Once considered an expensive and incomprehensible technology, the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has been climbing the popularity charts in recent years. Hospitality industry has now begun to realize the enormous benefits that RFID technology can offer and is going all out to implement the RFID technology.
Hospitality industry is always on the lookout for cost effective ways to enhance guest experiences, improve operational efficiencies, and gain unprecedented visibility into any aspect of their organization. Moreover, the different hotel chains are always vying with each other to deliver quality and innovative services to customers and gain brand loyalty. RFID technology is best equipped to provide a cost-effective solution for improving hospitality sector’s efficiency.
Let’s take look at some of the areas where RFID can be useful in the hospitality sector.
RFID to Enhance Customer Experience
Customer service is at the heart of hospitality and that encompasses such things as guest safety and security, product quality and the enhanced experience of the guest. Hotels have to ensure delightful customer experience so that guests return again and again. Enhanced guest experience also helps in creating brand loyalty.
Hotel can enhance customer experience through personalization. Some hotels offer RFID-enabled member cards to their frequent guests. These cards serve as contactless room key and guests can avoid the hassle of check-in. Upon arriving at the hotel, visitors can proceed directly to their room and gain entry using their RFID-enabled card. RFID-enabled room keys are also being utilized by several hotels. These keys can be used to pay for all in-hotel purchases as well as to ride lifts, rent equipment, and avail other amenities and services like spa, pool, and gym offered by the hotel.
Disney, the global entertainment leader, is also using RFID technology in the form of wristbands (MagicBands) and cards to track guest activity throughout their hotels, resorts and parks. Guests at Disney hotels or resorts do not have to carry cash or hotel room keycards.
All these things help hoteliers to create an effortless and magical experience for its guests.
RFID to Track Inventory Items and Assets
Hotel inventory items and assets have a direct impact on how it performs and meets customer requirements. RFID- based laundry management system can help in taking care of the laundry assets of hotels. Bedsheets, comforters, staff uniforms, towels, and other laundry items need to be used and re-used regularly and therefore need to be cleaned properly. Thefts, lost items, billing discrepancies are some of the major challenges in managing the laundry inventory. All these items can be tagged using RFID. It helps in reducing the amount of labor required for tracking inventory and lost items and helps in ensuring that clean laundry items or safety stock are always available.
Other items in the hotels like high end furnishings, electronic equipment, fine china and silverware can also be tagged using RFID technology and their shrinkage can be reduced. RFID technology is thus very helpful for the hotel industry in improving inventory and asset management processes and to maximize the returns on investments.
Furthermore, RFID-enabled cards or wristband can also help the hotels to keep track of their employees. Hotels can keep a check on the location of the staff, mark staff attendance, and also keep an eye on unauthorized access in the highly-critical areas.
GAO RFID has several RFID products that can help your hospitality business in many ways. It offers RFID system to improve guest interaction as well as to meet guest expectations. GAO RFID also offers customized RFID-based asset management and access control systems for the hospitality industry.
RFID technology offers gains way beyond operational efficiencies to the hotel industry. It helps in not only improving the overall customer service quality and performance but also improves the bottom line.]]>
