hotelkit is a web-based communication tool for hoteliers and hotel teams. On a daily basis, hotel employees post the latest news, inform their teams about upcoming group bookings, send digital shift handovers and attend to their guests’ requests with simply one click. This is how hotelkit is used under usual circumstances, however, we are finding ourselves in quite unusual circumstances at the moment. A lot of hotels are closed and might their occupancy dropping drastically. Why should you need hotelkit in times of the crisis? You have already read the answer in the first sentence – because hotelkit is a communication tool and a very clear and effective one, to be frank. Communication is key, especially during times of crisis!
Use the flexibility of hotelkit to your advantage
The regular hotelkit-users among you will have noticed already – hotelkit easily adapts to your needs. Usually, we write handovers in which we inform the morning or afternoon shift about what’s going on in the hotel. For Front Office – how many departures, arrivals, and occupancy we expect. But, why not also use the handover and news function to inform your team members about the latest news regarding the Coronavirus, the newest guidelines, hygiene measures or the emergency shift? With one quick click, you can post all relevant information on your hotelkit platform, accessible to all, and keep teams up to date.
Once the first shock of the new situation has sunken in, you can also take this time to have a critical look at your SOPs. How are your current procedures, templates, and checklists? Are you satisfied with how your hotel is operating? In which areas are improvements possible? Also, it is more important than ever for hotels to strictly stick to HACCP guidelines now. Create new tasks and walkthroughs in order to guarantee the highest hygiene standards in your property. Why not create a recurring task which reminds your employees to clean frequently touched surfaces or check if there are sanitary wipes in the lounge?
Stay in touch with your team
Even when your hotel is forced to close its doors temporarily, the most important thing is to stay in touch with your team. Nobody should lose contact with their employees and colleagues during this uncertain time. There are many different platforms and social media possibilities to keep in touch with your friends and family. You can still be on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram or read the news. But, how to stay in close contact with your employees, while staying professional?
Again – hotelkit can help you solve this struggle. Engage your team to log on to hotelkit daily, even from home. You can use this as a possibility to exchange the latest news updates and governmental measures. Moreover, to keep them in the loop about what the next steps are with regards to the hotel and their jobs. Create a timeline for the upcoming period of what they can expect. Especially during tough times like this, it is very important to have a clear, honest and structured communication with your team. You do not want to have rumors going around which might make your team feel unsure.
Another suggestion is to focus on the idea tool. Engage your team to post what to do during quarantine, topics like healthy recipes, workouts at home or how to work while also having the kids at home. Exchanging ideas and new concepts can be very fun and broaden their minds. Also, during the hectic working days in the hotel, you hardly ever have time to really review your current operations. With the help of the idea tool the whole team can give their input for things to implement or improve in the hotel once we have all successfully battled this crisis.
Keep motivation flowing
The crisis can also mean connectivity. As bad as the current situation is, we should try to make the best of it, even if it is difficult to see the light at the tunnel. During this crisis, you will find out exactly how flexible our communication software is. Not only to keep in professional contact with your team, to give them regular updates on the situation and new tasks but also to create an environment where they can connect and stay in touch. Share what is going on in the city or region, share personal thoughts and create a feeling of solidarity. As mentioned above, this period also shifts boredom at home to open up your mind and let the creativity flow. Let hotelkit be the connecting factor when human touch and being together in one room at the moment cannot.
About the author
Julia Stiefsohn
Enjoys giving websites an attractive look, this blog also bears her creative handwriting, at least in part. Speaking of handwriting: every now and then, when she’s in the flow, she also writes.