyzing and predicting booking behaviour
AI-driven bots are more responsive and quick. They can provide prompt answers and suggestions to guests on time. Chatbots have undoubtedly become the foundation of the entire hospitality industry.
Right from making reservations, to providing online customer support when combined with machine learning algorithms can help to predict customer behavior while making a booking with a hotel operator.
Giving virtual rooms tours to guests
With the help of AR, ML, and VR technologies, hotels can provide virtual rooms tours. To experience these virtual tours, people need to have:
• Access to a computer • Any smart device with a Wi-Fi connection • VR glasses • Headsets
In some cases, hotels provide headsets to their clients. Through customized hotel apps, users can access all kinds of information regarding accommodation, food, and other services charges.
To sum up
Considering the current situation regarding the COVID 19 outbreak, a branded hotel application can help both customers and hotel operators to interact without any form of physical contact.
Moreover, guests can access any hotel service from anywhere anytime. Furthermore, guests can receive various notifications, alerts, messages, and updates through these apps. Therefore, customers can make online bookings, check-in, and check-out through these apps.
Covid-19,
also known as the Coronavirus, is rapidly becoming a global
emergency. Some countries, most notably China, Iran and Italy, have
been hit by large
numbers of cases.
Other countries have seen lower numbers of cases but are being
affected by government restrictions and a growing sense of unease in
the community, in what the World
Health Organization
now has officially called a global pandemic. Large events and
gatherings have been canceled all across the world, airlines are
suspending certain routes, and the US and other countries have
instituted travel
restrictions.
This has serious implications for the tourism industry. Owners of hotels and vacation rentals are always seeing their businesses seriously impacted by this emergency situation. Covid-19 does not need to be a destructive force to your business, however. You can handle it effectively. Here is some advice on how to deal with the Covid-19 emergency as a hotel or vacation rental owner.
source: www.pexels.com
Take the opportunity to improve your service offerings
During
the Covid-19 emergency, especially if your property is located in an
infected area, your
bookings will collapse and your vacancy rates will skyrocket.
It is important, however, to focus on the long term. In the short
term, your property may be empty and your profits will take a hit.
However, take a step back and look at how this period fits into the
long-term strategy of your business.
This
is a great time to review and improve your offers and services. For
example, this will be the ideal time to undertaken maintenance or
repairs on your property. You can use the slow period to conduct
staff training, either refreshing previous training or adding to
their skill set. You can also take this opportunity to develop new
offerings of products for your hotel or vacation rental, and in
particular to work on your marketing and targeting strategies. This
will mean that once this crisis is over, you will be in an excellent
position to hit the ground running with your business and make it
better than ever before.
During the crisis, it is a good idea to include a message of reassurance in your digital guest communications. As you’re gearing up to deal with the virus at your hotel, provide your guests with up-to-date digital information about the actions you’re taking in regard to health and safety. This will not only enhance the service you offer to your guests but also, it will give them honest, upfront information, which is key during a crisis.
source: www.pexels.com
Maintain your rates
During
these types of crises, it can be tempting to drop your rates.
However, it is important that you hold steadfast and maintain your
rates at their current levels. When occupancy rates are slashed due
to a global emergency, reducing your rates will have no impact
whatsoever on demand. For a guest who is cautious to travel due to
health concerns, or is unable to do so because of flight or
government restrictions, a lower price won’t convince them to book
with your property.
What dropping your rates will do, however, is damage your business over the long term, much more than Covid-19 will. Once you have lowered your rates, it is very difficult to increase them again, and price recovery can literally take years. Therefore, the best solution is to maintain your rates throughout the crisis. A good thing to do at this time, however, is to make cancellation policies more flexible. This will help you to avoid bad reviews from guests who may have already booked but want to cancel because of coronavirus fears.
Maximize revenue from every guest
In
the context of a downturn in demand, it is important to make sure you
get maximum revenue from every guest you have. Every little bit of
revenue helps, so now is the time to put efforts toward optimizing
guest experiences. It’s an opportunity to prepare to offer extra
services to guests in the future.
