The Programme in Practice
Through the streamlining of guest requests and interdepartmental work order management, Rotana was able to identify key areas for improvement of overall efficiency in the use of its resources, both human and with regards to systems. Additionally, each Rotana hotel now has a much clearer view of key departmental costs.
Frem explains that training for the new system was quite simple and straightforward since it “is very user friendly and intuitive to use. If the setup is right from the start, it will run smoothly”.
Talking about the obstacles faced by Rotana during the implementation of the new system, Frem says: “One of the main challenges for us, which remains an issue today, was the choice of communication devices. We tried using wireless phones, but these were not reliable enough due to unstable wireless coverage in all back-of-house areas in the hotels.
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“We then moved to GSM, but that turned out to be too expensive. We are still working on finding the perfect communication device.”
The results to date
Measuring the return on investment was an important project criteria for Rotana. Following the deployment of e-Connect, the hotels were able to measure their service delivery in terms of time, guest feedback and demand for different requests as well as recurring incidents.
Reports revealed that the time of delivery improved by at least 30%, with a 50% reduction in guest complaints.
“At Rotana, the return on investment (ROI) of our projects is not just measured based on a break-even period or revenue; it is also about the quality and consistency of service delivered to all our customers without fail.
“The e-Connect solution as our new guest service management tool keeps all this in check and enables us, with great reporting functionality, to assess where we are and how we can continue to improve and drive guest satisfaction, which was one of our main objectives for the project,” Frem explains.
The statistics explain the issues and trends related to the hotels’ guest service requests, helping Rotana’s operational teams take well-informed decisions in order to mitigate challenges and risks and to focus on the core business of the company, which is delivering great satisfaction.
“Quantifying improvements in service delivery and efficiency is always a challenge, but by tracking our guest satisfaction scores we have noticed at least a 10-15% increase,” adds Frem.
The team is now working on integrating Rotana’s mobile app with the FCS system, enabling guests to place their requests, orders and preferences directly into the system. This integration’s beta version is expected to go live in the near future.
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