December 17, 2024 • 34 mins
How can luxury hotels redefine the guest experience by transforming check-in and check-out into a more personalized journey? In this episode, Kris Leszczynski, Group GM at London based Edwardian Hotels, reveals innovative strategies that blend technology with exceptional service.
Key Takeaways:
- Discover how Edwardian Hotels leverages technology to create a seamless guest journey, from pre-arrival communications to personalized in-stay experiences.
- Learn about the importance of integrating CRM and PMS systems to enhance operational efficiency and guest satisfaction, allowing staff to focus on building relationships rather than administrative tasks.
- Explore the surprising role of technology in maintaining the human touch in luxury hospitality, ensuring that guests feel recognized and valued throughout their stay.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I, in principle, believe that check-in and check
out are the biggest issues ofhospitality. I believe that we
should try to replace check-inwith welcome and check out with
farewell. Check-in needs to beexperiential. And at the moment,
I believe that check-in is therebecause some information is
missing.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
From Hotel Tech Report, it's Hotel Tech Insider,
a show about the future ofhotels and the technology that
powers them.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
On this episode, we chat with Chris Lesinski, who
heads up the service operationsvertical at Edwardian Hotels.
This hotel group owns andoperates 3 luxury hotels in
London, including the iconicMayfair. You're wondering how to
strike the right balance betweentechnology and automation,
especially in the luxury space,you'll want to listen to this
(00:47):
one. Great to have you on thepodcast, Chris. Would love for
you to kick it off with a littleintro about your company, your
role, and what you've been doingwith technology, in short,
before we get into the rest ofthe questions.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Thank you, and good afternoon, Adrian. And good
afternoon to all of thelisteners of Hotel Tech Report.
Thank you for having me on thepodcast. It's great to be here.
So about myself and my company,I am a part of Edwardian Hotels
London.
We are a privately owned Londonbased company that owns and
operates 3 5 star luxury hotels.That's the Londoner Hotel, which
(01:24):
is a part of Preferred LegendCollection. And then we also
operate and own the famousMayfair, which is a part of
Radisson Collection, as well asthe destination Northern Hotel,
which is the EdwardianManchester, also a part of
Radisson collection. And my roleis to head service operations
for the Edwardian Hotels London.My role reports directly to the
(01:47):
board and to the CEO of thebusiness, essentially is
responsible for aligning tools,process, as well as the tech
element together to provide theultimate support to the
commercial strategy.
The ultimate goal of what I doin terms of customer experience,
in terms of brand standards, isto retain, repeat, and maximize
(02:11):
any potential revenueopportunities coming
specifically from the roombusiness. I like to think that
the commercial teams always havethe upper hand on operations as
they are the ones whostrategically set directions
financially and commercially forthe organization. And my role is
to underpin all of these effortsand bring in strategies, bring
(02:33):
in systems, technologies,structures to be able to deliver
on all of these expectations.Kind of get it done role in a
very, very simple terms. Hopethat that explains more or less
what this is about.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Can you tell me just a little bit more about your
properties? Who's your targetguest? You mentioned that they
are high end properties. Do youhave food and beverage or spa or
other outlets as part of theoperations there?
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Absolutely. Within the Radisson Hotel group
portfolio, we operate thecollection of kitchen
restaurants. At at Wood inManchester, we have the renowned
Peter Street Kitchen, whichrecently won the best luxury
restaurant in 2024 in the UnitedKingdom, and it has received a
lot of prestigious accoladesover the last few years. With
(03:21):
regards to the Mayfair, we havejust relaunched the famous
Mayfair Bar, giving it a newlook focusing on travel inspired
collection of crafted cocktailsand foods from all around the
world. The Londoner is the 1stsuper boutique as we like to
call it, which is immense in itssize, but very intimate in its
feel.
Here at the Londoner, weactually offer 6 independent
(03:43):
food and beverage outlets,including of the rooftop bar, as
well as French Mediterraneanrestaurants. We have a lovely
pub, and we have also anincredible afternoon tea led
concept within our public areas.Our luxury hotels always focus a
lot on creating that groundfloor experience to our guests.
So not only can they enjoy ourbeautiful bedrooms, but also
(04:06):
enhance their experience byusing our spas. Each of the
hotels has a beautiful spa.
Up at Wood in Manchester, wehave the spa and gym, which is
very much a destination with abeautiful swimming pool. The
Mayfair has got a great spa. Andat the Londoner, we have the
great retreat with the swimmingpool, treatment rooms,
barbershop, nail salon, hair andmakeup, as well as an incredible
(04:29):
gym open 24 hours to our guests.So the hotels really offer a
great variety of services,facilities, and amenities, and
each of them respond well to themarket that they are located.
Mayfair, being in the heart ofone of the most affluent areas
of the city, has really been oneof the most famous destination
hotels over the last decades.
(04:51):
Mayfair was opened in thethirties by the king himself. We
are the only hotel that has beenopened by monarchy. And over the
years, it has gone throughdifferent ownership, and
currently, it sits with us. Weare very much an owner of the
Mayfair here in London. AtWoolley Manchester, Manchester
has become an incrediblyimportant market to the UK
(05:11):
economy and to the UK travelindustry overall from being, so
to speak, a treasury market.
It has moved right into the top,taking its well deserved home
when it comes to culture. Not toforget about football. As we
know, we have the 2 very famousManchester City and Manchester
United. Well, Man United are notplaying the best football at the
moment anyway. But nevertheless,Manchester is very much a
(05:34):
football led city with a lot ofculture, a lot of entertainment
coming to the city.
They've just opened one of thelargest indoor venues, the o
two, which I think has got thecapacity of 24,000 for concerts.
And so all of the hotels beingcentrally located give an
incredible base for leisure,business, conference guests
(05:58):
alike, as well as our patrons,as well as our diners who just
come and enjoy our concerts.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
What would you consider to be your most
critical technology partner?Which piece of software would
you say is at the core?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
I think that each of our verticals, each of our
disciplines would probablyconsider different type of
technology. So if we were tolook at the commercial side of
the business, which I am notdirectly responsible for, then
probably my commercial directorwould say partnerships as well
as distribution channels, aswell as distribution platforms,
(06:34):
as well as revenue managementsystems. We work with IDeas,
RMS. We have a greatrelationship with TravelClick.
And, of course, we have veryclose relationship with Radisson
Hotel Group who use their ownhomemade system called Amber.
When it comes to operations assuch, the key partners have
always been for us propertymanagement system provider. We
(06:57):
work with Oracle, and we work onOpera Cloud. And that has always
been at the core of everythingwe do. Having said that, in the
last 5 or 6 years, we have grownappetite to expand beyond that.
And currently, our key partnersare the likes of Salesforce who
provide us with CRM solutions.
We work with a company calledEnghouse who provides us with
(07:20):
digital contact center solution.So our contact center, our
reservations, our customerexperience runs on a digital
contact center solution, whichis great. We, of course, work
with other partners, the likesof Mara, who help us with review
responses using AI. We work withShiji, who are a review pro
(07:42):
provider, effectively feedbackloop, allowing us to send and
receive guest satisfactionsurveys as well as allowing us
to collate online reputation. Wehave, of course, great
relationship with the likes ofMicrosoft, and we do need
collaborative tools, very muchTeams, SharePoint, allowing us
(08:03):
to really enable remote working,enable collaborative working.
And then then I think there aremany, many, many more that we
work with. There is an appetitefor chatbot, of course, online
check-in, the digital sphere. Wework with a company called
Houdini, who is our hotel appprovider. And there are a
million other systems, butprobably in the name of keeping
(08:25):
it to some sort of reasonabletime frame, it's best to focus
on the few that I've mentioned.But definitely the ones that
create, in my humble opinion,the greatest opportunity is the
connectivity between CRM,contact center, PMS.
That is where the magic happens,really.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Can you walk me through your guest journey and
how technology plays a role inpre arrival, check-in, in stay,
post checkout? Curious to learnhow technology is there during
each step.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
So I think the most important element is to
distinguish that specific marketsegments would have different
journeys. Let's say, if we arespeaking about corporate
markets, corporate travelmanagement companies very
frequently cannot share theinitial information about the
guests, nor can you get anemail, nor can you get a phone
(09:19):
number. So with regards to thecorporate market, we very much
rely on meeting those guests onarrival and knowing that they
are likely to return. That wouldbe the time when we start
advertising the likes of ouronline check-in and our hotel
apps, which allow you todigitize the key, view the bill,
(09:40):
send an invoice essentially as acorporate booker. Once you have
made the reservation, you cancheck-in online, get yourself
into the room, digitize the key,enter the hotel without seeing
the desk because you are herewith us every week, and the best
we can do is we've beenexpecting you.
Anything we can do for youdifferently on this occasion.
With regards to direct business,because that's, of course, what
(10:03):
we really want to focus on, Ithink it's important that we
recognize guests who decide tobook with us directly through
either membership scheme loyaltyor by simply calling us or
visiting our websites. Here, thetechnology plays a huge part in
the customer journey with thegrowing costs of doing business,
(10:25):
with the growing difficulties inacquiring workforce and our
teams, it became quite clearthat we need to aid that process
with automations. So when thebooking is made through either
our direct website or throughone of our affiliates, we then
know that we can capture youremail address. When the email
(10:46):
address is captured, we wouldthen send you a personalized
email, although that's alreadytaken by the CRM.
So CRM is extracting the datafrom the PMS. CRM captures the
data based on specific logic andflow that I don't entirely fully
understand. I have a great teamwho do it for me. And then the
flow would decide what email tosend to whom. We can then open
(11:10):
the case and essentially createa back and forth dialogue
between us and the guest,allowing to personalize the
interaction.
As a result, by the time theguest comes into the hotel, we
do have that full information.I, in principle, believe that
check-in and checkout are thebiggest issues of hospitality. I
believe that we should try toreplace check-in with welcome
(11:32):
and check out with farewell.Check-in needs to be
experiential. And at the moment,I believe that check-in is there
because some information ismissing.
Check out is there because someinformation needs to be
confirmed. But if we were toeliminate the concept of having
to collect information, we wouldhave so much more capacity to
fully personalize your arrivalexperience. And rather than
(11:55):
focusing on confirming your roomtype, confirming your full
address, confirming your phonenumber, confirming your payment,
We would rather focus onconfirming what would you like
to do at the hotel. Can I showyou around? Can I maybe give you
a tour of our incredible artcollection we have?
May I show you the spa? And Ithink that this is quite
critical for hospitality movingforward. We have to be able to
(12:18):
personalize. I mean, everyone isspeaking about being bespoke. I
think it's quite a big word touse bespoke, bespoke, bespoke.
I think that we are aiming to beas as possible. So now that once
you have received that email, wehave collated all the
information. Effectively welcomeyou to the hotel. When it comes
to in house, customer journeyusing the technology, the
(12:38):
element of getting to know youyour guests, the element of
gathering preferences comingfrom housekeeping team, food and
beverage team, spa team,reception team, it needs to come
to one single point of truth. Itcan't be distributed amongst
different systems because it'svery difficult then to keep
control as to what type ofinformation is kept well.
(12:59):
Then, of course, PMS and CRMplay quite a critical role here
as we have 2 ended communicationbetween the 2, and they can pass
on information from one systemto the other, which helps
greatly. Essentially, veryfrequently, a lobby from desk
team member needs to recordinformation in Opera, but we
would like this information togo into CRM without someone
(13:21):
having to copying and pastingthe information. And then that,
of course, can be used forgreater personalization. We know
exactly what the guest likes,what they dislike, what time
they arrive to the hotel, thatthey do not like to be disturbed
from 4 PM to 6 PM. And as Isaid, I mean, we run large
volume properties.
Bayfest, 404 bedrooms,Manchester, 260 bedrooms, and
(13:41):
London has 350 bedrooms. So, youknow, if you have a boutique
property with 50 bedrooms and 70staff members up the reception,
probably you would have enoughtime to do all the data entry
and record everything manually.But I think that if you are
running fast paced environmentsand you are looking for much
greater efficiency andprofitability of your business,
that element of automating theprocess is quite quite critical.
(14:04):
And then, of course, lastly,when it comes to departure
process, we do record finalinformation. We make sure that
our invoicing details arecorrect.
And then lastly, you would get afeedback form from us. We will
keep in touch with you. We wouldask you if you'd like to receive
any offers from us, if you'dlike to become a member of our
loyalty programs. And as aresult, we would like to lock
(14:24):
you in as our guest so that nexttime you come back, you come
back to me direct rather thanthrough Booking dot com. And I
think that's quite important toprovide quite a holistic
customer journey, but it'simportant that it needs to be
divided by the focus that yourspecific hotel has.
So we very frequently work withluxury programs, American
Express, which we're very proudof, Virtuoso. We are providing
(14:49):
service to guests on behalf ofthese incredible partners. So
their customer journey has to beslightly different that we have
to follow the specificexpectations of these programs
that we are a proud member of,which looks slightly different
to how we deal with onlinetravel agents guests where with
Booking dotcom, you have theability to correspond with
guests via the extranet. Andit's very important to provide
(15:11):
satisfaction to these guestsbecause they create our only
reputation. You know, our Googlescores, our Booking dot com
scores come from our guests whostill decide to book via Booking
dot com, and we absolutely needto honor that.
But we try to convert them todirect anyway, but it's
important that we createjourneys per specific focus
(15:32):
point, in my opinion,commercially.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
I wanna double click into something you said about
check-in and checkout versuswelcome and farewell. I think
sometimes there's amisconception about technology
replacing the front desk agent,or technology means that you
don't need a reservationsdepartment anymore because
guests can just book online. Canyou elaborate a bit more on how
(15:59):
your reception teams are verymuch still present? They're
using technology, but it soundslike they don't need to collect
very many of thoseadministrative details, and they
can instead focus on building arelationship with guests. How
does technology enable that sortof interaction?
Speaker 1 (16:16):
So first and foremost, whether the tech can
replace a receptionist or not isquite debatable. It really
depends on the type of businessyou are running. A self-service
apartment where the entirecustomer journey is fully
digital could argue and saythat, actually, I do not need a
(16:37):
person to interact with thecustomer journey because
everything is automated.Everything is self-service. And,
yeah, I really don't need peopleto get involved.
I probably need someone torecharge my robot to go and
clean. Probably that's the most.I strongly believe in 5 star
(16:59):
luxury hospitality. The techelement still, so to speak,
needs to play more of aninvisible role. The majority of
the tech we use is team facing.
It is to support the teammember, but we still want the
team member, our partner, thetravel agent, the Amex, the
Virtuoso to be the hero. Westill need the face, and we
(17:20):
still believe that a luxuryhospitality customer expects
someone there, expects thatsomeone to know, anticipate,
almost like reading a weatherforecast. It would be great if
you knew what I needed before Ieven said what I needed without
you being too inquisitive. It'sgood to be inquisitive, but
(17:45):
don't be nosy. So it needs to bequite settled and balanced.
The reality is that many ofoperational roles have changed.
I mean, I remember few years agowhere guest relation managers
were responsible for deliveringballoons and creating VIP lists
and going out there to buy a boxof chocolates or getting it from
(18:05):
our pastry kitchen at themoment. Our guest relations team
spend the vast majority of theirtime in the digital sphere
responding to guest inquiries,dealing with customer
relationship management, dealingwith extranet messages. There is
so much more that consumerbehavior has changed in terms of
(18:25):
acceptance of online and alsovery much depends on the
geography. I mean, here in theUK, everything has become
self-service.
You can go to the most expensivesupermarket out there, and
you're still scanning your owncheese and wine. Right? And 5, 6
years ago, it would have beenunthinkable if I go to Waitrose
that I need to do it myself. AndI also know that in other
(18:47):
geographies, let's say, if I goto Austria to a 5 star hotel,
there is no such thing as onlinecheck-in. You know?
Obviously, they have it becausethey are branded and chain
hotels, but the acceptance levelof demographic is slightly
different. So to answer that,yes, our team members still have
admin duties to carry out. Westill would like to receive as
much information about ourguests. Not every channel that
(19:12):
we work with allows toseamlessly pass all of this
information. Some of thisinformation still needs to be
gathered upon arrival.
But I suppose that my team and Ilive by the rule that if we are
to bring a process, if it is notautomated, we are not bringing
the process. So we absolutelyit's almost like a mantra. We
(19:33):
try to stay away from any newmanual processes, whatever that
is. Acquiring country ofresidence, acquiring passport
details. It absolutely needs tobe on some sort of automation
level.
And ideally with a high doses ofAPI and connectivity between
different systems.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Going back to your tech stack, I'm curious if you
have anything on your wish listfor a system or a piece of
software that you're interestedin implementing?
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Well, definitely more automation coming into CRM. So
we already use Salesforce andtheir Einstein technology to
help us categorize incomingemail traffic, turning it from
email to case, from case intospecific category, into specific
(20:23):
priorities. So new reservationis highest priority followed by
charge query. So all of it isdone by Einstein effectively
allowing the agents or our teammembers to stop filtering
through cases, but actuallyfocusing on responding to them.
The next element that I wouldlove to get is that
(20:45):
semiautonomous, generativeresponse that somehow feeds
knowledge articles, the likes oflife rates, the likes of life
availability to go back to theagent and say, hi.
Adrian just sent an email askingfor a room request at at William
Manchester from 14th to 16thDecember. Here is the response I
(21:06):
prepared for you. And by theway, I have taken the members
only raise because it seems thatAdrian is a member. That would
really help. I think that thistype of airline simplicity of
connecting your pre arrivaljourney with your online app,
with the check-in process.
Hospitality is trying its best.I think that we see we are much
(21:29):
more dynamic. Airlines havethat, I guess, fortune of having
the arrival time at 2 hoursbefore the flight. Airlines have
that fortune of being in theposition to expect some legal
data, like passport details. Youknow?
We have the policy data. We havethe legal data. We have the
(21:52):
personal data. So I guess thateven greater focus on in terms
of purely operations, onpreempting all of these details.
In terms of contact center, sovoice, because we still get 1st
share of booking coming fromphone, which is quite
interesting.
Here, definitely qualitymanagement systems need to come
(22:13):
into place. Every call isscored. Every call integrates to
CRM where I can see the fullvoice persona of every guest.
The moment you call in, your CRMprofile comes out. I see your
call history with an AI ledsummary of what you talked to me
about last time.
Voice coach telling orwhispering in my ear, you're
(22:35):
speaking too fast, you'respeaking too slow, you forgot
about this, or take it one stepforward. The guest is becoming
less confident. You might wantto lower the offer. Because I
know that these systems slowlystart existing, especially with
more advanced contact centers,and that would really help to
bring greater holistic elementto the journeys. Think that with
(22:58):
AI think it's important that webring an element of governance
to AI.
There needs to be some sort ofinward facing governance of AI.
Sooner or later, our guests willbe looking for reassurance of
ethicality of it, of whathappens to their data. So at the
moment, we don't feed anypersonal data at all through any
AI system. If there is anythingthat we use in terms of AI, it
(23:23):
is built by our partners. We donot use public GPTs of any sort
at this stage because it'simportant for us to handle the
information that we have withrespect to our guests.
So sooner or later, I think thatwe are going to start thinking
of some sort of inward facinggovernance unit that actively
(23:44):
asks us questions if that's theway or if that's not the way.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
That's interesting that you do receive so many
phone inquiries. What share ofyour bookings would you say are
made over the phone?
Speaker 1 (23:58):
I would say that the 3rd highest direct booking
channel is phone. Website,followed by app, followed by
phone, which is quiteinteresting. And that comes to
about 5 to 6% of all of ourreservations, which is quite
vast given that the majority ofthe show comes from direct and
(24:21):
online travel agents. I supposethat within that luxury market
and within dealing with, let'ssay, luxury goods, very
frequently, our guests would doa 3 60 research online, but
would still pick up a phone tomake the booking. I mean, I have
found out everything about myiPhone 16 Pro online, but I
(24:43):
still went to the shop to getit.
I could have ordered online, butI still went to Apple Store in
Regent Street and picked it up.And I think that at the moment,
very frequently, given theincredible opportunity of choice
given to the consumers, all youneed to do is book yourself
twice or 3 times withbooking.com or Expedia. They
(25:03):
will make you a genius member,and you have access to members
only rates. Oh, and if youdownload their app, they'll give
you additional 15% off, and Istill have to pay 15% commission
of it. So very frequently, youwill see that the price match
element is becoming more andmore evident within hospitality
industry.
I'll be happy to price matchyou. Of course, we very much
(25:26):
respect our relationship withonline travel agents. I mean,
Booking dotcom, we're a greatpartner. And as I said, and we
do share an incrediblerelationship. But I think that
more and more do our customerscall to see if they can get a
better deal from us or if theycannot get a better deal.