This is where extra services come in: our data shows that the highest upselling conversion comes from offering at least eight ancillary services to all of your segments. There are certain things all guests want, such as transportation, food, activities, and a great hotel experience overall. Make sure that your future guests buy these services from you rather than elsewhere.
source: www.pexels.com
Keep marketing going
In
a similar way, it is important to maintain your marketing strategy
throughout the crisis. Continuing with marketing tactics is essential
to attract as many guests as possible, as well as to set yourself up
for maximum bookings once the crisis is over. You should be
honest and upfront in your digital marketing about everything that is
happening. This is, for example, an excellent opportunity to let them
know about all the changes you are making regarding health and
safety.
This is also the time to make practical shifts in your marketing to reflect the current situation. You may, for example, look to target local markets. There could be a great opportunity to host domestic travelers who are unable to go overseas at this time. You may also look for countries exiting the emergency and start targeting their markets also.
Final thoughts
Although
there is no doubt that Covid-19 represents a significant challenge to
hotels and vacation rental businesses, it can also be used as an
opportunity. By holding steadfast in your rates and being creative in
marketing approaches, you can use this crisis to make your business
stronger, so you will be ready to hit your stride again once the
crisis is over.
This
is also a time to identify your most valuable business partners.
These people will reveal themselves through the crisis as the ones
who will communicate and cooperate with you to face the emergency
together. Although it is difficult to see this global emergency as a
blessing, it can be used as an opportunity for hotel and vacation
rental owners in a variety of ways.
Our industry is constantly changing and adapting to movements and developments. 2020 is a revolutionary year because it will firmly cement several growing trends that cannot be ignored if you want to stay relevant.
Trend #1 Guests Will Get Serious About Sustainability
People aren’t willing to ignore the global issues we face and the social responsibility they feel you have. Showing your efforts in this space will establish trust and help your guests do “their part” as they travel.
Millennials who travel not only want boutique hotels that manage their impact but that also communicate their initiatives. Point out where you’ve made changes because this group believes the success of a business should be measured by how it impacts the world.
Takeaways
Expand how you engage with the environmentally mindful traveler. Consider:
Monitoring the use of water
Removing single-use plastics from rooms and dining areas
Sourcing food from local farms
Offering vegan options
Trend #2 Digital Will Define the Customer Experience
The future of the hospitality industry leans heavily on technology. Mobile will continue its influence on how guests book and experience their stays. A growing subset in the digital space is the use of personalized hotel smartphones available for all guests. These allow hoteliers to have a stronger connection to their guests during their visit.
Takeaway
Yes, guests have their own phones, but allowing them the use of hotel smartphones allows you to:
Promote ancillary services and commercial offers
Collect statistical data about user behaviors
Reach guests inside and outside your hotel
Send personalized geolocated communications
An added bonus for foreign travelers is free calling and data. Some smartphones can be used at hotspots.
Trend #3 Travelers Will Want a Culturally Immersive Experience
Travelers are shifting from amenities to experiences. High-income travelers are saying they would rather spend their money on happenings than on upgraded rooms. Boutique hotels are uniquely positioned to capitalize on this trend because of their proximity to cultural hotspots and local attractions.
Takeaway
Partner with cultural centers and other local guides or experts and create experience packages. Or better yet, merge travelers’ love of cultural immersion with your digital offerings and use hotel smartphones to load your city’s best local experiences and attractions.
Geolocated points of interest allow users to be guided easily from attraction to attraction and back home to you. This allows you to be the hotel offering a culturally immersive experience, with the mobility and autonomy people desire.
Trend #4 There Will Be a Bigger Focus on Direct Bookings
There will be a growing focus on well-designed websites with a high-quality booking engine. Ensure your visitors have a smooth experience and highlight your brand to increase visitors’ recall.
Takeaway
Revisit your site to make sure the experience is seamless. Become fluent in SEO placement, email marketing, and social media campaigns to increase your brand’s awareness. Offer rewards to loyal customers, so they will be attracted to booking only through your site.
Boutique hotels need to be listed on metasearch engines (search aggregators) to increase their visibility and online footprint.
Trend #5 Boutique Hotels Should Become Insta-Worthy
Consumers will continue their photo and hashtag craze. Hoteliers are recognizing how these influencers can attract business organically through clever and posed photos.
