GSAIR 2023 : EMEA 26
Hospitality Tech
The GSAIR survey showed the appetite amongst serviced apartment operators to adopt technology that supports them offering a more digitised stay , with PMSs having been widely employed , followed by self-service check in , mobile apps , and digital access control systems . 32 Sally Richards , Managing Director of RaspberrySky Services , with over 20 years ’ experience within hospitality technology provides her insights into the digital customer journey now and in the future .
In conversation with Sally Richards
Sally , could you start by giving a bit of background about yourself and RaspberrySky ?
Sure , RaspberrySky Services started nearly 18 years ago . As the industry has evolved , so has the kind of projects that we do . My background is travel agency , tour operator , airline and hotels . I came to consulting with a really good understanding of supply and demand . A lot of the business that we get is from the demand generators as well as from supply , whether that ’ s hotel or serviced apartment , hostel , or campsite , OTA , Tour Operator etc .
That ’ s an incredible background of experience . So specifically , what technology elements of the typical hotel or serviced apartment customer journey do RaspberrySky Services support with ?
More recently , our focus has really been on technical audits , reviewing our clients ’ IT stack . We undertake commercial reviews and those generally lead to a system requirement . We then conduct the technical system RFP processes and if required , we can help the client implement the new solution into their business with project management services . A big part of the implementation is business process reengineering . Often organisations decide that they ’ ll change a piece of kit , for example their PMS , but then try to “ shoehorn ” the old processes into the new technology leading to them not fully realising its benefits , so reengineering the process is very important . You also need to engage the teams to ensure you change their “ hearts and minds ”, not just the technology stack .
I ’ ve been in the industry all my working life , and so many clients give me fairly fluid briefs …” Our occupancy has gone down but we don ’ t know why .” I call it a “ point of pain ” brief and we investigate where the issue lies and then recommend and implement solutions .
What do you consider to be the main areas of change from a business and customer perspective , over the last 18 years ?
I think the light bulb is going on that we can ’ t dictate how the customer interacts with us . Whether it ’ s digital , traditional or hybrid , it ’ s our role as a hospitality organisation to enable all of them . We often see , particularly in full service markets like luxury , the belief that the guest wants to walk in , go to the front desk , have that human interaction and fill out the paperwork . But the reality is that the luxury guest is changing , and they don ’ t want to check in at the desk , they want to check in online .
They want to get to their room , instant message the concierge and not to have to go down to reception or pick up an in-room phone . It ’ s about realising there aren ’ t two different guest types - traditional and digital , but there ’ s a hybrid depending on how you ’ re travelling , when you ’ re travelling and for what purpose . So we need to offer the guest choice in how they interact and be aware that it may change , but however they decide to interact , just make it seamless .
32 . Global Serviced Apartment Industry Report 2023