And very frequently, people arestill looking for that one stop
shop. So I want to make areservation, but also I want you
(25:48):
to tell me how do I get the andcan I book a spa treatment, and
can I book a transfer? And, ofcourse, we already see online
platforms that give you thatoption to build the entire
experience. But very frequentlywithin the luxury market, people
would like to have it done by aperson. Ideally, a head
(26:08):
concierge, you know, or someoneof that provenance.
It still matters more in my viewfor a concierge to give you a
restaurant recommendation thanfor me to go on Google and do
best restaurants near me. So theconcierge will tell you, oh, I
know Tom at the house desk. Iwill make sure, and I'll tell
Tom to look after you. You know?
Speaker 3 (26:30):
How does technology help your teams deliver
personalization? If thehousekeeper wanted to leave an
amenity in the room or deliveran amenity to the room or spa
wanted to surprise and delightwith the treatment that the
guest had the previous stay. Howis that information made
(26:52):
available to the broader staffat your properties?
Speaker 1 (26:55):
Oh, they all have the license to access CRM. So we
have enabled CRM to all of ourstaff members who are guest
facing. I mean, it's not thecheapest system on the planet,
but I think it's important forall the team members to have
access to it. And theinformation needs to flow, and
it always requires that singlepoint of truth. And that's not
(27:16):
only on the operational level,but I think it's important that
that information is then made oncommercial level, marketing
level.
You know, we still create a lotof b to c campaigns, b to b tech
campaigns, and a lot of it comesfrom the very grassroots
information that comes from ourteams on the floors. And I think
that, you know, using tech, wemeasure what type of amenities
(27:38):
we send. Our housekeepingdepartment decided to send a box
of chocolates to your room. Allthey need to do is click the
button on the CRM. Next time youstay, the CRM will bring that
out showing the last time wesend you a box of chocolates.
Maybe this time you wanna sendsomething else, you know, so
that we don't overkill. We don'trepeat ourselves too much. In
(28:00):
terms of other ways of usingtech to help our teams, I mean,
again, this element of get toknow you, bringing those
preferences in, finding outmore, reporting this information
is quite crucial. All of oursurveys, the moment you leave us
the survey, the feedback fromthe survey goes back to the PMS.
It goes back to the CRM.
And if your score for the surveywas under 7, the profile will
(28:25):
automatically move to a specificVIP code, which is previous
complaint. So, basically, nexttime you make a reservation, I
can see that something was notright. So I can go to the PMS,
click on the link. It would takeme to the survey so I can read
exactly what happened. So thatwe're trying to bring that
continuity element and try topass on the most critical
information until it becomesuseful, and we can use it.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
What would you say is the top business objective that
you and your team focus on, andhow does technology help you get
there?
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Quality, efficiency, personalization. And as a result
of the 3, driving profitabilityto the business. We have to
provide quality service. We haveto be able to assess,
rediscover, reinvent what thequality is, and it's an ever
(29:19):
evolving process. We can't justsay that, 2025, we've got the
customer journey.
It's quality. It's not going tochange. All of it needs to come
with efficiency in mind. Ofcourse, I would love to go back
to my CFO and say, listen. Ineed another 30 staff members at
the reception.
You know? It ain't gonna happen.So we need to find ways. Happen.
(29:39):
So we need to find ways to makeour processes tools more
efficient.
And very frequently, we love tosay in hospitality that as we
are a hotel business, we put ourguest at the center of
everything we do. But veryfrequently, what you see is that
it's the process that is at thecenter of everything we do, and
(30:01):
then we're trying to buildcustomer journey around it. An
archetype of a hotel SOP, Ialways say, is hotel SOPs out
there because someone made amistake in the past, and we're
just trying to cover for it bybringing a process in. I think
it's very important that, ofcourse, we have our regular
SOPs, but I think it's importantthat when we build processes,
they are built around thecustomer journey element and not
(30:23):
the other way around. So we needto put all of our efforts to be
nimble, to be elastic enough, toadjust everything that puts the
guest at the center, but alsobrings an element of efficiency.
Of course, it would be great forgeneral manager to sit in front
of their desk and send 45 emailsa day to all direct bookers. But
(30:47):
it is quite impossible becauseGM is a very busy role and they
have other functions to fulfill.So we need to bring tech to help
them out, essentially creatingthat element of efficiency. I
think that as a result of thatcomes the element of
personalization. I work for anoperational department.
(31:07):
And if we personalize both toour guests and our teams alike,
we are much more likely tocreate loyalty membership. To
me, they are 2 different things.Membership is quite
transactional. Loyalty is how doyou make me feel? And I think
that especially with b to cmarket, it revolves around some
(31:29):
level of emotional connection,sense of belonging, sense of
value, sense of self expression,sense of safety, sense of being
able to be myself and at ease ifI am at your hotel.
And I think that the moment weare able to create a positive
emotional connection with ourguests, that's when we start
(31:49):
turning membership into loyalty.So the concept here is every
time I travel to London, I wantto stay in a 5 star hotel. You
want to tell me to every time Itravel to London, I only stay at
the Londoner. Very rarely do yousee consumers saying that I go
on holiday to a hotel. We arejust a background.
(32:11):
We are a background to yourexperience, but I want you to
say, every time I come toLondon, I go to the Londoner.
And the question becomes, why?Because I am always recognized,
because I am always well lookedafter, because Tom at the
concierge knows my preferencesinside out, and I don't have to
ask 15 times. Because I have metthe general manager and he was
(32:32):
so nice. Or because Patricia atthe reception always looks after
my kids, you know, and all of itbecomes with an emotional
connection.
And I think that's critical. Andif we can do all these 3, then
then I think that the commercialgain is a is a very pleasant
side effect, you know, if I ammore efficient than I am
impacting my profitability.Direct bookers, guests who carry
(32:57):
greater level of loyalty aremore likely to spend more. Their
length of stay becomes higher.Their average spend becomes
higher.
They are much happier to bookhigher room categories. And more
importantly, when things gowrong, because things do go
wrong in hotels, they are muchmore forgiving. In fact, we know
(33:18):
that if you handle issues theright way, your guests are much
more likely to become yourregular guests as opposed to
those who just had an averagestay. You never quite recognized
you could have done somethingbetter. So I think that these
are the key elements that I thatI truly have at the very, very
(33:38):
heart of what I do.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Well, that's a great note to end on. Thank you so
much, Chris. Really greatchatting with you.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
That's all for today's episode. Thanks for
listening to Hotel Tech Insiderproduced by hoteltechreport.com.
Our goal with this podcast is toshow you how the best in the
business are leveragingtechnology to grow their
properties and outperform theconcept by using innovative
digital tools and strategies. Iencourage all of our listeners
to go try at least one of thesestrategies or tools that you
(34:09):
learned from today's episode.Successful digital
transformation is all aboutconsistent small experiments
over a long period of time, sodon't wait until tomorrow to try
something new.
