An essential function where technology can add value is one in which every hotel experiences the occasional friction: communication between teams. As Koehler explains, BIG MAMA Hotels uses technology to smooth the communication process between departments. For example, if a guest requests a crib, the front desk agent must communicate that request to the housekeeping team in order for the guest to receive the crib. In an analog world, the front desk agent might forget to call housekeeping about it, or the housekeeping team might hear the incorrect room number and bring the crib to the wrong room.

“Most operations errors in the hotel business happen in the handoffs and coordination between departments.  The best hotel operators are experts at unifying disparate teams and technology is critical for that. If everybody theoretically has access to a master task list that can be filtered - team members get a better understanding of what is actually on their plate and on how overloaded their colleagues might be when they have capacity to pick up some slack.  If housekeeping is slammed but the front desk is quiet and towels are requested, maybe the front office staff will carry up some,” says Koehler.

There are several potential opportunities for human error or miscommunication which technology can solve. At BIG MAMA, Koehler’s teams use automation to action these requests, so any request for a crib lands on the task list of the housekeeping team member who is responsible for bringing cribs to guestrooms. This process ensures everything is completed on time and accurately. In addition, every team member can see the tasks on other team members’ plates, which adds transparency and accountability to BIG MAMA’s operations.

Another critical and repetitive process that’s a prime candidate for automation is credit card validation and processing. If a reservation comes in with an invalid credit card, a staff member must engage in back-and-forth communication with the guest to get a valid card, and if no valid card is provided, then the reservation must be canceled. Rather than spending valuable time on these tasks, BIG MAMA opts to automate the entire process, including validating the card, sending emails to guests with a link to add a valid payment method, and canceling the reservation if no valid payment method is provided.

BIG MAMA Hotels also leverages technology to track and pay invoices to vendors. This accounting workflow typically involves several people, like the person submitting the invoice, the person approving it, and the person actually cutting the (digital) check to pay it. A streamlined, tech-enabled version of this workflow, like what Koehler’s accounting team members use, has one place to submit invoices, a clear workflow to approve and pay them, and a log to make the accounting process more transparent. By automating these processes, team members are free to handle more impactful tasks or more complicated billing issues.

Guests can check in for their flights online and skip the queue at the airport, so why can’t they check into their hotel online and bypass the front desk if they so desire? Koehler recognizes that many guests want an easier check-in process, so guests checking into a BIG MAMA property can complete all of their registration “paperwork” on their own time and simply get their room number and key from the front desk. This self-service process doesn’t require installation of kiosks or tablets, but rather uses guests’ own devices, with the standard front desk process available as a backup or for guests who prefer more in-person interaction. This approach makes the best of both worlds: it frees guests from a time-consuming check-in process (and frees front desk agents from tedious data entry) while also leaving the opportunity open for guests who do want to chat with the front desk.

“Nowadays for the majority of guests it's  hard to explain why they need to approach  the reception and fill out a form. Why can't this be done in advance for example so that even if there's no self-check in kiosk or contactless check-in app that you just approach the reception and the person behind the desk only has to ask what's your room number?,” says Koehler.

In the future, Koehler expects that technology will make the connection between guests and the front desk even more streamlined, like with AI helping staff members make recommendations based on guests’ preferences.

Besides explaining how BIG MAMA uses technology to enhance their guest experience and back office operations, Koehler shared several pearls of wisdom about his approach to technology and software purchasing in the hospitality industry. He cautions that while technology can seem cool and exciting, it’s important to not be distracted by the newest “shiny thing” that your hotel doesn’t actually need. Koehler encourages hoteliers to think critically about their technology needs to avoid wasting time and money on something that doesn’t have strategic fit with your goals.

“Most hoteliers are reactive, maybe chasing a shiny new tech tool or fixing a process that’s so broken they can’t operate at all anymore.  The smartest hoteliers today question who they are and map out every process in their business.  If you map out these processes even in a low tech way with Post-its to see who is involved, for example, in the payment of an invoice - people quickly realize that there's a lot of  possibilities for improvement in these cases and that so much time can be freed up.  As you identify the broken processes on property, that’s when you should start thinking about solutions and in my experience, oftentimes technology can be a major help when you want to fix those workflows,” Koehler told HotelTechReport.

To maximize the utility of the technology you do implement, Koehler recommends setting SMART goals, which are goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. These goals clarify your hotel’s purpose and put your targets into very clear terms. Knowing what you’re working toward can make it easier to identify which technology can help you get there. So can involving team members in your purchasing decisions: staff who are on the ground, using your technology and interacting with guests every day, can often lend valuable insight that executives simply don’t have from their offices. Including these stakeholders in the conversation early on can also help to overcome resistance to change. Ultimately, technology and automation can free team members from unnecessary repetitive tasks.

Koehler also shared that his vision for technology at BIG MAMA Hotels is a long-term one. He aims to “future-proof” the tech stack, meaning that the software and tools the company uses are carefully chosen with the intention to remain relevant for at least the next ten years and flexible integration options with other systems. By investing in technology that aligns with BIG MAMA’s company goals, Koehler can be confident that he’s not wasting time or money on technology that will only be useful in the very short term.

“I joined BIG MAMA in late 2021 and many tools already have been in place. But it's my job to create a system architecture in a very cost-efficient way and to prepare BIG MAMA for scaling basically. So to make the best of the existing systems on the one hand, but also to future-proof our operation for more hotels.  And in order to be able to open new properties in a short period, certain prerequisites need to be met. And besides having everything in the cloud, of course, and to be placed and device agnostic, we also see the necessity to be able to future-proof our operation. And for us, that means how flexible is the system in terms of integration with other systems? Can it be managed with a lean structure in the background?” Koehler told HotelTechReport.

Some of Koehler’s key technology partners include: