What do you do if technology failures disrupt your operations in the hospitality industry?

Stay calm. And go back to manual processes. For every task in hospitality there is a manual protocol to follow. Bring back the ledgers.

Absolutely agree! Remaining calm is indeed paramount. In situations where technology fails, staff look to their managers for guidance more than ever. It's crucial to reassure the team that you're aware of the issue and are taking steps to rectify it. Plus, we must remember that we are often customer-facing. Showing that it's 'business as usual' can minimise the impact on our guests. Staying calm helps to portray this, ensuring the guest feels as little disruption as possible. Great point!

If technology failures disrupt your operations in the hospitality industry, immediately implement your contingency plan to maintain essential services and minimize guest inconvenience. Communicate transparently with guests about the issue, providing updates and alternative solutions to ensure their satisfaction. Collaborate with your IT team or service providers to quickly diagnose and resolve the problem, while documenting the incident for future reference. Invest in regular maintenance, staff training, and backup systems to prevent and mitigate the impact of future technology disruptions.

Figuring out how big or small the tech trouble is can really shape how we handle the situation. Are we talking about one point-of-sales acting up, a payment term stuck on a power cycle, or the scary "Wi-Fi's down" scenario? Or is it something we can't really control, like the online bookings server going down? Getting the lay of the land helps us decide our game plan and tackle the issue head-on.

Ask questions Isolate the issue by asking questions and identify the impacted area. From the reported incident nothing is work or PMS is not working down to if the issue is related to the network, application, or even desktop client. Monitor technology environment Have monitoring in place for network and equipment What's changed Check with operations if there are any power outages, cooling system outages, and/or any maintenance work in place. Having a good change control process will help to identify the likely cause of changes

Training our team to handle tech hiccups in crucial areas like payments, POS systems, and bookings is super important. Let's face it, these systems going down in the middle of service can be a real nightmare. But, having a solid plan B in place - think alternate payment terminals, spare batteries, and the like - and making sure our team knows the drill can really save the day. It's all about being ready for whatever comes our way!

Create a solid BCP (Business continuity plan) based on SLAs of each critical application so staff knows the level of manual downtime procedure to make it through the outage period. BCP should include key contacts, workaround/downtime manual, and be reviewed regularly.

It's about managing user expectations. Make sure we communicate to the business about the impacted area (e.g. POS/PMS/payment system and what functions and workarounds are available). It's tricky to provide a restoration timeline but providing a best/worst scenario helps them to prepare for the outage window.

Put best practice such as PIR and lesson learn in day to day operation. PIR Post incident Review to discuss if there are ongoing incidents related to the root cause. This is also very helpful in raising awareness among senior management. Lesson learned To discuss if existing manual procedures are adequate and we have the right level of communication and resolution process in place.