Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 03 | Page 50

FEATURE: BUSINESS MOBILITY cannot scale to keep up with the evolving requirements to implement the most modern experiences for guests. On top of this, the maintenance of legacy systems creates business and IT risks, as the costs for keeping them alive are significant. In a nutshell, the current IT landscape in hospitality prevents hotels from delivering the ‘white-glove service for the digital age’. Cloud communications enable digital transformation Cloud systems offer a desirable alternative for the hospitality industry. They require no upfront investments and cloud service providers maintain security and manage maintenance. Furthermore, cloud technology is scalable and adapts flexibly to evolving requirements. While the digital transformation of the hospitality industry spans across the entire customer life cycle, hotels who aim to gain market share, focus on the guest’s experience at its core, utilising cloud communications as their competitive advantage. One of these digital champions in Europe is Star Inn Hotels. The Germany-based chain operates 16 three-star hotels in Germany, Austria and Hungary and focuses on the essence of hospitality: excellent service. The foundation for its excellent service is a communications infrastructure based on Nhospitality, a cloud telephone solution powered by NFON. Nhospitality supports the Star Inn staff to provide the best services possible for their guests. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// BY COMBINING OUR CLOUD COMMUNICATIONS PLATFORM WITH GIGASET PRO’S DECT IP SOLUTIONS, WE CAN OFFER OUR CUSTOMERS END- USER DEVICES THAT ARE OF THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY. they’ve completed their job. When the housekeeping team needs additional help from the maintenance team, they can easily contact their colleagues using the same app. The entire system is integrated with Star Inn’s property management system and is accessible through one unified system interface. The built-in contact centre analysis function enables supervisors to keep track of all services and recommend service quality and efficiency improvements. communications deliver ‘white-glove’ digital services to enrich guests’ experiences. The drive towards the digital hospitality ecosystem Seamless broadband access across the hotel property, TV power/display integration for devices and room control options through smartphone apps are combining to form the digital hospitality ecosystem. For example, Hilton Hotels & Resorts has partnered with Uber to let guests arrange rides through the Hilton HHonors app. And after checking in, guests of another US hotel chain can continue watching the films they started on their Virgin America flight. Star Inn is just one example of how hotels can take advantage of cloud communications to enrich the experiences of their guests. Yet the digital transformation does not stop here. Technology is an integral part of people’s daily lives and they expect a digitally-powered experience to accommodate their hotel stays and cloud The digital transformation in the hospitality industry creates opportunities for tech-savvy hotels to attract and retain guests through unparalleled service experiences. Cloud telephone and communications systems help create superior guest experiences, which make happy customers even happier, fuelling long-term customer relationships. n Connected staff deliver superior service Star Inn is a rapidly expanding hotel chain and its communications infrastructure is essential to their success, supporting a consistent, seamless experience, regardless of which hotel their guests check into. Comparable to a smaller version of a contact centre, the Star Inn service staff members are available even when they are on the move. As they are digitally connected to the hotel’s cloud telephone system by a mobile app, they can be reached by their hotel extension at any time. The mobile app is also used by Star Inn’s room service and housekeeping team and enables the staff to mark rooms as ‘clean’ after 50 INTELLIGENTCIO www.intelligentcio.com