The Boston Harber Hotel is one of the most cherished and prestigious hospitality and accommodation destination for many travelers in Boston city. It has served the service industry with memorable moments of history, recognized as a leader-service provider in the industry. The hotel is located at the historic Rowes Wharf in the Bostan's city scape. It attracts a large number of travelers in the city with a promise of variety of services. Their services range from the normal restaurant services and accommodation services. They also provide human therapeutic services such as the Spa and fitness facilities in the industry. In the history of the hotel, it has served as one of the busiest hospitality and accommodation facility down the city. It forms a world class image in the industry and is known for excellent image in the world category, serving multitudes of humanity on transit and out for leisure and constructive family time.
The Five-star property is known to be a comfortable home away from home that has developed several aspects of the hospitality and tourism industry's demand (Form and Form, 2013). Currently the management has decided to install technology into their operating system. The Intelity firm has been chosen to install their systems of operation into the property. It offers a robust combination of services in the technology industry through the ICE platform. These will include both the guest service engagement softwares and the mobile app for the Forbes Travel Guide Five-star property in the Boston's cityscape. The services are offered in their ICE means such as the ICE bedside, web, mobile, lobby, and multi-property. The Intelity institute is also known for the quality of technical engagement in technological advancement in the sector. Their services range from the paperwork displacement to the upgrade of the technologically current and relevant systems of operation in any industry in the globe today. In this case, we are looking at an industry which requires the most relevant to technology to enhance to enhance their competition in the global market.
The process of installing these technologies by the chosen firm is a twofold adventure. In the argument, it is, therefore, very appropriate to understand the underlying benefits of installing applications that will engage the guests in their services. At the same time, such steps come with challenges which must be understood in the business field.
The adventure has a lot of pros attached to the move in the industry. These are based on the accrued benefits of the technologies. The initial benefit of the event lies in the fact that the softwares and the apps will reduce the paperwork in the properties (Mo Kwon et al. 2013). Paperworks are very bulky and consumes a lot of space on the premises. They also form a junk of materials that are very stressful to manage in the event of end of life materials in an industry. Engaging guests on an online platform is a very effective step that can, not only enhance smooth transaction but reduces the challenges faced in managing the paperwork. The paperwork may be a threat to the development of the industry as it occupies a lot of operation space and slows down the work process of data retrieval. At the same time, replacing the paperwork will make the property look smarter and up to date in the economic development. Intelity technology is a robust of many approaches managed from a central point in the technical hedge. Using the softwares and the tablets in the in the premise is more appealing and will attract more guests into the hotels and the accommodation facilities (Tigun et al. 2013). The customers only need to browse through their phones and link to the mobile apps as applied in the tablets and the softwares. In the contemporary world, the service industry is becoming more competitive than ever. One of the factors that can give a particular hotel an hedge over its competitors is the ability to look modernized and up to date with the urban trends. The uses of software and tablets is one of the ways hotels can appear modernized and thereby, attract more customers (Firoiu and Croitoru,2013). Furthermore, the use of software that makes all the operations easier for the customers is what can increase the number of customers frequenting a hotel such as Boston Harber. Once a customer has experienced the swift and easy services facilitated by the software being used in the hotel, they will spread the news to their friends leading to an increase in the customer base.
Moreover, the technology enhances intelligence in the management system. It not only ensures that there is improved integration in the management system, but also makes the analysis process simpler, faster, and convenient for the sectors. This will improve the level of confidence among the management team, besides, it will also boost the level of trust amidst the clients and then their loyalty to the services in the Boston's services. Such a level of intelligence enhance data management system. For instance, with the softwares, the management can sort the client's preferences from the messages delivered to the central system. These may include the beverage choice, room conditions, the temperature in the room thermostat and the number of hangers that might have been used by the client on their visit. The database keeps the records and can be used upon the client's subsequent visits so that the guests are served their favorites in the previous visits.
