Digital transformation of a hotel residence thanks to an AI web app

In the hotel industry, efficient service management and customer satisfaction are paramount. Visua, with its expertise in digital solutions, was asked to address the challenges of a hotel residence welcoming holidaymakers during the summer and winter seasons. This case study illustrates how Visua proposed a digital transformation to optimize the residence's operations and enhance the customer experience.

The hotel residence, although popular and appreciated for its services, faces several operational and management challenges that hinder its efficiency and customer satisfaction:

• Bread and Viennese Pastry Order Management: Holidaymakers book bread and Viennese pastries on a daily basis, which are delivered each morning. However, managing these orders is complex. Not only does the front desk have to process a large volume of orders each day, but it also has to manage payments at the end of the week, creating an administrative bottleneck. What's more, the margin on these products is minimal, meaning that the service is more of a convenience for customers than a significant source of revenue for the residence.
• Reservations for the Spa and other services: The spa and other free services, such as the use of fondue machines, are in great demand. Nevertheless, each reservation requires interaction with the front desk staff, who must consult an Excel spreadsheet to check availability and register the reservation. This time-consuming task limits the time available for other, more rewarding interactions with customers.
• Scheduling departure check-outs: Scheduling departure check-outs is another task handled at reception. Holidaymakers must reserve their slot at reception, according to a pre-established schedule. This manual management of reservations adds an extra layer of administrative work for staff.
• Weekend reception congestion: The concentration of payments at weekends for additional services leads to an overload of work at reception. This situation necessitates the hiring of an additional person to manage cash receipts, thus increasing operating costs.
• Lack of Qualitative Customer Interaction: Due to these administrative tasks, front desk staff spend much of their time managing reservations and payments rather than interacting meaningfully with customers. This situation reduces the staff's ability to offer quality customer service, an essential element in the hotel industry.

Consequences

The operational and administrative challenges facing hotel residences have a significant impact on their operations and customer experience:

• Reception overload: The concentration of payments for extra services at weekends creates a considerable work overload at reception. This results in long waits for guests and increased stress for staff, damaging the overall holiday experience.
• Need for additional staff: To cope with the influx of weekend payments, the residence needs to hire an additional person, which represents an additional operational cost. This one-off hiring requirement is a direct response to the inefficiency of current processes.
• Time-consuming reservation management: The time spent managing reservations for services such as spa and fondue machines mobilizes staff in a way that doesn't add significant value. This time could be better spent on more rewarding customer interactions or higher value-added tasks.
• Reduced customer satisfaction: Requiring guests to go to the front desk to make reservations or payments can be a source of frustration and reduce their overall satisfaction. In an industry where the customer experience is paramount, these inconveniences can have a negative impact on the reputation of the residence.
• Limiting staff capabilities: The focus of reception staff on administrative tasks limits their ability to offer quality customer service. These repetitive and unrewarding activities can also affect their motivation and job satisfaction.

Visua offers a digital solution in the form of a customized web app, enabling these problems to be solved effectively. The features of this application are :

• Creation of Ephemeral Accounts: Allows holidaymakers to register for the duration of their stay and manage their services.
• Online booking and payment: Customers can book and pay for bread, pastries and other services directly via the app, reducing congestion at reception.
• Real-time access to schedules: customers have an overview of available services (spa, raclette, etc.) and can reserve slots without having to go to reception.
• Push notifications: staff can quickly inform residents of important events or announcements, improving communication.
• Flexibility and accessibility: as a web app, no download is required, and it's accessible on any smartphone browser.
• Internal management integration: The application can also be used by staff for task management (housekeeping, maintenance), improving internal organization.

ROI or Financial Impact The adoption of this web app reduces the need to hire an additional person for weekend collections, generating substantial savings. What's more, by freeing reception staff from administrative tasks, they can devote themselves to more rewarding and useful roles for holidaymakers, improving the customer experience and the reputation of the residence.

By integrating TeamIA's solution, the hotel residence modernizes its operations, improves the customer experience and optimizes its human resources. This business case demonstrates the positive impact of a well-planned digital transformation in the hospitality sector, underlining Visua's expertise in creating digital solutions tailored to the specific needs of its customers.