“ WE TELL OUR HOTEL OWNERS , ‘ LET ’ S NOT SKIMP ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE .’”
TECHNOLOGY
Future-proofing as been deplayed at
Menin Hospitality ’ s Shelbourne .
For example , “ we have no plans to add iPads . If I add an iPad in every room , the level of complexity is added to everything from operations to the guest experience . It ’ s almost exponential ,” Edwards explains . “ By adding that one iPad , I have a different WiFi infrastructure that I need to build for . I have a different housekeeping plan . I have a different maintenance plan . I have a guest that needs to learn how to work this . Why would I do that ? Aren ’ t guests bringing two to three devices of their own ? So my WiFi infrastructure needs to handle that .”
Yet even the WiFi network doesn ’ t need to be thrown out with last decade ’ s furniture and linens .
“ It ’ s not about overhauling the WiFi network . It ’ s redesigning it ,” Edwards says . “ It ’ s changing the way we leverage those assets that are already in the hotel .”
BUT DON ’ T GO OVERBOARD “ The place where cost becomes a concern is adding more systems than there
“ WE TELL OUR HOTEL OWNERS , ‘ LET ’ S NOT SKIMP ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE .’”
— JOHN EDWARDS , CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER , RLH CORP .
previously were ,” Menin Hospitality ’ s Galbut explains . “ So before , you needed just email , but now you need email and cyber security solutions for messaging . Before you needed conference rooms and a conference phone , and now you need a video conference solution . For us , a cable modem used to be enough for back of house , and now a fiber connection works , but then we needed a separate fiber connection for guest services and , of course , a third in case any of the primary ones fail .”
Still , Galbut says as long as a hotel picks the right vendor or technology partner , the costs can be minimal .
Learning when to say ‘ no ’ is important , too . “ The temptation of not trying to jump the gun on technology is challenging ,” Bain says . “ Voice , artificial intelligence , biometric , they are all things we are looking at . But it ’ s so important that the technology doesn ’ t feel forced , and again , it must work perfectly .”
RLH Corp . is concentrating on minimizing the impact of changes on guests and owners by communicating what ’ s happening – and why it ’ s necessary . “ Change is more accepted by our guests than we give them credit for , if the change is communicated correctly ,” Edwards says . “ And that ’ s a big part of the future-proofing process for us as an organization .”
May 2018 hotelsmag . com 47