Takeaway
You don’t need an overhaul or remodel. A few creative touches will up your hashtag prominence. Unusual elements outside like local plants or an artist’s mural can do the trick. Inside, focus on original food and drink items or different textures and colors in common spaces.
Customers are always evolving, and the most successful hoteliers stay ahead of trends. Make the most of them in 2020!
Technology continues to influence every part of our lives, from communication and commerce through to navigation and networking. No aspect of modern life has been impacted more than travel, with technology affecting every single aspect of the travel experience. Whether it’s booking accommodation, getting around a new city, or organizing work as a travel professional, let’s take a look at how travelers benefit from technology every single day.
Instant global communication
Many of the benefits ascribed to technology come under the banner of communication. Never before in human evolution have we had the ability to communicate with anyone at any time. This is especially useful for travelers, who often need to talk with multiple people across continents and time zones. The combination of global networks and mobile devices has made communication easier than ever before, which means you can book a flight, reserve a hotel room, or manage your work emails on the go.
Smart mobile travel assistants make communication easier than ever before, with free calls and internet services allowing travelers to contact nearby businesses and move around like a local. These tools offer a tailored and personal approach to modern travel, as guests are able to communicate, access useful guides, and book tickets for local attractions. Smart mobile travel assistants are equally great for accommodation providers and travel professionals, because they can add value through improved revenue streams and analytics while enhancing the customer experience.
Information and advice
The internet is a fountain of knowledge and advice, sometimes to its own detriment. Every regular traveler understands the importance of accurate and up-to-date information, with online forums and social platforms often used for travel inspiration and research. Smart mobile travel assistants are a great way to access relevant information in a customized and trustworthy package.
Dedicated travel apps have been tailor-made to solve common travel problems and provide a great user experience. By providing your guests with a free and accessible source of communication, they can access great deals and relevant tourist content. These apps work across the city and within your own hotel, with deep room integration enabling things like room service and automation.
Comparison and contrast
Despite its free-wheeling reputation, travel typically involves lots of research and screen time. With more products and services out there than ever before, it’s important to compare and contrast services in order to find the perfect fit. Comparison websites provide travelers with an easy way to research accommodation, tours, insurance, and anything else that’s integral to the travel experience.
While comparison websites are incredibly useful, sometimes too many options can lead to confusion and paralysis. Travelers now demand a more tailored and streamlined approach, with some comparison services able to learn from past choices and provide valuable recommendations. Smart narrow-cast advertising provides a similar approach, with businesses able to reach out to customers on their own terms. When these services are integrated with travel apps, hotels and other businesses can benefit from improved business opportunities.
Navigation and time management
Travelers need integrated maps and navigation services every single day. Gone are the days of large paper maps. Now we can fit an accurate map of the entire globe in the pocket of our jeans. Whether it’s navigating public transport in a new city, finding the fastest way to the airport, or working out if you’ve really got time for lunch, technology makes navigation and time management easier than ever before.
Smart mobile travel assistants provide personalized help wherever you go, with travelers able to take advantage of browsers, integrated content, and geolocalization features. While Google Maps and other navigation tools are available to everyone, a dedicated operating system designed especially for travelers provides a much richer and more comprehensive travel experience.
As reported by Geneva Business News, hoteliers need to be aware of the different services and amenities prioritized by leisure travelers, rather than assuming the priorities of business travelers apply to all guests.
Both the wants and needs of leisure travelers are less restrictive than those traveling for business, which makes catering to this massive group potentially quite lucrative. Here are three different services you can incorporate into your hotel to attract more leisure travelers.
Traveler using Manet Mobile Hot Spot for high quality internet connectivity Photo by Thomas Lefebvre on Unsplash
High-Quality Internet and Connectivity
There is simply no excuse for having poor internet services at your hotel, especially not in the eyes of a leisure traveler. Even those not dependent on the internet for work will still consider easy wifi connectivity and accessibility a top priority. Being able to watch videos, search for restaurants, and find activities to do while on vacation will improve your guests’ overall experience.
Providing high-quality internet service means that there should be no lagging, no overly complex passwords, and no additional charge for your guests. If you want to set your hotel apart from the competition, consider implementing charging stations and enabling internet access everywhere on your property (parking lot, bar, swimming pool, etc.)