Do you know a hotelier who wouldbe great to feature on this
show, or do you think that yourstory would bring a lot of value
to our audience? Reach out to medirectly on LinkedIn by
searching for Jordan Hollander.For more episodes like this,
(34:33):
follow Hotel Tech Insider on allmajor streaming platforms like
Spotify and Apple Music.
I, in principle, believe that check-in and check
out are the biggest issues ofhospitality. I believe that we
should try to replace check-inwith welcome and check out with
farewell. Check-in needs to beexperiential. And at the moment,
I believe that check-in is therebecause some information is
missing.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
From Hotel Tech Report, it's Hotel Tech Insider,
a show about the future ofhotels and the technology that
powers them.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
On this episode, we chat with Chris Lesinski, who
heads up the service operationsvertical at Edwardian Hotels.
This hotel group owns andoperates 3 luxury hotels in
London, including the iconicMayfair. You're wondering how to
strike the right balance betweentechnology and automation,
especially in the luxury space,you'll want to listen to this
(00:47):
one. Great to have you on thepodcast, Chris. Would love for
you to kick it off with a littleintro about your company, your
role, and what you've been doingwith technology, in short,
before we get into the rest ofthe questions.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Thank you, and good afternoon, Adrian. And good
afternoon to all of thelisteners of Hotel Tech Report.
Thank you for having me on thepodcast. It's great to be here.
So about myself and my company,I am a part of Edwardian Hotels
London.
We are a privately owned Londonbased company that owns and
operates 3 5 star luxury hotels.That's the Londoner Hotel, which
(01:24):
is a part of Preferred LegendCollection. And then we also
operate and own the famousMayfair, which is a part of
Radisson Collection, as well asthe destination Northern Hotel,
which is the EdwardianManchester, also a part of
Radisson collection. And my roleis to head service operations
for the Edwardian Hotels London.My role reports directly to the
(01:47):
board and to the CEO of thebusiness, essentially is
responsible for aligning tools,process, as well as the tech
element together to provide theultimate support to the
commercial strategy.
The ultimate goal of what I doin terms of customer experience,
in terms of brand standards, isto retain, repeat, and maximize
(02:11):
any potential revenueopportunities coming
specifically from the roombusiness. I like to think that
the commercial teams always havethe upper hand on operations as
they are the ones whostrategically set directions
financially and commercially forthe organization. And my role is
to underpin all of these effortsand bring in strategies, bring
(02:33):
in systems, technologies,structures to be able to deliver
on all of these expectations.Kind of get it done role in a
very, very simple terms. Hopethat that explains more or less
what this is about.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Can you tell me just a little bit more about your
properties? Who's your targetguest? You mentioned that they
are high end properties. Do youhave food and beverage or spa or
other outlets as part of theoperations there?
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Absolutely. Within the Radisson Hotel group
portfolio, we operate thecollection of kitchen
restaurants. At at Wood inManchester, we have the renowned
Peter Street Kitchen, whichrecently won the best luxury
restaurant in 2024 in the UnitedKingdom, and it has received a
lot of prestigious accoladesover the last few years. With
(03:21):
regards to the Mayfair, we havejust relaunched the famous
Mayfair Bar, giving it a newlook focusing on travel inspired
collection of crafted cocktailsand foods from all around the
world. The Londoner is the 1stsuper boutique as we like to
call it, which is immense in itssize, but very intimate in its
feel.
Here at the Londoner, weactually offer 6 independent
(03:43):
food and beverage outlets,including of the rooftop bar, as
well as French Mediterraneanrestaurants. We have a lovely
pub, and we have also anincredible afternoon tea led
concept within our public areas.Our luxury hotels always focus a
lot on creating that groundfloor experience to our guests.
So not only can they enjoy ourbeautiful bedrooms, but also
(04:06):
enhance their experience byusing our spas. Each of the
hotels has a beautiful spa.
Up at Wood in Manchester, wehave the spa and gym, which is
very much a destination with abeautiful swimming pool. The
Mayfair has got a great spa. Andat the Londoner, we have the
great retreat with the swimmingpool, treatment rooms,
barbershop, nail salon, hair andmakeup, as well as an incredible
(04:29):
gym open 24 hours to our guests.So the hotels really offer a
great variety of services,facilities, and amenities, and
each of them respond well to themarket that they are located.
Mayfair, being in the heart ofone of the most affluent areas
of the city, has really been oneof the most famous destination
hotels over the last decades.
(04:51):
Mayfair was opened in thethirties by the king himself. We
are the only hotel that has beenopened by monarchy. And over the
years, it has gone throughdifferent ownership, and
currently, it sits with us. Weare very much an owner of the
Mayfair here in London. AtWoolley Manchester, Manchester
has become an incrediblyimportant market to the UK
(05:11):
economy and to the UK travelindustry overall from being, so
to speak, a treasury market.
It has moved right into the top,taking its well deserved home
when it comes to culture. Not toforget about football. As we
know, we have the 2 very famousManchester City and Manchester
United. Well, Man United are notplaying the best football at the
moment anyway. But nevertheless,Manchester is very much a
(05:34):
football led city with a lot ofculture, a lot of entertainment
coming to the city.
They've just opened one of thelargest indoor venues, the o
two, which I think has got thecapacity of 24,000 for concerts.
And so all of the hotels beingcentrally located give an
incredible base for leisure,business, conference guests
(05:58):
alike, as well as our patrons,as well as our diners who just
come and enjoy our concerts.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
What would you consider to be your most
critical technology partner?Which piece of software would
you say is at the core?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
I think that each of our verticals, each of our
disciplines would probablyconsider different type of
technology. So if we were tolook at the commercial side of
the business, which I am notdirectly responsible for, then
probably my commercial directorwould say partnerships as well
as distribution channels, aswell as distribution platforms,
(06:34):
as well as revenue managementsystems. We work with IDeas,
RMS. We have a greatrelationship with TravelClick.
And, of course, we have veryclose relationship with Radisson
Hotel Group who use their ownhomemade system called Amber.
When it comes to operations assuch, the key partners have
always been for us propertymanagement system provider. We
(06:57):
work with Oracle, and we work onOpera Cloud. And that has always
been at the core of everythingwe do. Having said that, in the
last 5 or 6 years, we have grownappetite to expand beyond that.
And currently, our key partnersare the likes of Salesforce who
provide us with CRM solutions.
We work with a company calledEnghouse who provides us with
(07:20):
digital contact center solution.So our contact center, our
reservations, our customerexperience runs on a digital
contact center solution, whichis great. We, of course, work
with other partners, the likesof Mara, who help us with review
responses using AI. We work withShiji, who are a review pro
(07:42):
provider, effectively feedbackloop, allowing us to send and
receive guest satisfactionsurveys as well as allowing us
to collate online reputation. Wehave, of course, great
relationship with the likes ofMicrosoft, and we do need
collaborative tools, very muchTeams, SharePoint, allowing us
(08:03):
to really enable remote working,enable collaborative working.
