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Digital offensive at the Platzl Hotels

Digitalisation is advancing everywhere, but at the same time there are also sceptical voices: Particularly in the ‘humanising’ hospitality industry, this topic seems to stand in the way of the personal contact and long-term guest loyalty that is so typical there.

‘Nevertheless, we have dared to take the uncompromising and major step towards significantly more digitalisation - precisely because we want to give ourselves and our Platzl talents more time for the actual guest experience,’ says Heiko Buchta, Hotel Director and driver of the offensive.

Of course, we are not on our own when it comes to the digital transformation in our establishments. With Tobias Köhler, the founder of Hotel Tech Solutions, we were able to win over an absolute expert in the field of hotel digitalisation. In an interview, Tobias explains to us why digitalisation is particularly important in the hotel industry, how the planning of such a project works and which specific measures will be implemented in the future.

Tobias, thank you very much for your time! You are driving the digital transformation in our Platzl businesses. What are your goals here?

While digital projects were planned and implemented individually in the past, we have now developed an overarching strategy in this area together. As many time-consuming and repetitive tasks as possible should be automated in future, provided this offers added value for everyone involved.

At first, automation doesn't sound very personal or like mass processing. Does this mean that interpersonal needs are being neglected?

The digital optimisation of our processes must never be an end in itself: Employee and guest satisfaction are at the centre of all efforts. In other words, processes that are ‘annoying’ for all sides in their original form should be automated. For example, if employees save hours a week on monotonous, easily automated tasks, they not only enjoy their work more, but also have more time to devote to the guests and their wishes.

How is the change being received by Platzl employees?

Change processes usually meet with a certain amount of resistance at first - that's quite normal. You can counteract this by involving those involved right from the start. This not only allowed Platzl employees to actively contribute suggestions, but also to see how the planned changes would make their own work easier. We allowed sufficient time for the analysis or planning phase of transformable processes. We didn't want to rush things and wanted to gather as many perspectives as possible.

What specific improvements can we expect now?
 

Both employees and guests will benefit from the digital transformation throughout the entire guest journey - from booking to departure. Annoying queues on arrival will soon be a thing of the past thanks to the digital check-in option. Thanks to multimedia communication, staff will be able to look after guests effectively even when they are not at reception. Hotel guests will also be able to manage their stay independently via an integrated digital system. Offers and recommendations will also be much more personalised, meaning that guests' needs will be met even better. In short: the quality of service in the Platzl establishments will be even better thanks to the digital transformation.

Thank you, Tobias, for your assessment. We will be happy to keep you up to date with the digital milestones at Platzl Hotels on our social media channels.