Customized hospitality and accommodation services Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
Customizable Services and Amenities
Leisure travelers tend to consider customizable service, essentially having lots of variety and options to choose from, an integral part of having a satisfying travel experience. A prime example of how you can offer choice and variety is through room service. Having a wide array of options for the leisure traveler to choose from is highly important. Ways of diversifying how your hotel does room service include serving both local cuisine and international dishes, offering 24/7 service to accommodate every guest’s schedule, and having multiple dishes available for those with dietary restrictions.
Having choice and variety also helps travelers pay for what they want and avoid paying for what they don’t want. Providing options with different price points will attract leisure travelers with more diversity of incomes and budgets to your hotel.
Notably, having complementary breakfast services is also highly appreciated by leisure travelers. Many of them, especially students or young families, are more money-conscious than those traveling for business.
Other examples of customizable service and amenities would include:
Different room types and views to choose from
Different mini bar options
Offering a selection of bathroom product brands
Consider advertising special room add-ons such as coffee machines and record players
Offer access to streaming services such as Netflix and Disney Plus
Give guests the option of accessing special amenities such as a pool, a steam room, and spa services
The mobile travel assistant smartphone has changed the hospitality industry since its relatively recent arrival into hotels across the world. Hotel apps have become outdated and inconvenient for guests and hotel managers alike. With a mobile travel assistant, guests will have 24/7 access to a smartphone that improves their experience at your hotel in every way possible, including:
Finding restaurants and reviews
Organizing their overall trip
Contacting the front desk
Getting directions
Making bookings
Hotspot Capabilities
The smartphone can even be used as a room key, a tv remote, and a mainline phone. With the right mobile travel assistant, hoteliers can even access basic data from the linked devices, allowing them to receive helpful customer feedback, accommodate their guests efficiently, and even gain a new revenue stream through advertisements.
The travel and hospitality industries are constantly growing and changing. With technology being developed every day, it can be difficult to keep up with the newest gadgets and platforms. However, it’s important to learn about and incorporate these technologies, as they have the potential to elevate every aspect of a traveler’s experience.
4 Technologies Changing the Travel Industry
Whether you’re a hotelier, tour operator, restaurant owner, or avid traveler, utilizing these 4 technologies will enhance the experiences of you and your guests, and ensure that you’re in the know on today’s tech!
Mobile Travel Assistants
Mobile travel assistants are revolutionizing the hotel experience across the globe. Rendering hotel apps obsolete, mobile travel assistants provide everything a traveler needs, all packed into one smartphone. The capabilities of these devices can’t be overstated.
Hotels are placing mobile travel assistants in their rooms, giving guests access to the device 24/7 for the duration of their stay. Mutually beneficial to both guests and hoteliers, mobile travel assistants help guests organize their trip, allowing them to make bookings, find restaurants, watch audio guides and videos, get directions, and access all the tips and tricks they’ll need to have a great time. The smartphone also works in the hotel as a tv remote, room key, and mainline phone, allowing guests to contact the concierge, order room service, and more. It’s almost hard to believe all of this can be done from one device!
Linking up with mobile travel assistant technology is incredibly beneficial for hoteliers. With an organized web dashboard, hoteliers can access data (basic, non-private data) from the linked devices. This allows them to help guests quickly, centralize hotel services, receive more feedback, and access analytics and data regarding their guests’ average routines. This means that any hotel using these devices will be able to see which restaurants, activities, hotel services, and more are preferred by their guests.
Given that mobile travel assistants also allow hoteliers to control their own advertisements on the device (creating an additional revenue stream), hotels can market the best possible services to their guests.
These handy devices are capable of providing free unlimited local and international calls, and free unlimited 4G WiFi with hotspot capabilities. Needless to say, mobile travel assistants have become a rising star among hoteliers and travelers alike.
Social Media and 360 Videos
It’s a bit of a no brainer that social media has affected the travel industry. However, considering these platforms are constantly updating, there’s always a new feature to take advantage of. Instagram has come out ahead as an important social media platform to master if you’re looking to bring attention to any destination. With viral hashtags and beautiful filters, some travelers even plan their trips according to what they’ve viewed on Instagram.