And then then I think there aremany, many, many more that we
work with. There is an appetitefor chatbot, of course, online
check-in, the digital sphere. Wework with a company called
Houdini, who is our hotel appprovider. And there are a
million other systems, butprobably in the name of keeping
(08:25):
it to some sort of reasonabletime frame, it's best to focus
on the few that I've mentioned.But definitely the ones that
create, in my humble opinion,the greatest opportunity is the
connectivity between CRM,contact center, PMS.
That is where the magic happens,really.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Can you walk me through your guest journey and
how technology plays a role inpre arrival, check-in, in stay,
post checkout? Curious to learnhow technology is there during
each step.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
So I think the most important element is to
distinguish that specific marketsegments would have different
journeys. Let's say, if we arespeaking about corporate
markets, corporate travelmanagement companies very
frequently cannot share theinitial information about the
guests, nor can you get anemail, nor can you get a phone
(09:19):
number. So with regards to thecorporate market, we very much
rely on meeting those guests onarrival and knowing that they
are likely to return. That wouldbe the time when we start
advertising the likes of ouronline check-in and our hotel
apps, which allow you todigitize the key, view the bill,
(09:40):
send an invoice essentially as acorporate booker. Once you have
made the reservation, you cancheck-in online, get yourself
into the room, digitize the key,enter the hotel without seeing
the desk because you are herewith us every week, and the best
we can do is we've beenexpecting you.
Anything we can do for youdifferently on this occasion.
With regards to direct business,because that's, of course, what
(10:03):
we really want to focus on, Ithink it's important that we
recognize guests who decide tobook with us directly through
either membership scheme loyaltyor by simply calling us or
visiting our websites. Here, thetechnology plays a huge part in
the customer journey with thegrowing costs of doing business,
(10:25):
with the growing difficulties inacquiring workforce and our
teams, it became quite clearthat we need to aid that process
with automations. So when thebooking is made through either
our direct website or throughone of our affiliates, we then
know that we can capture youremail address. When the email
(10:46):
address is captured, we wouldthen send you a personalized
email, although that's alreadytaken by the CRM.
So CRM is extracting the datafrom the PMS. CRM captures the
data based on specific logic andflow that I don't entirely fully
understand. I have a great teamwho do it for me. And then the
flow would decide what email tosend to whom. We can then open
(11:10):
the case and essentially createa back and forth dialogue
between us and the guest,allowing to personalize the
interaction.
As a result, by the time theguest comes into the hotel, we
do have that full information.I, in principle, believe that
check-in and checkout are thebiggest issues of hospitality. I
believe that we should try toreplace check-in with welcome
(11:32):
and check out with farewell.Check-in needs to be
experiential. And at the moment,I believe that check-in is there
because some information ismissing.
Check out is there because someinformation needs to be
confirmed. But if we were toeliminate the concept of having
to collect information, we wouldhave so much more capacity to
fully personalize your arrivalexperience. And rather than
(11:55):
focusing on confirming your roomtype, confirming your full
address, confirming your phonenumber, confirming your payment,
We would rather focus onconfirming what would you like
to do at the hotel. Can I showyou around? Can I maybe give you
a tour of our incredible artcollection we have?
May I show you the spa? And Ithink that this is quite
critical for hospitality movingforward. We have to be able to
(12:18):
personalize. I mean, everyone isspeaking about being bespoke. I
think it's quite a big word touse bespoke, bespoke, bespoke.
I think that we are aiming to beas as possible. So now that once
you have received that email, wehave collated all the
information. Effectively welcomeyou to the hotel. When it comes
to in house, customer journeyusing the technology, the
(12:38):
element of getting to know youyour guests, the element of
gathering preferences comingfrom housekeeping team, food and
beverage team, spa team,reception team, it needs to come
to one single point of truth. Itcan't be distributed amongst
different systems because it'svery difficult then to keep
control as to what type ofinformation is kept well.
(12:59):
Then, of course, PMS and CRMplay quite a critical role here
as we have 2 ended communicationbetween the 2, and they can pass
on information from one systemto the other, which helps
greatly. Essentially, veryfrequently, a lobby from desk
team member needs to recordinformation in Opera, but we
would like this information togo into CRM without someone
(13:21):
having to copying and pastingthe information. And then that,
of course, can be used forgreater personalization. We know
exactly what the guest likes,what they dislike, what time
they arrive to the hotel, thatthey do not like to be disturbed
from 4 PM to 6 PM. And as Isaid, I mean, we run large
volume properties.
Bayfest, 404 bedrooms,Manchester, 260 bedrooms, and
(13:41):
London has 350 bedrooms. So, youknow, if you have a boutique
property with 50 bedrooms and 70staff members up the reception,
probably you would have enoughtime to do all the data entry
and record everything manually.But I think that if you are
running fast paced environmentsand you are looking for much
greater efficiency andprofitability of your business,
that element of automating theprocess is quite quite critical.
(14:04):
And then, of course, lastly,when it comes to departure
process, we do record finalinformation. We make sure that
our invoicing details arecorrect.
And then lastly, you would get afeedback form from us. We will
keep in touch with you. We wouldask you if you'd like to receive
any offers from us, if you'dlike to become a member of our
loyalty programs. And as aresult, we would like to lock
(14:24):
you in as our guest so that nexttime you come back, you come
back to me direct rather thanthrough Booking dot com. And I
think that's quite important toprovide quite a holistic
customer journey, but it'simportant that it needs to be
divided by the focus that yourspecific hotel has.
So we very frequently work withluxury programs, American
Express, which we're very proudof, Virtuoso. We are providing
(14:49):
service to guests on behalf ofthese incredible partners. So
their customer journey has to beslightly different that we have
to follow the specificexpectations of these programs
that we are a proud member of,which looks slightly different
to how we deal with onlinetravel agents guests where with
Booking dotcom, you have theability to correspond with
guests via the extranet. Andit's very important to provide
(15:11):
satisfaction to these guestsbecause they create our only
reputation. You know, our Googlescores, our Booking dot com
scores come from our guests whostill decide to book via Booking
dot com, and we absolutely needto honor that.
But we try to convert them todirect anyway, but it's
important that we createjourneys per specific focus
(15:32):
point, in my opinion,commercially.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
I wanna double click into something you said about
check-in and checkout versuswelcome and farewell. I think
sometimes there's amisconception about technology
replacing the front desk agent,or technology means that you
don't need a reservationsdepartment anymore because
guests can just book online. Canyou elaborate a bit more on how
(15:59):
your reception teams are verymuch still present? They're
using technology, but it soundslike they don't need to collect
very many of thoseadministrative details, and they
can instead focus on building arelationship with guests. How
does technology enable that sortof interaction?
Speaker 1 (16:16):
So first and foremost, whether the tech can
replace a receptionist or not isquite debatable. It really
depends on the type of businessyou are running. A self-service
apartment where the entirecustomer journey is fully
digital could argue and saythat, actually, I do not need a
(16:37):
person to interact with thecustomer journey because
everything is automated.Everything is self-service. And,
yeah, I really don't need peopleto get involved.
