Tech-based practical training is a must at hotel management institutions

Globally, hotels started incorporating information technology into several aspects of their operations in the early 1970s. And now, in 2022, when you look at them, for example, hotels in India have shown rapid inclination towards technology-powered digitisation. They now understand the need for new-age hospitality technology solutions, including cloud-based hotel property management systems, channel managers, revenue managers, CRM and many more. With these solutions, they have gained a competitive advantage, ensured improved productivity, enhanced financial performance, and served guests better. 

Then what is the issue here?

Shortage of skilled workforce. Yes, this is obstructing the industry's growth, especially in the post-Covid recovery path. Even though hotels are showing interest in investing in IT to witness the benefits mentioned above, the absence of staff skilled enough to work on those solutions dampens their spirit. In India, the hospitality industry employs roughly 9%-10% of the country's workforce. But then, like their global peers, hotels here, too, are reeling under the staffing shortage. To be precise, I would say that there is a lack of a workforce with the right amount of knowledge on industry-leading technology applications. 

How does it affect hotels?

Technology has become imperative for all hotels across sizes and offerings spanning back and front offices. In this context, a Hotel PMS is one application that drives the entire hotel business. But then, it doesn't run by itself. Hotels need resources to use this system to its full capabilities to get more out of it. 

It will negatively affect the hotel's performance if professionals coming out of hospitality colleges are not familiar with the usage of a Hotel PMS and the kind of operational and business benefits it offers. After all, there is no denying that hotels also understand that having well-trained graduates with in-depth knowledge of a Hotel PMS directly correlates with guest satisfaction, bottom-line profitability, and decision-making capabilities. 

Here are a few operational areas where hotels are increasingly looking for a technologically well-versed workforce. And there is nothing wrong with it as they (hotels) need to get more out of their hiring exercise. Plus, it also helps them save significantly on software training costs.  

• Handling daily operations like checking availability, making/cancelling/modifying reservations
• Using a central reservation office tool to find out room availability across member properties in real-time
• Understanding the significance of critical data points, including market segment, source of booking, guest preferences, etc
• Generating night audit reports
• Looking up several central-level reports

The list goes on....

What can hotel management institutions do about it? 

Hotel management colleges can play a pivotal role in addressing this pressing issue. They need to overhaul and upgrade their curriculum to stress the impact of a Hotel PMS and other in-demand hospitality technology solutions as mentioned above. They must look beyond providing the traditional guest-facing soft skills and other hotel management tips. While we see a few institutions taking the lead on this, it must be the norm in every hotel management college.

What needs to be done?

Hotel management institutions must work with leading technology providers and industry bodies to develop a well-thought-out course and offer ample practical training based on real-time scenarios. While it increases their students' employability within hotels, it also helps them join hospitality technology companies. Equipped with traditional hotel management skills and cutting-edge technological capabilities, tomorrow's hotel staff can start delivering from day one. It will bridge the gap of non-availability of a skilled workforce in the industry while helping hotels and hospitality technology companies reap the benefits. We noticed this during the Covid-led lockdown when hotels were shut, and hospitality professionals were found highly relevant to technology companies. 

Technology-based practical training is the key to determining how tomorrow's hotel management graduates will add value to the industry. We must empower them to diversify their skillset across all the stakeholders in the industry. In the end, everything boils down to this – fuelling the industry's post-Covid recovery process with the right people doing the right thing.