Mews, an industry-leading hospitality cloud, has revealed that staff using its technology saved a collective of almost 5,000 hours (the equivalent of 7 months) in administrative time this summer.

Between the impact of COVID-19, the change in business travel, the rise of new traveler profiles and the staffing challenges seen across the sector, the hospitality industry has embraced technology to automate more tasks and provide a more seamless guest experience.

The latest data from Mews suggests that as hotel technology becomes more embedded, staff continue to become more efficient. With hotel staff performing almost half of their administrative tasks more quickly than in the previous month, from check-in to check-out and closing a bill, staff have more time to invest in their guests.

The efficiency gains come as hotels have seen a 54% staff turnover during the summer months, a rise of 10% from last year. Additionally, 70% of hoteliers have also reported experiencing challenges when recruiting staff.

24% increase in front-desk staff efficiency

Analysis published today in an IDC White Paper, sponsored by Mews, concluded that by automating repetitive tasks, front desk staff experience a 24% increase in productivity.

For hotel groups, this can be the equivalent workload of around 12 full-time employees in the organization. This time-saving gives front-desk staff 35% more time to support guests, improving the overall customer experience.

"For each guest, they’re saving at least five minutes a day on administration, which gives them more time to spend on customer experience. Automation is so important. All the repetitive tasks are now done by Mews, and this frees our employees to talk to and help our guests," said one property interviewed by IDC.

Payments

By automating payment processes and reducing the need for multiple payment providers, not only is managing finances faster but the risk of errors is significantly reduced, and security is increased. With Mews, hotels can pre-authorize and charge credit cards before guest arrival, reducing no-show rates and ensuring smoother check-ins. This not only saves time for employees, but also improves the overall guest experience.

"There is no need to manually input numbers on the payment terminal anymore. With Mews, we can take pre-authorization in advance before guests arrive or charge credit cards in advance," according to a Mews customer.

“At the heart of hospitality is human-to-human interaction, where people choose to work in the industry to serve guests. At Mews, we aspire for a screenless world, where staff have the time to truly focus on what matters: their guests. It’s clear from the data that we’re heading in the right direction. By helping staff become more efficient, it means they can reinvest their time in providing personal experiences for their guests,” Matt Welle, CEO of Mews, commented.

Welle added, “As guest profiles and needs continue to change, hospitality brands are focused on driving efficiency to provide better guest experiences, all the while increasing their revenue streams.”

Download the full IDC White Paper, sponsored by Mews, for more findings.

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