I probably need someone torecharge my robot to go and
clean. Probably that's the most.I strongly believe in 5 star
(16:59):
luxury hospitality. The techelement still, so to speak,
needs to play more of aninvisible role. The majority of
the tech we use is team facing.
It is to support the teammember, but we still want the
team member, our partner, thetravel agent, the Amex, the
Virtuoso to be the hero. Westill need the face, and we
(17:20):
still believe that a luxuryhospitality customer expects
someone there, expects thatsomeone to know, anticipate,
almost like reading a weatherforecast. It would be great if
you knew what I needed before Ieven said what I needed without
you being too inquisitive. It'sgood to be inquisitive, but
(17:45):
don't be nosy. So it needs to bequite settled and balanced.
The reality is that many ofoperational roles have changed.
I mean, I remember few years agowhere guest relation managers
were responsible for deliveringballoons and creating VIP lists
and going out there to buy a boxof chocolates or getting it from
(18:05):
our pastry kitchen at themoment. Our guest relations team
spend the vast majority of theirtime in the digital sphere
responding to guest inquiries,dealing with customer
relationship management, dealingwith extranet messages. There is
so much more that consumerbehavior has changed in terms of
(18:25):
acceptance of online and alsovery much depends on the
geography. I mean, here in theUK, everything has become
self-service.
You can go to the most expensivesupermarket out there, and
you're still scanning your owncheese and wine. Right? And 5, 6
years ago, it would have beenunthinkable if I go to Waitrose
that I need to do it myself. AndI also know that in other
(18:47):
geographies, let's say, if I goto Austria to a 5 star hotel,
there is no such thing as onlinecheck-in. You know?
Obviously, they have it becausethey are branded and chain
hotels, but the acceptance levelof demographic is slightly
different. So to answer that,yes, our team members still have
admin duties to carry out. Westill would like to receive as
much information about ourguests. Not every channel that
(19:12):
we work with allows toseamlessly pass all of this
information. Some of thisinformation still needs to be
gathered upon arrival.
But I suppose that my team and Ilive by the rule that if we are
to bring a process, if it is notautomated, we are not bringing
the process. So we absolutelyit's almost like a mantra. We
(19:33):
try to stay away from any newmanual processes, whatever that
is. Acquiring country ofresidence, acquiring passport
details. It absolutely needs tobe on some sort of automation
level.
And ideally with a high doses ofAPI and connectivity between
different systems.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Going back to your tech stack, I'm curious if you
have anything on your wish listfor a system or a piece of
software that you're interestedin implementing?
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Well, definitely more automation coming into CRM. So
we already use Salesforce andtheir Einstein technology to
help us categorize incomingemail traffic, turning it from
email to case, from case intospecific category, into specific
(20:23):
priorities. So new reservationis highest priority followed by
charge query. So all of it isdone by Einstein effectively
allowing the agents or our teammembers to stop filtering
through cases, but actuallyfocusing on responding to them.
The next element that I wouldlove to get is that
(20:45):
semiautonomous, generativeresponse that somehow feeds
knowledge articles, the likes oflife rates, the likes of life
availability to go back to theagent and say, hi.
Adrian just sent an email askingfor a room request at at William
Manchester from 14th to 16thDecember. Here is the response I
(21:06):
prepared for you. And by theway, I have taken the members
only raise because it seems thatAdrian is a member. That would
really help. I think that thistype of airline simplicity of
connecting your pre arrivaljourney with your online app,
with the check-in process.
Hospitality is trying its best.I think that we see we are much
(21:29):
more dynamic. Airlines havethat, I guess, fortune of having
the arrival time at 2 hoursbefore the flight. Airlines have
that fortune of being in theposition to expect some legal
data, like passport details. Youknow?
We have the policy data. We havethe legal data. We have the
(21:52):
personal data. So I guess thateven greater focus on in terms
of purely operations, onpreempting all of these details.
In terms of contact center, sovoice, because we still get 1st
share of booking coming fromphone, which is quite
interesting.
Here, definitely qualitymanagement systems need to come
(22:13):
into place. Every call isscored. Every call integrates to
CRM where I can see the fullvoice persona of every guest.
The moment you call in, your CRMprofile comes out. I see your
call history with an AI ledsummary of what you talked to me
about last time.
Voice coach telling orwhispering in my ear, you're
(22:35):
speaking too fast, you'respeaking too slow, you forgot
about this, or take it one stepforward. The guest is becoming
less confident. You might wantto lower the offer. Because I
know that these systems slowlystart existing, especially with
more advanced contact centers,and that would really help to
bring greater holistic elementto the journeys. Think that with
(22:58):
AI think it's important that webring an element of governance
to AI.
There needs to be some sort ofinward facing governance of AI.
Sooner or later, our guests willbe looking for reassurance of
ethicality of it, of whathappens to their data. So at the
moment, we don't feed anypersonal data at all through any
AI system. If there is anythingthat we use in terms of AI, it
(23:23):
is built by our partners. We donot use public GPTs of any sort
at this stage because it'simportant for us to handle the
information that we have withrespect to our guests.
So sooner or later, I think thatwe are going to start thinking
of some sort of inward facinggovernance unit that actively
(23:44):
asks us questions if that's theway or if that's not the way.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
That's interesting that you do receive so many
phone inquiries. What share ofyour bookings would you say are
made over the phone?
Speaker 1 (23:58):
I would say that the 3rd highest direct booking
channel is phone. Website,followed by app, followed by
phone, which is quiteinteresting. And that comes to
about 5 to 6% of all of ourreservations, which is quite
vast given that the majority ofthe show comes from direct and
(24:21):
online travel agents. I supposethat within that luxury market
and within dealing with, let'ssay, luxury goods, very
frequently, our guests would doa 3 60 research online, but
would still pick up a phone tomake the booking. I mean, I have
found out everything about myiPhone 16 Pro online, but I
(24:43):
still went to the shop to getit.
I could have ordered online, butI still went to Apple Store in
Regent Street and picked it up.And I think that at the moment,
very frequently, given theincredible opportunity of choice
given to the consumers, all youneed to do is book yourself
twice or 3 times withbooking.com or Expedia. They
(25:03):
will make you a genius member,and you have access to members
only rates. Oh, and if youdownload their app, they'll give
you additional 15% off, and Istill have to pay 15% commission
of it. So very frequently, youwill see that the price match
element is becoming more andmore evident within hospitality
industry.
I'll be happy to price matchyou. Of course, we very much
(25:26):
respect our relationship withonline travel agents. I mean,
Booking dotcom, we're a greatpartner. And as I said, and we
do share an incrediblerelationship. But I think that
more and more do our customerscall to see if they can get a
better deal from us or if theycannot get a better deal.
And very frequently, people arestill looking for that one stop
shop. So I want to make areservation, but also I want you
(25:48):
to tell me how do I get the andcan I book a spa treatment, and
can I book a transfer? And, ofcourse, we already see online
platforms that give you thatoption to build the entire
experience. But very frequentlywithin the luxury market, people
would like to have it done by aperson. Ideally, a head
(26:08):
concierge, you know, or someoneof that provenance.