At the same time, the technology will help Boston's management to enhance effective social marketing. With the mobile application and the softwares, the management team can create an ad on the social marketing platform and ensure that the service output pool is effective and reaches the maximum number of guests in the Boston's capacity. The global access to internet services can then be used to the advantage of the firm to ensure that the industry succeeds. Reports indicate that the use of the internet and mobile application is the most effective social marketing platform in the social media. Internet marketing has been known to be very effective in sales promotion. People in the contemporary society today use the internet applications more than any other platforms in the world's socialization. These include such app as the communication and entertainment, besides the special advertisement platforms that are used in the internet and blogging.
The other advantage of this step involves an improved global image. It is very effective to enhance the engagement of your clients in any form of business. The facilities can source immediate message at any time in the competitive industry. The use of tablets and other smart technology, gadgets has totally transformed the world into a global village. Imagine interacting with the guests at their comforts without having to ring, call or move from one corner of the building to the next. How efficient would that be for both parties?
In addition, the installed gadgets will save the company on human labor costs. Employing very many staffs to respond to the guests' demands cost a lot in the service industry. As a result this step will automate the interaction between the guests and the management. The Intelity tablet software is a one-stop system that allows the guests to use their mobile phones at their comfort zones to communicate with the management body from a central point. A step that will enhance an efficiency in the communication cycle. Considering the number of guests handled by the firm that goes way above 200, the cost of using a central communication center using the softwares and the mobile application will be lower as compared to the cost of manual human labor in the industry. At the same time, it offers a direct line of communicating with the guest online from a central location through the ICE web, mobile and the bedside properties without compromise on the message delivery (Mo Kwon et al. 2013).
The other pro in the approach is that the system will improve the accessibility of the service bay through the mobile apps and the database pool in the industry. With an established worldwide software, the guests can readily access the accommodation spaces, book dinning requests, and enhance the timely plan. The approach has been utilized very well by the other firms where the Intelity has ventured into. The approach is deemed very friendly to the guest who have very busy schedules and do not have time to move from one hotel to the next looking for accommodation and dinning facilities. They only have to make the appointment using their cell phones from their zone of comfort and the facilities will make arrangement for their request. Isn't this technology marvelous? Moreover, the technology, as applied by the Intelity company is a 24 hour-economy focused on boosting an endless interaction with the clients at any point of need. For instance, when the client wants to make arrangements for a very early exit tea, they only have to use the mobile apps, link to the tablet softwares and the information will automatically reach the management immediately hence the arrangement made as prescribed by the customers (Verma et al. 2012).
It is therefore very efficient, convenient, effective and time saving in the view of proper handling of the customers in the industry.
On the other hand, software and mobile application are prone to several challenges in the hospitality industry. Boston Harbor Hotel is used to the routine of the operational trends, introducing the change into the system will destabilize the operational system in the industry. This might affect the service delivery and the number of guests coming to the hotel may reduce following the change in the normal routines. The cost of such occurrences may be underestimated, but the accumulative may cost the turnover of the industry at large. The level of application of the new system of operation should, therefore, investigated and installed in a manner that do not affect the employee's psychology. The Intelity has to train the Boston employees on how to use their products or ensure that they include their staff in the company to help in the continuous operational management.
In the same event, Penner et al (2014) asserts that the application of these practices is costly and requires a lot of initial capital to acquire. For instance, to install an ICE bedsides, web, and the mobile applications is an endeavor that can cost a lot of money in the long run. At the same time, the company needs to train the employees on how to use the new technology as well create awareness amidst their guests in the event of their arrivals in the Hotel. It will also result into a costly replacement, where will the company take the traditional print compendiums and the alarm-clock radios? Will these not go to waste? It is still unclear how the company is going to manage the existing system of operation which will be termed wastes upon the replacement with the new system. Disposing these into the environment may at the same time, cost the company, environmental care duties. It is, therefore, very critical to analyze the long-term benefits of the process without compromising the side effects analysis. Moreover, the tablets and the mobile apps will require a progressive maintenance cost in the event they are installed. The other cost may be incurred in the Intelity agreements, transportation and purchasing processes.
