Like any organisation looking to do more with less, there’s a temptation for hospitality businesses to reach for AI. But while AI is a promising technology with the potential to increase productivity significantly, it doesn’t deliver in every situation. For customer communications, generative AI can help to quickly draft emails or messages. Meanwhile, data analysis tools can dig through hotel or spa bookings to learn customer habits and preferences and create bespoke promotions targeted towards them.
However, this tech does come with challenges. For large companies that have the money to spend, setting up the significant IT infrastructure needed to start an AI project or hiring dedicated AI consultants may not be much of an issue. But for smaller-to-medium operators, the cost barrier could be significant. And if those companies are already facing financial pressures, then it’s unlikely this is a viable option.
The critical risk, however, is that relying too heavily on AI would effectively delete the human touch that is the soul of hospitality, significantly undermining the customer experience in lots of cases. In hotels, for example, we know that guests prefer human interaction.
So, hospitality companies seeking efficiency gains must selectively use AI in cases that wouldn’t cause a risk while also finding other avenues to improve efficiency. Fortunately, not all ways of doing more with less require complex technology – and coded locks are one such avenue.
SAVING TIME, MONEY AND THE GUEST EXPERIENCE
Coded locks provide convenient access control by replacing either keys or keycards on door, cabinetry, and locker locks. Using them, hospitality guests can gain access to different spaces or store their belongings simply by inputting a code.
Some forms of coded locks also allow you to remotely generate time and date-sensitive access codes that can be shared via SMS or even integrated into online booking platforms to be automatically shared with customers via email when they make a booking – at a hotel, sports court, or wellness retreats, for example.
Replacing keys with simple-to-use codes is an immediate boost for resources because these outdated access control methods are a significant drain. Between replacing keys and the staff hours spent troubleshooting access issues, the costs quickly add up. Every time a key is lost or a keycard demagnetised, a replacement has to be made. Staff have to put time aside to manage the process and they’re taken away from other higher-value, human-centric tasks.
For example, if gym lockers are locked shut, that means staff have to stop member engagement and instead troubleshoot the issue. If someone’s belongings are trapped inside, maintenance teams have to be called in to unlock the lockers as soon as possible – involving more people and creating a bigger drain on resources. If a locker can’t easily be unlocked, then cleaning teams can’t do their job effectively, either.
Lockers are just one example among many. Hotel room doors can leave guests stranded in corridors, while spa treatment rooms with misplaced keys disrupt appointment schedules and force therapists to waste valuable session time.
But whatever the scenario is, when a lockout from a lost key or keycard happens, it can have an overwhelmingly negative impact on your guests’ experiences, causing customer satisfaction to dip. That means your team’s hard work to create excellent experiences is then overshadowed by issues that can be easily avoided.
Those higher-value, human-centric tasks – that outdated access control draws your team away from – are also ones that add to your guest experience. Recuperating the lost positive sentiment takes even more effort and time from your team, demanding more of your resources and ultimately cutting into your margins.
Crucially, the efficiency gains from coded locks don’t come with a risk of undermining the human soul of hospitality. They don’t take humans out of the loop where they’re needed. Instead, the efficiency gains come from eliminating a significant drain on resources with a tried-and-tested technology that frees your staff to focus on what matters.
As the sector continues navigating financial pressures and the temptation of complex technological solutions, it is important to remember that efficiency doesn’t always require the latest buzzword technology. Sometimes the best results are delivered by solutions that have quietly delivered results for years. www.codelocks.co.uk