Introduction
Web reservations systems are a convenient platform for guests to book their stays via an online interface. Most reservation systems allow guests to select the type of room they want (ex: deluxe, single, penthouse suite), indicate how many individuals are in their party, how long they will stay at the hotel, and the number of beds they want in the room (GoConcierge Helping CA Hyatt, 2005). All of this can via the online reservation platform which, in some cases, also allows the guest to pay for their stay via a payment system that accepts most major credit cards. What a web reservation platform introduces is efficiency and less work on the part of the hotel and easier accessibility on the part of the customer. Combined, this makes the process of reserving and booking a hotel room easier and more convenient for all individuals involved.[“Write my essay for me?” Get help here.]
Impact of the Tool on the Hospitality Industry
Through the use of web reservations systems, hotels are able to operate more efficiently and reach more customers than they were able to do before. Efficiency, in this case, is based on how a computer system, instead of a group of individuals, handles each customer reservation inquiry thereby lowering the amount of time and effort needed to bring in new guests to the hotel. Before the rise of the internet and the popularization of online booking websites, a vast majority of hotel reservations were done over the phone. This often required a dedicated team of individuals to accept each call, answer each customer inquiry, and input the necessary details of the client into the hotel’s reservation list.
The main issue with this method is the inefficient nature of the process since each customer inquiry could potentially take 10 to 20 minutes depending on the questions the client has. Since it is the policy of most hotels to be courteous to their potential guests, this resulted in the phone receptionists indulging customer’s questions thereby lengthening the time in-between calls. Given the busy nature of several hotels in New York, Las Vegas, Paris, and Tokyo, the sheer amount of customer inquiries and their individual lengths could result in the hotel employing more than a dozen people to handle reservations (GoConcierge Helping CA Hyatt, 2005). This is why web reservations systems can be stated as being a “revolutionary” tool for the hospitality industry since it allowed hotels to do away with the inefficient nature of having teams of individuals on-hand to field customer calls. [Need an essay writing service? Find help here.]
Now, web reservations systems have FAQ sections that can answer the various questions a client may have, and each system can clearly indicate whether a particular type of room is available, what sort of additions can be placed in the room (ex: extra beds) and the entire cost of the stay. From 10 to 20 minutes, the length of an average customer transaction over the internet can now be done in a few minutes resulting in a far more effective and efficient method of reserving rooms and booking guests.
Ethical Implications
The ethical implication of using web reservations systems is that it is eschewing the “human element” when it comes to booking guests in favor of computer efficiency. While having more efficient operations is a positive development, the fact remains that this trend in taking humans out of the equation is not something that correlates with what the hospitality industry stands for. For example, in Tokyo, there have been tests conducted in various small scale motels in the area which eschew the human element entirely when it comes to the process of booking. Guests can walk into the building, be greeted with a screen with a selection of rooms, press their desired room, enter their credit card details, and receive their key via a slot in the wall.
The entire process was designed with efficiency in mind wherein throughout their entire stay guests would receive no human interaction at all. From the standpoint of the hospitality industry, this is a step in the wrong direction since not only does it take away jobs from people, but it goes against the entire concept of “hospitality” since the “service” in this case is cold and efficient and lacks the warmth of direct human interaction. Unfortunately, many small-scale hotels have begun to see the potential advantages of such a method and the process has started to be tested in other countries as well.[Click Essay Writer to order your essay]
Conclusion
Overall, what this essay has shown is that web reservations systems have made it easier and more convenient for hotels and customers to receive and make reservations. This has allowed hotels to operate more efficiently while at the same time makes it easier for customers to make a booking since they will not have to wait on hold for several minutes while the receptionist converses with another potential guest. However, while some efficiency is good, too much of it can detract from what the hospitality industry should be about as seen in the case of hotels that take away the human element altogether when it comes to booking and receiving guests.
Reference List
GoConcierge Helping CA Hyatt. (2005). Lodging Hospitality, 61(14), 66.
