The New Normal in Hospitality During and After COVID-19

The effect of the novel coronavirus pandemic has been swift and far-reaching. Perhaps the worst-hit industries have been healthcare, retail, travel, and last but certainly not least, hospitality. While all sectors have seen drastic changes take place over the past few months, the hospitality sector has been one of the worst hit. There will be a new normal, and how we choose to implement our response to the growing need for social distancing and establishing safety and health standards, will determine the future of hospitality.

While most realize that the core challenge will be to boost the confidence of future guests, to make it clear that every precaution has been taken to safeguard guests and employees, that new standards have been implemented so that guests can reast assured, knowing they can check-in safely, and not checkout with COVID-19.

Many things have changed since the start of the global pandemic, and depending on where your business is based you might have faced forced closure, canceled booking, or simply fewer guests. In areas where national lockdowns are slowly being lifted, a new reality is setting in.

Issues the hospitality industry will face in the future are numerous, but the most pressing may be communication. Guests will no longer wish to speak to the manager directly, they will demand an alternative and simple solution.

Dealing with guests’ requests and issues immediately is essential to the overall experience guests have at your establishment. The coronavirus has forced us to practice social distancing, and guests are now anxious and even fearful of direct communication. For guests to have to discuss queries directly or send emails that will only be responded to once the manager reaches his computer, simply won’t work.

This can lead to disappointment, frustration, and inevitably negative reviews.

Solution: Anytime, Anywhere Omni-channel Communication Integration

Glowing’s Omni-channel messaging solution connects customer experiences across several channels for higher engagement. Customers can instantly connect with the various departments, albeit housekeeping, the restaurant, or management. Guests get instant feedback and solutions to all their queries.

Covid-19 is spread through direct contact and exposure to contaminated surfaces. Not only does this affect how we communicate with our guests, but also where. No longer will a well managed front desk serve your guests effectively. Your front desk needs to be online and always available.

Your guests’ needs have changed and most communication should be online with minimal need for direct interaction. This is applicable to reservations, check-in, ordering at restaurants, sharing menus, resort maps, as well as eliminating the need for shared room service telephones.

Solution: One platform that connects it all – Instant communication via any device, in any language, and through any communication channel

Through Glowing’s integrated platform, guests can easily engage with their hosts via their own personal devices, seamlessly integrated with Glowing’s messaging platform-agnostics (unique design attributes) and bi-directional language translation – allowing both your staff and guests to communicate in their home language which is then instantly translated before delivered.

In the past, any news could be communicated via the front desk to one member of a group, especially where larger tour groups or business delegations are concerned. As we veer away from shared surfaces and assets, it becomes increasingly more difficult to communicate alerts and important updates and notifications.

Online Travel Agencies (OTA’s) and Airbnb are taking increasing direct market share simply due to the fact that they operate online. Their online presence, even for those who make use of them, doesn’t solve the problem in-house.

Solution: Omni-channel Broadcast Messaging

With Omni-channel Broadcast messaging you can send out group messages, including groups designated by custom tags, effortlessly, to any device, while allowing individual personal communication. This allows guests to easily communicate concerns, receive personal feedback from management within seconds. The query can then be routed to the relevant department and escalated when necessary.

Other benefits of omni-channel broadcast messaging include sending out additional updates, special offers, and more.

Customer engagement can be difficult even in the best of times. There are a magnitude of different languages to consider as well as different cultures and personalities. For these reasons, foreign tourists or busy business professionals have often preferred non-verbal communication.

Solution: Easy Customer Engagement – Direct Messaging, Human-assisted Chatbots & Easy Automation

Effective customer engagement is about being available. There are numerous ways Glowing’s platform helps business owners stay connected and engaged. Direct messaging allows your customers to contact you how they want, when they want. Seamless integration means the person on duty gets notified and the query is resolved.

Automation and human-assisted chatbots help to resolve FAQ’s and free up more time for queries that do need more personalized attention. Customer engagement solved.

Today, how we engage with our clients has numerous constraints, and having the right tools takes the thinking out of effective customer engagement. Glowing is committed to offering your business tools that are compliant with global regulations – meaning no matter where you are you’re within the law.

Glowing also understands that as the industry is changing you might need help developing a strategy and help integrating new tools. We’re here to help with dedicated strategy sessions, as well as implementation sessions to get it all up and running.

With ongoing support 365 days a year – our mission is your success and continued growth.

As we enter a new era of hospitality, our vision remains to enable effective communication and customer engagment across the globe, spanning all industries. We want to help you develop more enriching and meaningful (and glowing) relationships with your customers.