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.
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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
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INTELLIGENTCIO
www.intelligentcio.com