Webinar: Technology Must-Haves in The Next Normal

The hospitality industry has a different way of operating now. But with new tools and processes, we’ll turn ‘different’ into better. Together.

In the new normal, hoteliers are focused on:

• Agility
• Safety
• Efficiency
• Cost Consciousness

Watch the full webinar to learn about the must-have tools hoteliers need to be successful in the ever-evolving new normal.

The challenges facing the hospitality industry today are complex. 

These challenges include:

• Adhering to social distancing constraints. Every industry is focused on complying with regulations and guidelines for public spaces. For hoteliers, that means digitizing essential documents and finding new ways for guests to interact with hotel staff.
• Adjusting to new and frequently changing operational protocols. It’s not uncommon for protocol changes to be adopted overnight, which means hotels need communication channels that can instantly distribute these critical updates at a moment’s notice.  
• Complying with local regulations. Hoteliers should ensure they are always compliant with current guidelines that are in place. As companies work to flatten the curve, everyone is now under the compliance microscope.  
• Increasing employee engagement while also keeping staff safe. According to Gallup, 30% of employees are actively engaged – and that was before a global pandemic that caused employee furloughs and labor constraints. Hoteliers are now challenged with keeping their employees engaged while also putting their safety at the forefront.
• Maintaining aggressive cost management. With lower guest occupancy, hoteliers are taking a new look at budgets and operating expenses. As a result, hotel staff are now doing much more with a lot less.

For hoteliers to overcome these challenges, they need to adopt innovative, cost-effective, and mobile-first technology solutions that can better position them for success on the road to re-opening.

Meet our panelists:

• Andrada Paraschiv, Head of Hospitality at Beekeeper
• Tyler Afflixio, Senior Account Executive at Beekeeper
• Gretta Brooks, CEO & Founder of Salesboost
• Hugh O’Flanagan, CEO of Lua

Learn how hoteliers can meet the demands of the next normal with these top takeaways from the webinar.

Inform, Engage, and Empower Employees with Beekeeper

Beekeeper is the leading digital workplace for the hospitality industry.

The Beekeeper employee app is an easy-to-use, mobile platform that:

• Gives frontline employees instant access to information and resources they need to do their jobs effectively
• Offers inline translations, so communications reach every employee in their preferred language
• Engages employees at all levels, increasing overall employee satisfaction and retention
• Boosts efficiency and productivity by giving employees easy access to the tools they use every day in one centralized location

Here are some tips on how hoteliers can use Beekeeper to communicate important information with their team:

• Use campaign messages to distribute protocol update messages to all team members
• Post the same update in a public stream and attach the accompanying SOP document for instant access
• Set up a COVID-19 Q&A group chat where employees can ask open questions to the management team

Ultimately, equipping hotel staff with instant communication tools helps them better serve guests and positively impact company performance.

“When your teams have improved communication, not only are they more efficient, but they are more informed and empowered to drive the overall guest experience.”

 – Tyler Afflixio, Senior Account Executive at Beekeeper

Provide On-Demand Virtual Training with Salesboost

Entering a new normal means hoteliers should be exploring new ways to create memorable guest experiences that keep them coming back. One way to do just that is by encouraging employee training and development opportunities.

Salesboost is the revolutionary skill-based learning platform that can be accessed directly through the Beekeeper app. 

Through Salesboost, employees can:

• Build their confidence when interacting with guests
• Receive real-time feedback through AI technology
• See their positive impact on business performance

“Salesboost provides situational learning with practice and rehearsal techniques in role-based simulations. It is cost-effective, on-demand access that helps your team effectively demonstrate the value of your brand.”

– – Gretta Brooks, CEO & Founder of Salesboost

With the Salesboost integration on Beekeeper, hoteliers can benefit from:

• Providing robust training opportunities to hotel staff directly through their trusted communication platform
• Ensuring all team members know about important changes and updates with mobile access to necessary training courses
• Empowering hotel staff with development tools that help them improve the guest experience

Salesboost also helps employers stay connected with furloughed team members. With access through the app, furloughed employees can take advantage of their downtime and develop new skills that will help them hit the ground running when they’re welcomed back to work.

Reduce Costs and Boost Employee Efficiency with Lua

According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), cleanliness is now the most important factor for travelers when choosing a hotel. That means cleanliness is now the new competitive edge for hoteliers in the next normal.

Lua is a robust housekeeping and task workflow management system that can help hoteliers show up stronger when it comes to cleanliness.

Hospitality organizations use Lua to:

• Designate housekeeping room assignments
• Assign room inspections by supervisor
• Access real-time dashboard metrics
• Provide reporting on compliance and labor efficiency
• Issue instant PMS updates with every action across the property

Housekeeping staff can access Lua directly from their Beekeeper app, where employees can see their individual and team task assignments, work from a housekeeping checklist, and communicate in their preferred language.

And, there are measurable benefits for investing in housekeeping technology. Lua users generally see a 30-35% efficiency gain in their first couple of weeks of using the platform. That efficiency gain equates to a ~$1.23 per room per day cost retainment.

“Lua is a must-have because it will reduce your costs. And because people who work on their feet all day deserve the best and easiest to use technology that exists.”

– Hugh O’Flanagan, CEO of Lua

Have Fun Learning With Typsy

Typsy is an online learning platform built specifically for the hospitality industry. Typsy has a wealth of online learning content that helps employees diversify their skill sets.

Through Typsy’s integration with Beekeeper, hospitality employees can:

•  Access over 800 expert-led video lessons that take 3-5 minutes to complete
• Learn in their native language with closed captions in 20+ languages
• Take their education on the go with mobile access to content
• Have proof of course completion with endorsed certificates

Businesses and their employees are navigating the unknown right now. And as a result, employees are taking on additional tasks. Typsy helps them feel confident in doing something new with an easy-to-use online learning platform.

“The more flexibility you can create in your workforce, the better equipped you’ll be in managing tomorrow.”

– Felicity Thomlinson, Head of Growth at Typsy

Embrace The ‘Just Try It’ Mentality

So, now for the big question: what about the cost?

Beekeeper, Salesboost, and Lua know the pressure hospitality organizations are under to save money while keeping operations lean.

Which is why we encourage hoteliers to adopt the ‘just try it’ mentality. These solutions are must-haves because they:

• Establish more efficient processes
• Ensure staff have the information they need to keep the property in compliance
• Better engage employees in a tough environment
• Add no additional costs to what companies currently have

“Employees will appreciate the extra tools and resources to do their jobs better – especially when they are being asked to do more with less right now.” 

– – Tyler Afflixio, Senior Account Executive at Beekeeper

Give it a try today! Get started with Beekeeper for an introduction to the platform and trial account.

Watch a replay of the webinar to learn how Beekeeper, Salesboost, and Lua are supporting hoteliers in a post-COVID environment.