The travel industry has had an important partner for many years: technology. This “revolution” offers accommodation not only the most modern operational tools, but also protects customers from unpleasant surprises.
From marketing and reservations, arrival, check-in and online card payments to sending offers and recording reviews, technology is placing hotel businesses online and moving them into the modern future.
Hotel units and small accommodation establishments can and do display their facilities and services in an incredibly short time and communicate with their future customers without delays and incomplete information, while completing the reservation safely and easily.
Every day at the reception is also… “Digital Day”!
Digital day in the hotel office: reservations, digital payments, marketing»
This was also the name of the conference held as part of Xenia 2023 in The Digi Hotel Stage, supported by Worldline Greece for the second consecutive year, contributed in practice to the digital transformation of the hotel sector and highlighted the importance of technology in the daily lives of professionals in the field.
All the new trends in technology as well as available solutions that facilitate hotel operations were discussed and analyzed by leading representatives of hospitality, digital payments and marketing.
Digital payment: convenience and security
The important topic of digital payments was presented by Mr. Konstantinos Alexioubusiness director of the company World line Greece. World line Greece, offered by one of the largest companies in Greece for accepting and clearing card payments integrated payment solutions at all levelswhether digital or physical and has specialized solutions for small and large hotel units. For example, the hotelier has the option to convert an Android phone or other device into a payment terminal, the use of NFC technology.
Which is provided free of charge through the Smart POS application. In this way, it can also accept payments with Visa and Mastercard cards, with contactless technology, as well as from all digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Garming Pay. Although check-in/out is fully automated, there is a solution for payment without the intervention of an employee using automated tellers.
Worldline Greece systems monitor transactions with the possibility of issuing reports and issuing all necessary documents, while at the same time a professional can monitor the progress of transactions in real time. The Live-Pay online platform has recently been revived and already has more than 30,000 registered cartridges, and a hotel or accommodation unit can easily register and receive payments for free.
It should be noted here that transactions through Worldline Greece systemsare performed with high safety standards.
A successful digital “journey” from marketing to booking
The digital marketing is an essential tool for promoting hotel units. Proper handling of its incredible potential can bring the property to the top of the search and very close to 100% occupancy.
An excellent example of digital marketing is hers Brown Hotels Greece.
miss Demeter Arida, Vice President of Marketing and Sales of a successful hotel chain, explained how 360The the marketing strategy followed by Brown Hotels has brought it to high search positions. Specifically, using appropriate content and the right standalone digital strategy of each campaign on Google and metasearch, Brown Hotels became 4The the most famous hotel brand name in Greeceafter Hilton, Marriott and Grecotel.
At the same time, the marketing department of the hotel brand adapts its campaigns to this and uses data from customer profiles decoded through online reservations. This whole digital journey led and leads to a high number of bookings and visitors.
At the tourism exhibition Xenia 2023, Mr. also presented two other important hotel transaction tools. Giorgos Ziogas, partner of a specialized website creation company, Global minds.
Specifically PMS (Property Management Systems) and systems Channel manager, to facilitate the booking process for the hotelier and at the same time assure the guest that his reservation was made correctly. This results in avoiding mistakes that expose the business and upset the customer.
In addition, through its website, the hotel can offer its guests the possibility to choose and book services such as meals, spa treatments, room rentals, etc. Specific features help increase the number of reservations and – of course – sales.
Technical power in the hands of every hotelier
All the above valuable discussions gave a new dimension to the possibilities of technology and through presentations of successful experiences and products, ideas and information were imparted to strengthen the economic flagship of our country, tourism.
Today there are all modern methods for better customer service and data organization/processing in terms of reservations, check-in/out, payments and their settlement and of course for the first step is hotel promotion.
Technology is and will be the partner that every hotelier needs… when choosing solutions, but also the appropriate programs and tools that suit their own business.