This is why it’s more important than ever to understand how to market your business, city, or event online. Some current methods of marketing on Instagram include:
Advertising through popular Instagram accounts
Extensive research regarding popular hashtags
High-quality photo and video content
Consistent content upload schedule
Giveaways and contests for likes, shares, and follows
Sharing special discounts and coupon codes
There’s a new feature being used on various social media platforms that is changing the way people in the industry are marketing to potential travelers. Three-hundred-and-sixty-degree photos and videos are allowing businesses from all around the world to display their destination and services in a more immersive, emotional, and experiential way. Luckily, with the right camera, this feature is completely accessible to any business on social media. Take advantage of this amazing tool and connect with potential guests like never before.
Virtual Reality Travel
Virtual reality technology is becoming more and more prevalent across industries, and travel is no exception. This exciting platform takes immersive marketing to a whole other level. Using video and/or 360 photos, travelers can be transported all around the world with a VR headset. What better way to market your destination than by letting people experience it digitally?
Virtual reality headsets go beyond pictures. Want to see the California redwoods? How about one of the shopping streets in Tokyo? Due to the design of the headset, people can immerse themselves in sounds and other physical sensations that make them feel as if they’ve just been flown across the planet. Interestingly enough, it’s not just parks, beaches, and other natural landscapes embracing virtual reality. More and more hotel chains are beginning to use VR to allow their potential guests to view their selection of rooms. People like to know what they’re getting into when traveling far from home. VR fills that gap.
Virtual reality is slightly less accessible than the other tools on this list, but that’s likely to change as this technology is being incorporated into more and more industries.
Packaged Travel Booking Websites
It’s pretty typical to book your flights, hotels, and activities online. What has become increasingly popular, however, is the rise of interlinked or multiuse booking websites, offering packages and deals for multiple aspects of the standard travel experience. This allows tour operators to offer clients a more convenient booking experience, and oftentimes, a better deal. Here are just a few of the reasons why booking online has completely crushed booking by phone or email:
It only takes one look at the wildly popular website Trip Advisor to see the success of centralizing bookings for accommodations and events. Second only to the aptly named Booking.com, these websites have been incredibly dominant forces in the travel industry.
Almost every new piece of technology, whether intended for the travel industry or not, can be utilized to enhance the experiences of both guests and business owners. This can be in the realm of increasing your hotel’s efficiency, in marketing your location, or in simply building an experience that is more convenient for travelers. If you aren’t using these four technologies, give them a try and see what they can do for you and your business!
For years, hoteliers looking to enhance their guests’ travel experience have been using apps to make travel more convenient and personalized. However, while apps have been used by reputable hotel chains like Marriot International and Choice Hotels, they’re quickly becoming a thing of the past when compared to the capabilities of hotel smartphones like Manet.
Hotel apps are a thing of the past
With the proven ability to improve guest satisfaction, these devices manage to do everything an app can do and far more. The hotel smartphone, or rather, Manet mobile travel assistant, is already being used in many hotels across the world and is quickly becoming a favorite of travelers and hoteliers alike. The reason? There’s plenty.
What Is a Mobile Travel Assistant?
A mobile travel assistant is exactly what it sounds like. Someone in your pocket who can recommend restaurants (and keep you from the bad ones), help you book trips and activities, and even help you navigate the city. Devices like the Italian Manet traveler smartphones are a high-quality replacement for the apps that guests don’t bother downloading, have trouble accessing, or simply can’t figure out how to navigate. A mobile travel assistant completely eliminates this hassle. The smartphone is there for the guest in their room, packed with features, equipped with a SIM card and ready to be used for the duration of their stay.
Mobile travel assistants improve hotel guest experience
The Hotel Master Key
There are so many small cards and devices that hotels use to enhance their guests’ experience. What if these devices were all centralized into just one smartphone? The Manet traveler smartphone can replace a wide range of hotel tech, including:
Room Key
Smart TV Remote Control
Bulky Hotel Room Phone
Air-conditioner Remote Control
Room Lighitng Controller
One key for all hotel appliances
With all these features incorporated into one device, guests can worry less about losing things they need for their stay. The convenience doesn’t stop there, however, as hotel smartphones also allow guests easy access to room service and the concierge, and are an easy and fast to use communication channel with their hotel as explained further below.