It still matters more in my viewfor a concierge to give you a
restaurant recommendation thanfor me to go on Google and do
best restaurants near me. So theconcierge will tell you, oh, I
know Tom at the house desk. Iwill make sure, and I'll tell
Tom to look after you. You know?
Speaker 3 (26:30):
How does technology help your teams deliver
personalization? If thehousekeeper wanted to leave an
amenity in the room or deliveran amenity to the room or spa
wanted to surprise and delightwith the treatment that the
guest had the previous stay. Howis that information made
(26:52):
available to the broader staffat your properties?
Speaker 1 (26:55):
Oh, they all have the license to access CRM. So we
have enabled CRM to all of ourstaff members who are guest
facing. I mean, it's not thecheapest system on the planet,
but I think it's important forall the team members to have
access to it. And theinformation needs to flow, and
it always requires that singlepoint of truth. And that's not
(27:16):
only on the operational level,but I think it's important that
that information is then made oncommercial level, marketing
level.
You know, we still create a lotof b to c campaigns, b to b tech
campaigns, and a lot of it comesfrom the very grassroots
information that comes from ourteams on the floors. And I think
that, you know, using tech, wemeasure what type of amenities
(27:38):
we send. Our housekeepingdepartment decided to send a box
of chocolates to your room. Allthey need to do is click the
button on the CRM. Next time youstay, the CRM will bring that
out showing the last time wesend you a box of chocolates.
Maybe this time you wanna sendsomething else, you know, so
that we don't overkill. We don'trepeat ourselves too much. In
(28:00):
terms of other ways of usingtech to help our teams, I mean,
again, this element of get toknow you, bringing those
preferences in, finding outmore, reporting this information
is quite crucial. All of oursurveys, the moment you leave us
the survey, the feedback fromthe survey goes back to the PMS.
It goes back to the CRM.
And if your score for the surveywas under 7, the profile will
(28:25):
automatically move to a specificVIP code, which is previous
complaint. So, basically, nexttime you make a reservation, I
can see that something was notright. So I can go to the PMS,
click on the link. It would takeme to the survey so I can read
exactly what happened. So thatwe're trying to bring that
continuity element and try topass on the most critical
information until it becomesuseful, and we can use it.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
What would you say is the top business objective that
you and your team focus on, andhow does technology help you get
there?
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Quality, efficiency, personalization. And as a result
of the 3, driving profitabilityto the business. We have to
provide quality service. We haveto be able to assess,
rediscover, reinvent what thequality is, and it's an ever
(29:19):
evolving process. We can't justsay that, 2025, we've got the
customer journey.
It's quality. It's not going tochange. All of it needs to come
with efficiency in mind. Ofcourse, I would love to go back
to my CFO and say, listen. Ineed another 30 staff members at
the reception.
You know? It ain't gonna happen.So we need to find ways. Happen.
(29:39):
So we need to find ways to makeour processes tools more
efficient.
And very frequently, we love tosay in hospitality that as we
are a hotel business, we put ourguest at the center of
everything we do. But veryfrequently, what you see is that
it's the process that is at thecenter of everything we do, and
(30:01):
then we're trying to buildcustomer journey around it. An
archetype of a hotel SOP, Ialways say, is hotel SOPs out
there because someone made amistake in the past, and we're
just trying to cover for it bybringing a process in. I think
it's very important that, ofcourse, we have our regular
SOPs, but I think it's importantthat when we build processes,
they are built around thecustomer journey element and not
(30:23):
the other way around. So we needto put all of our efforts to be
nimble, to be elastic enough, toadjust everything that puts the
guest at the center, but alsobrings an element of efficiency.
Of course, it would be great forgeneral manager to sit in front
of their desk and send 45 emailsa day to all direct bookers. But
(30:47):
it is quite impossible becauseGM is a very busy role and they
have other functions to fulfill.So we need to bring tech to help
them out, essentially creatingthat element of efficiency. I
think that as a result of thatcomes the element of
personalization. I work for anoperational department.
(31:07):
And if we personalize both toour guests and our teams alike,
we are much more likely tocreate loyalty membership. To
me, they are 2 different things.Membership is quite
transactional. Loyalty is how doyou make me feel? And I think
that especially with b to cmarket, it revolves around some
(31:29):
level of emotional connection,sense of belonging, sense of
value, sense of self expression,sense of safety, sense of being
able to be myself and at ease ifI am at your hotel.
And I think that the moment weare able to create a positive
emotional connection with ourguests, that's when we start
(31:49):
turning membership into loyalty.So the concept here is every
time I travel to London, I wantto stay in a 5 star hotel. You
want to tell me to every time Itravel to London, I only stay at
the Londoner. Very rarely do yousee consumers saying that I go
on holiday to a hotel. We arejust a background.
(32:11):
We are a background to yourexperience, but I want you to
say, every time I come toLondon, I go to the Londoner.
And the question becomes, why?Because I am always recognized,
because I am always well lookedafter, because Tom at the
concierge knows my preferencesinside out, and I don't have to
ask 15 times. Because I have metthe general manager and he was
(32:32):
so nice. Or because Patricia atthe reception always looks after
my kids, you know, and all of itbecomes with an emotional
connection.
And I think that's critical. Andif we can do all these 3, then
then I think that the commercialgain is a is a very pleasant
side effect, you know, if I ammore efficient than I am
impacting my profitability.Direct bookers, guests who carry
(32:57):
greater level of loyalty aremore likely to spend more. Their
length of stay becomes higher.Their average spend becomes
higher.
They are much happier to bookhigher room categories. And more
importantly, when things gowrong, because things do go
wrong in hotels, they are muchmore forgiving. In fact, we know
(33:18):
that if you handle issues theright way, your guests are much
more likely to become yourregular guests as opposed to
those who just had an averagestay. You never quite recognized
you could have done somethingbetter. So I think that these
are the key elements that I thatI truly have at the very, very
(33:38):
heart of what I do.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Well, that's a great note to end on. Thank you so
much, Chris. Really greatchatting with you.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
That's all for today's episode. Thanks for
listening to Hotel Tech Insiderproduced by hoteltechreport.com.
Our goal with this podcast is toshow you how the best in the
business are leveragingtechnology to grow their
properties and outperform theconcept by using innovative
digital tools and strategies. Iencourage all of our listeners
to go try at least one of thesestrategies or tools that you
(34:09):
learned from today's episode.Successful digital
transformation is all aboutconsistent small experiments
over a long period of time, sodon't wait until tomorrow to try
something new.
Do you know a hotelier who wouldbe great to feature on this
show, or do you think that yourstory would bring a lot of value
to our audience? Reach out to medirectly on LinkedIn by
searching for Jordan Hollander.For more episodes like this,
(34:33):
follow Hotel Tech Insider on allmajor streaming platforms like
Spotify and Apple Music.
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