The visibility of technology in this quintessentially people-based industry has been a sore point for many years.

While few would dispute that automation has produced real benefits, keeping the machinery out of view has not been easy if it's to be used efficiently, without a lot of running backwards and forwards.

The results of automation are certainly favorable from the guest's viewpoint; reservations seldom go astray, rooms are more likely to be available when promised, folios are more accurate, and so on. Managers, too, receive accurate, timely reports on the hotels performance, have more time to manage pro-actively, and have the data and tools to bring in more, and more profitable, business than ever before. The high visibility of the technology to achieve this has been accepted as a necessary, if undesirable, tradeoff.

However, the increasing power and inter-connectedness of computers offers the potential for them to retreat more into the background while also becoming more effective. Once any guest data has been collected, it can be made available at all points within the system. The staff can then be far more pro-active in anticipating guest needs and taking care of them, and the information can be analyzed in ever more powerful ways, both alone and with input from other systems, to give new insights into operations and marketing opportunities.

A side effect of the modern awareness of computing power is that guests' expectations have increased. Nowadays they rarely notice that there are PCs between them and the check-in clerks, but they do notice when asked to fill out a registration form by hand - "Don't you have this in the computer already?" Guests now expect you to use automation, but they also expect you to use it effectively - which means keeping it out of their way.

Many instances of keeping technology invisible in the guests' service have been around for a while. For example:

Rapid Check-In:
Links between CRS, guest history and PMS allow the hotel to block a guest's preferred room and other amenities in advance. When the guest phones to confirm that she's on her way, an electronic key can be prepared, and the credit card number from the reservation automatically authorized for the appropriate number of nights. When the guest arrives, she can be simply given her key and wished a pleasant stay. No wait, no visible technology.

In-House Services:
guests expect the PBX operator to know their name and room number when they call, and that all their phone calls and bar/restaurant/movie/laundry charges will appear on the folio automatically. Outlet charges included within a package plan or group master are split out and transferred to the correct folio, leaving the remaining charges on the guest's account, without any input from the guest apart from name and room number.

What more can we do? Well, how about:

Prioritized Room Cleaning:
Housekeeping's priorities for room cleaning change according to hotel occupancy, yet can be accommodated flexibly without intruding on the guests. Electronic locks linked to in-room motion detectors can tell the attendant that the room is occupied and shouldn't be disturbed. When an attendant calls in (via the guestroom phone or TV) to report a cleaned room, she can be given the next priority room number to clean in her section. If there's a full turn and it's important to clean rooms as fast as possible, attendants can be sent to specific rooms as soon as the guests check out from them. On less critical days, rooms can be cleaned in the most efficient sequence, and checked-out rooms left until later. Guests won't be aware of the hotels priorities, need never be interrupted, and the hotel can have rooms available for check-ins sooner than before.

Mini-bar Restocking:
Equally, linking the mini-bar door to a central system can ensure that the re-stocking staff need only go to those rooms where the bar has been opened. Again, the door lock can tell them whether the room is occupied, to minimize intrusion still further.

Universal Guest Assistance:
Hotels can install cross-discipline service centers so that guests need call only one number for room service, bell captain, housekeeping and so on. Active ID badges for the house attendants tell the service center where they are on property; discreet two-way pager communications (instead of obtrusive two-way radios) pass them their next assignments. Room service delivery to one room can be followed by laundry pick-up from another nearby, without the need to return to the dispatch center first. The result: far more efficient use of staff, and much faster response to the guest.

Dining Reservations:
These can be added to the current mix of central services, now POS systems provide them. If all outlets on site are networked to the service center, a guest who wants to book a table for dinner can be offered specific alternatives immediately if his first choice is unavailable.

Outside Event/Activity Scheduling:
The service center can be linked to outside agencies, restaurants, etc., to allow them to research and book whatever the guest requests - dinner reservations, golf tee times, etc. As these organizations also automate, you'll be able to book activities on-line, giving prompt and accurate service for the guest - and potentially a service fee/commission for the hotel.

Package/Mail Delivery:
Packages received for guests don't need to go astray. Install a small barcode system, place an adhesive barcode label on each item received and use small scanners to check it in and out of each point in the delivery chain - receiving, storage, the delivery team, etc. Result: smooth, reliable delivery, and higher guest satisfaction.

Staff Scheduling:
Linking CRS, PMS and S&C can provide detailed traffic patterns for any day into the future, allowing more flexible and accurate staff scheduling. You will find it easier to cover the check-in/check-out flows at different times of day, as well as the outlet server needs, depending on the catering events scheduled and the various groups' past history of using banquet facilities, hotel restaurants or eating outside the property. You have staff where and when the guests need them, but no more than necessary, so costs are kept under control as well.

Better Staff Communications:
Internal e-mail greatly improves communications among your staff members, and allows far better-informed response to guest issues. The night auditor's log can be put on line, for access to the morning shift; information on a particular guest's complaint can be broadcast immediately to all who may be able to help, and also allows the check-out clerk to verify that it was resolved satisfactorily before the guest leaves.

More Focused Marketing:
Shared data and more sophisticated analysis make it easier to target marketing campaigns in ever-finer detail. You may already mail offers to theater patrons who took advantage of last years "Phantom of The Opera" package; add POS data to your guest history and you could also launch a special promotion for cabernet fanciers, and add frequent diners to your VIP category.

Advancing technology also allows systems technology to become less visible to the staff, making for faster learning and more effective use. DOS was tolerated; Windows can be used more intuitively. Graphical executive information systems show managers their daily operating results - and exceptions - quickly, without their having to look at each system separately. User interfaces will continue to simplify yet become more powerful, and awareness of the technology behind the screens and keyboards will continue to fade.

As synergy between systems continues to grow, so will their usefulness and power. Management and staff will be ever more capable of predicting - and handling - guests' needs without intruding on them, and of running an efficient, profitable operation while doing so. And isn't that the highest aim of the hospitality industry?

Note:
Jon Inge is an independent consultant specializing in property level technology. He can be reached at www.joninge.com. This article first appeared in Hotel & Motel Management magazine in May 1997 issue.