Free Calls and Free WiFi
Even if your hotel has a well-running app, what happens if guests need to use it but don’t have internet access? With a smartphone, this problem is completely avoided.
With Manet’s free unlimited local and international calls, and unlimited 4G connectivity in and outside the hotel property, your guests will never have to worry about connectivity and hidden charges.
Mobile wifi hot spot
Even better, devices like Manet can also be used as WiFi hotspots so that guests can use additional devices, like personal laptops, smartphones, and tablets, without additional charges. Talk about earning good favor with guests! With easy 24/7 access to every online service and social app they could want and need, your guests will be taken care of at all times.
The Most Convenient Travel Tool
Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, Manet traveler smartphones can help every hotel guest have an experience that’s tailor made for them and their needs. Here are just a few of the features guests can access on their Manet device:
Tickets for local attractions, events, museums, etc.
Restaurant reviews, directions, and bookings
Tips and tricks to enjoying the city to the fullest
Maps and general directions
Local safety information
Texting with the Hotel
Hotel ancillary services ordering
Manet Smart Travel Assistant
Having all this services and data collected on just one device, without needing to search and dig around for them, allows guests to relax and enjoy their stay and time in the city. Needless to say, this new way of traveling, accompanied by a hotel smart mobile assistant is being highly praised by guests who’ve gotten to take advantage of it. Hotel smartphones are also a great solution for parents, traveling with young kids, who just don’t have the time to plan any last-minute outings without a ton of stress.
Revolutionary Service for Hoteliers
Traveler smart devices like Manet have made their debut on the market just very few years ago but are already delighting hoteliers at all levels of their industry. Here are just a few of the reasons for which solutions like Manet can enhance how hoteliers conduct business.
Feature-rich Dashboard: The Manet solution is not limited only to smart devices. It also has an saas web-based component allowing hoteliers control all of the device’s services from a well organized web dashboard and offering them an innovative CRM improving and enhancing hotel-guest communication. Through the dashboard, hoteliers and their employees can chat with clients or send them push notifications ensuring their service is both timely and professional.
Reputation Management: Manet offers hoteliers an integrated multi-channel reputation auditing system, including detailed feedback from all major travel reviewing websites like TripAdvisor, Facebook, Google, Booking and more. Furthermore, thanks to this system, hotel guests can be sent invitations to review their hotel and messages preventing them from leaving negative reviews. Improving hotel reputation has never been so easy before!
Valuable Analytics: Manet’s Dashboard helps hoteliers collect valuable data and analytics about the restaurants, events, places and activities that are favored by their guests. This way, improving guest experience and achieving guest delight becomes extremely intuitive.
Marketing and Revenue: Through Manet’s Dashboard and devices, hoteliers can easilly increase ancillary service sales thanks to easy-to-edit-from-the-dashboard mobile device service menus through which hotel guests can order food in their rooms, book airport transfers, buy spa treatments and any other service is offered by their hotel.
The Manet Dashboard
The Verdict
If you use a smartphone and have read carefully what’s written in this article, you can easilly imagine why hotel apps cannot compete with Manet Hotel Smartphones & Dashboard and why the latter are making travelers’ and hoteliers’ lives easier and happier!
While we can still work to prevent some
of the environmental threats, others should be reversed. Being a
large part of the tourism industry, hotels can contribute to making a
significant difference by applying certain changes in their policies.
Apart from offering the obviously
necessary environmental benefits, sustainability in hospitality also
proves to be more profitable in the long run by lowering costs and
attracting consumers. While owning or managing a hotel or resort you
have access to a number of practices which will make the place more
eco-friendly.
Eliminating plastics
It is no news that plastics are not
environmentally feasible. Single-use plastic items, produced for a
whole range of purposes are used for one day or shorter. When
disposed of, they take 1000 years to decompose, acting as a menace
for all animals, especially marine life during that time.
However, it’s becoming clear now that
it can be replaced in almost all circumstances. Biodegradable
materials, paper bags, and cloth bags are an easy solution for
storing laundry, food, and other purposes. You can use wax wraps
instead of plastic to store food products. Instead of providing
guests with plastic toothbrushes, provide them with eco-friendly
bamboo ones with a sweet note that informs them of its organic origin
and encourages them to take the toothbrush home after their stay.
