Timeshare Resort Lobby
As borders and businesses reopen, one thing is becoming increasingly apparent – the hospitality industry has been dealt a massive blow. Not only has the industry had to deal with the loss of income throughout the pandemic but the lack of experienced staff willing to return to the industry.
With customers suffering from cabin fever after being through lockdown after lockdown, there is a surge of tourists rushing to escape the environment they have been forcibly stuck in for months. This trend has exposed an increasingly evident issue the hospitality industry is facing.
If you have traveled recently, you may have experienced long wait times for checking in, understaffed restaurants, or hotel staff that appear untrained or lacking experience. The impact of the pandemic is more noticeable in the hospitality industry than most others and the challenges the industry is facing mean a need for reinvention through the use of technology.
Related: The Great Resignation… the 2022 Labor Shortage
One may expect that with restrictions being lifted that a massive number of individuals who lost their jobs during the pandemic would be ready to head back to work and build a career in the industry they once loved. It appears that the exact opposite is occurring and here’s why:
Employees who once felt they were vital to the day-to-day operation of the hotel, resort, or restaurant found themselves being released from duties without a second thought from management. They now feel they were nothing but a number, and the lack of loyalty from the workplace they gave years to means they are not going back.
If you have ever been in the hospitality industry, you know how physically demanding roles can be. Usually, you’re required to be on your feet for hours on end, all while keeping a smile on your face. A recent poll suggests that up to 52% of hospitality employees would not return to that same work setting.
Many hospitality employees work long hours, including pulling double shifts and in many cases covering more than one role. The consensus is that when one considers the amount of work they put in, the compensation they get out is not worth it. This is why half of the industry’s professionals are now looking elsewhere for alternative career opportunities.
With the pandemic still impacting the population, the hospitality industry sees a constantly changing and highly unpredictable flow of customers. Resorts worldwide are realizing that it’s important to turn to technology to provide a sustainable and cost-effective solution to address the labor shortages regardless of how busy they get.
Implementation of software for the front office with advanced features, contactless concierge services, and cloud-based options for wages, human resources, and training staff means that business owners can address shortages while reducing the impact on customer experience. This technology also means a drastic drop in operational expenses allowing for a faster recovery of the business.
Related: Timeshare Management Companies Share Labor Shortage Solutions
Software solutions like contactless check-in and check-out offer a streamlined experience for customers that offsets the negative experience they could have when waiting over an hour to check in with a human. This also means business owners only need available staff to address concerns raised by customers, reducing the staffing requirements and cutting costs at the same time.
Approximately 75% of hospitality business owners are turning to automation as a way to quickly and effectively address customer needs, counter labor shortages, and also allow their business to recover post-pandemic.
Whether you implement technology and staff or customer management, it is essential to consider software that allows integration. Automation is great, but using multiple platforms across different facets of your business can create even more work than the old way of doing things.
Ensuring you have platforms that can seamlessly integrate means that you can manage your entire business from a single dashboard. Managing both staff and customers at the click of a button versus manually collating and consolidating data into reports means less headache and less chance of errors.
The labor shortage within the hospitality industry need not be the nail in the coffin for businesses; a multitude of software solutions make operating your resort easier to manage than ever before and allow you to compensate your existing staff at a more competitive rate.
Failing to implement or experiment with software solutions like remote check-in or trial HR software can be a fatal mistake by business owners. It is unlikely they will ever attract their once loyal, experienced staff back to the industry.
Implementing automation through software also means your guests have a faster and less flawed experience with the reduced chances of human error impacting their vacation. The ability to compensate your employees better also means less attrition; all things considered, technology is a must-have.
Brenna Johnson is an HR professional based in New York, with a passion for technology and modernizing our industry. I help shape selectsoftwarereviews.com as senior editor, providing expert advice on the best HR and recruiting software.
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