The system will also require that the operators have sufficient knowledge on how the technology works in the process it is installed. The skilled manpower is also needed in the continuous operation of the machines and the application in the industry. These include cases of urgent breakdowns and breakages. Similarly, the mobile application requires people who understand the information technology techniques to be effective and rewarding in the event they are to be successful in the hospitality sector in Boston Harbor Hotel. Such skillful manpower is only at the dispensation of the service offering company, which in this case is the Intelity company. It will be very complicated for the Boston's employees to adapt to the changes and may take quite some time to adjust to the new system. That will mean a very costly adventure in the company's history at large (Wendy and Morosan, 2014).
The other disadvantage of the step is that it will eliminate job opportunities for the community. Automating the system will mean that the manual laborers will be displaced in the due course. At the same, the number of skilled labors will be reduced to suit the number of machines to be used when the Intelity have installed the system. The threat of a jobless community lies in the fact that there is a lot of uncertainty on the issues of security and economic. If the company displaces a large number of her employees then the country's economy will be sabotaged. Such a move may as well impose a negative impact on the industry as well as a response on the sectors involved. The basis of understanding among the stakeholders may present a complicated scenario in which the players may fail to interpret the underlying consequences of the activities involved in the process as well as how to mitigate the consequences in the event.
In addition, the installation of such a technology in the Bostons hotel may expose the company to a lot of internet threats and cyber crimes. Security breaches may become part of the industry as hackers and bloggers may impersonate the company and sell the prestigious name negatively in the social media. Similarly, the security breaches may result in a situation of customers doubt, whereas the customers themselves may as well be a threat to the technology by exposing the product to a lot of scum threats and virus introduction. Ever wondered why several company's cry fault of the internet marketers? The current trend in cyber crime and computer technology may be a great threat to the prosperity of the established companies. It may succeed in tarnishing the name of the hotel negatively when the ill-motivated competitors decide to use cunning ways to pin down the hotel as well as the hard earned loyalty of the customers (Otter et al. 2015).
In a nutshell, I think the Intelity opportunity is a good chance for the prosperity of the Boston Harbor Hotel. It has myriad opportunities to help the company grow effectively in the competitive industry in the world today. It will majorly help the firm to intelligently integrate the management system in a manner that will push for the healthy competition amidst the growing challenges in the industry. As such, the hotels that have integrated software applications and other technological devices in their holdings are more competitive and can deal with most of the challenges that arise in the hospitality industry. It will also bring together the various sectors of the industry into a central unit in the operational lines. Likewise, it will reduce the amount of workforce and as a result allow the company to maximize the profit margin and reduce the cost of production in the event of service delivery in the hospitality industry. The time spent in the manual placing of orders and attending to the customer queries will be spent on productive activities that will lead to an overall efficiency of the services offered. Efficiency is one of the factors that determine the number of customers frequenting a given hotel. Therefore, increased efficiency will attract more customers and ultimately lead to an increase overall sales at the Boston Harber Hotel (Kandampully et al.2015).
The Intelity's robust of combination is a modern application in most of the technologically advanced industry and present a combination of style and class at the same time. It does not only portray the picture of global relevance, but also enhance performance of the industry. It also boosts the global appearance of the industry and reduces the amount of paperworks in the various sectors as it eliminate the manual writings into a soft platform of an interactive ideology. It can, as a result, help the Boston Harber Hotel to improve the efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery as it also reduces time wastage. There are a myriad reasons to adopt the system as applied in the paper. However, the adoption of the technology depends on the cost-effectiveness of the strategies. Should the Intelity ICE technology be implemented, then the company has to adjust to the changes in the industry to avoid irrelevance in their operation line. There should be a thorough evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of the steps. The adoption of the technology should be thoroughly evaluated and the best option of the technique applied.
References
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