Unnecessary Packaging
Thanks to the increased awareness, many
consumers wary of public places that promote the use of plastics.
They tend to avoid these places, ruining hoteliers whose success
depends on attracting customers. There are a number of startups that
offer refills without the hassle of plastic packaging for food
products, cleaning supplies and toiletries. Many famous chains
including Marriott have successfully started placing pump bottles in
washrooms instead of tiny bottles of shampoos and lotions.
Utensils
One of the most common plastic items on
hotel tables are straws. Millions of straws are used and discarded
every day. Instead, you can swap them for metal straws, which are
safer and can be recycled. Straws made from bamboo or other
plant-based materials serve the same way as normal straws but unlike
plastic, they decompose easily. Many hotels, bars and restaurants
around the world have already opted to go with reusable steel straws
instead of plastic ones. There have even been some really interesting
developments that can leave your guests wowed, for example, pasta
straws that have been developed recently by an Italian
manufacturer.
One man’s trash is another man’s
treasure. The things we throw out can often be reused and recycled to
serve beyond their original purpose. For instance, many vegetable
cuttings can be used to create compost, which can provide important
nutrition for your garden. Stained tablecloths and bed sheets can be
recycled into new aprons for chefs or into new laundry bags, as
proven by one
hotel in Toronto. Set up a recycling system for the
trash and prompt your guests to properly use it by putting up
informational posters.
Go Paper Free
In an era of astounding technological
advances, relying on paper for your day-to-day customer dealings
seems not just old-fashioned, but wasteful as well. Almost everyone
today owns and uses a smartphone. Every business needs to adapt with
its audience, therefore many hotels have developed their own
smartphone applications and blogs that the customers can enjoy.
Through such facilities, customers can also pay bills, check in and check out, give reviews and suggestions all at their fingertips. Smart travel assistants like Manet offer tools that help hotels meet at best their guests’ needs making their stay unique as well as sustainable by eliminating the need to print menus, catalogues, leaflets and any other paper based marketing material that hoteliers need to sell their ancillary services.
Tropical Climate?
Collect Rainwater
By collecting rainwater through a
simple filter, you can save yourself up to
70% of the main water system’s usage. The Renewable
Energy Hub is one company that offers such facilities.
Transport
Cars emit tons of carbon into the air
every day. You can encourage your customers to use rentals and public
transport by offering discounts and giving out a ‘walking map’
which shows all transport points. Environmentally-friendly options
such as electric cars and bicycles can be encouraged in a similar
manner by setting up bike rentals and EV charging outside the hotel.
Become Energy
Efficient
Lighting
Automatic lighting systems are super
convenient as they save your consumers the effort while
simultaneously saving you bills. No one will have to remember about
turning the lights off in their rooms when they go out, and the
lights on the corridors won’t have to be on all night. Other
options such as LED
lights which have the lowest carbon footprint and last
longer are a good option as well.
Another pocket-friendly alternative is
to use natural daylight wherever and whenever possible. It is known
to be an instant mood-lifter – a touch your guests will surely
appreciate. You should try and also install skylights wherever
possible.
Renewable Energy
Investing in renewable energy options
such as windmills or the more common solar panels may seem expensive.
But the one-time charges more than compensate for themselves when
your electricity bills go down. These clean energy sources are free
for you to utilize, and unlike fuel-powered alternates they produce
no harmful emissions. Some governments subsidize investments such as
these in order to promote sustainability.
Train Your Staff to
be Environmentally Friendly
Last but not the least, it’s very
important to train your staff on the importance
of taking care of the environment. Give them yearly
training courses teaching them to take care of non-renewable
resources; switching off lights and appliances when they’re not in
use, be mindful when using water and to report and fix any leaking
pipes. A well-trained staff is more important than any equipment you
can buy.
Investing in these eco-friendly
technologies and techniques will help you save your costs as well as
the environment. As inhabitants of this planet, we should take
responsibility for it and do our part in making it better – not
worse.
About the author:
Giles Kirkland is a clean technology enthusiast and sustainable living advocate who blogs about his passions. You can find more of his articles at Oponeo, on Facebook and Twitter.
