Information & Challenges
Ringhotel Birke in Kiel promises well-being the northern German way: at the 4-star superior family-run business and wellness hotel, elegance and comfort are in perfect harmony. The hotel’s 93 rooms and the apartments in the traditional ‘Waldesruh’ house are inspired by the interior of a ship’s cabin: the rooms are cozy – with wooden elements and earthy colors – just much more spacious, more comfortable, and more serene in contrast to sailing the high seas.
Guest requests via all channels, departmental handovers using Excel files, constant notes, and a repair book were wasting too much of our time – time that we prefer to spend with our guests. So, we were looking for a software solution and made an excellent choice with hotelkit.
To provide guests with an even more perfect experience, the hotel wanted a way to improve internal communication. Managing Director, Florian Buchebner, describes the situation as follows: “We attach great importance to communication at our hotel, because an inadequate exchange of information inevitably leads to misunderstandings and conflict. In addition, potentially interesting ideas and suggestions for improvement are missed, which can then impede progress.” There was yet another hurdle to overcome: although there was a desire for optimization, 40% of staff – or ‘co-hosts’, as all the members of staff are affectionately called – were skeptical towards hotelkit in the beginning, therefore, it was important to win them over during the test phase.
Implementation & Test Phase
Around 35-40 users participated in the test phase, of whom quite a few were hesitant to use the tools. However, in the end, they were convinced too, and Ringhotel Birke became official hotelkit client in March 2016.
During daily work processes, handovers and tasks were the most used tools from the beginning on. The repair tool, on the other hand, was only implemented after several months of use, and the checklist tool was introduced in May 2016. Since then, it has been used continuously, especially for repetitive to-do’s such as maintaining the Fireplace Bar clean.
Results
From a workforce that was rather skeptical in the beginning, to a team that loves hotelkit – the results of working with the software are impressive. Today, more than 5,200 activities have been carried out since the implementation, which amounts to an average of 13 activities per day.
hotelkit is now being used intensively by the entire team and the numbers speak for themselves. In total, 627 entries were created, which equals about 46 per month.
Due to simplified and efficient communication, it’s almost within our hotel. With hotelkit, nothing stands in the way of ideal work processes!
In the beginning the repair tool was hardly used, however, today it has become one of the most frequently used tool amongst employees. With about 85 handovers per month – which amounts to approximately three handovers per day –internal communication is running both smoothly and effectively. So far, a total of 455 tasks, daily routine work, and continuous processes have been successfully carried out in a structured and practical manner.
Additionally, all other tools are also being actively used: since activating the checklist tool in May 2016, the reception desk has been working with a daily recurring list. In addition, there are more than 30 news entries per month on press reports or events. The calendar offers an optimal overview of all events, on average about 13 per month. Contributions to the handbook have also been made regularly, and it now contains 454 specialized articles for all different departments. Since the end of the test phase, an average of 34 articles have been created per month – continuously making the handbook an enormous knowledge base. Managing Director Florian Buchebner considers their internal challenges to have been fully surpassed: “In order to ensure a smooth flow of information and to actively involve all members of staff in the development of ideas, hotelkit is simply the perfect solution for us!”
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.