Digital processes, above all the interface between hotelkit and SuitePad, make everyday tasks easier for employees and ensure even more convenience for guests. Doris Schwarz, Deputy Director at Hotel Sacher Vienna, explains in an interview what advantages the symbiosis of these two software products brings to everyday work.
To what extent does digitization make your day-to-day work easier?
I see digitization as the best way to enable innovation. For us, it is more than just a catchy phrase. It is one of our corporate values. To be able to live up to this, working digitally is essential. We quickly realized that tools like hotelkit open up new possibilities for us. We also had our own Sacher app developed, which is actively used by our guests.
What’s more, you have to take into consideration that today’s generation of employees can no longer even imagine working without digital tools. At the same time, as a renowned Austrian hotel, we have the obligation to provide our guests with excellent service. Without digital support, this would probably not be possible at the current level.
For us innovation is more than just a catchy phrase. It is one of our corporate values. To be able to live up to this, working digitally is essential.
What were specific challenges before the interface between the two tools hotelkit and SuitePad was in use. Why was implementing this application important to Sacher Hotels?
The main reason for implementing the interface in our hotels in Vienna and Salzburg was that the large, comprehensive info folders that used to be common in the rooms no longer met our guests’ requirements. Guests should be able to access the information they need in a more convenient, uncomplicated way. That’s why we have equipped all the areas where these folders used to be with tablets from SuitePad. These tablets add an extra layer of convenience. All we have to do is enter any new information, such as changes in hygiene measures, into the system via the backend, and they are visible on every tablet. This really makes our work much easier, but it’s also very convenient for our guests, who always have access to the latest information. They now have this easy way of contacting us, in addition to traditional communication options.
We wanted to enable our guests to access the information they need in a more convenient, uncomplicated way than by using the traditional info folders.
How is the interface actually used in everyday work?
The interface between SuitePad and hotelkit is most frequently used for room service orders. All menus are stored on SuitePad. The guests can think about their request and then submit it via the tablet from the convenience of their room. The order is then sent directly via hotelkit to recipients already defined in advance, in this case the F&B department. We also receive an automated call from SuitePad so that we definitely don’t miss the order. When the guest’s request has been fulfilled, the status of the request is set to “completed” in hotelkit.
Of course, our famous Sacher confectionery is also very popular with guests. Original Sacher cakes and other delicacies from our store are frequently ordered by guests via SuitePad and then brought directly to the room. Requests for a late check-out can also be made via SuitePad. The reception team receives the request via hotelkit and can immediately initiate appropriate steps or inform other departments directly in the handover.
The guests can think about their request and then submit it via the tablet from the convenience of their room.
What are the biggest advantages of the interface between hotelkit and SuitePad?
The biggest advantage of the interface is the bundling of the entire information flow in one system. Employees do not have to keep an eye on an additional tool but can view and process all requests directly in the familiar working environment, in hotelkit. In addition, there are hardly any potential error sources in guest service, since everything is transparently traceable. Should a mishap occur, it can be easily resolved by tracking the history of the order in hotelkit. The enormous savings in printing costs are also worth mentioning.
Guests have come to expect this digital service from Sacher Hotels. Of course, this also has hygienic reasons. Especially in the context of the pandemic, hygiene awareness has once again changed significantly. Paper is hard to disinfect without any damage. We don’t have this problem with tablets. Finally, another big advantage is that we offer guests a convenient way to communicate with us.
Thanks to SuitePad and hotelkit, our everyday work has changed fundamentally. Communication is now incredibly efficient, which means we can be there for our guests even faster and easier. Our hotel operations without these two tools is almost impossible to imagine.
About the integration
This is how this great interface works: Guests submit their requests via a SuitePad tablet to pre-defined recipients in hotelkit. They can accept or reject the request via a corresponding button. If they accept the request, they can then forward it to the responsible employees via the @ function. Guests thus receive a quick response to their requests and employees can conveniently and easily handle guest services via hotelkit.
About SuitePad
The company SuitePad offers hoteliers a variety of solutions for digital communication with their guests. The goal is to replace the traditional guest folder with a digital solution. Together with renowned private and chain hotels, SuitePad has developed a tablet that provides guests with all important information and enables orders and requests to be transmitted digitally. This makes communication between guests, reception and the service team smooth and convenient. Since 2012, over 1000 hotels and more than 60,000 rooms have been equipped with digital guest folders from SuitePad. In 2020 and 2021, the company received a HotelTechAward for its innovative solution.
About Sacher Hotels
Luxury, culinary pleasure and a living family tradition. Two hotels in Vienna and Salzburg. Coffee houses in Vienna, Salzburg, Graz and Innsbruck, and of course, the unique Original Sacher Torte cake. The Sacher is one of the best-known family businesses in the world and ranks among the “Leading Hotels of the World”. In 1876, Eduard Sacher opened the first luxury house in Vienna, which over the past century and a half has evolved into the quality establishment the Sacher still is today. Under the loving attention of Alexandra Winkler and her brother Georg Gürtler, the Sacher Hotels today inspire visitors from all over the world. They stand for cultivated tradition combined with continuous yet careful modernization, ensuring unique Sacher moments.
About the author
Michael Santner
Narratives about impoverished poets during his studies encouraged him to follow his passion in a secure job. In hotelkits marketing he takes care of packing the numerous ideas of his colleagues into exciting stories.