Dr Emmanuel Kaldis, Cofounder & Managing Director of YouTect
Dr Emmanuel Kaldis, Cofounder & Managing Director of YouTect talks to TravelDailyNews about the HotelTect platform. The HotelTect Solution has been developed with the aim to improve internal communication within hotels and hotel chains. Dr. Manolis Kaldis talks about the functions, the key characteristics and finally the costs of the platform.
TravelDailyNews: Which are the core functions of the HotelTect platform and which are the key characteristics?
Emmanuel Kaldis: The HotelTect Solution has been developed with the aim to improve internal communication within hotels and hotel chains and in so doing to address common challenges hotel managers face, namely bureaucracy, lack of communication as well as issues of business integrity and continuity due to increased turnover rates. It is a suite of business tools that support management procedures, such as the management of hygiene and security procedures, employee onboarding and human resource training and development, internal communication and collaboration and quality and innovation management.
The user-friendly interface resembles Facebook and responsive design protocols make it usable from any smart device. The platform is very flexible, in that all menus and functions can be customized according to the unique and specific needs of every organization. The platform is offered on a software-as-a-service model, which means that no server or other upfront costs are required. Travel businesses can create as many user accounts as they wish at no additional cost.
TDN: The management of a Hotel is a challenging task as communication between the various departments requires continuous communication and coordination. How does HotelTect solution improve the internal processes of a Hotel? Is it suitable for all types and sizes of hotels?
E.K.: HotelTect Solution has been designed by hoteliers with the aim to make internal communication within hotels much simpler and more efficient. The hotel is a very unique organizational entity; it is like a living organism that operates 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. The online environment of the platform can be imagined as a private members space where members can easily exchange information in a well-organized and structured manner.
The HotelTect Solution is suitable for hotel chains, small or large hotel units and hoteliers associations. Already forward thinking hotel chains and many individual hotels ranging from large units to small and medium seasonal hotels have adopted it to enhance their business processes.
Some concrete illustrations as used by hotel managers include:
-Top management communicates news and memos to various departments, while team members also collaborate more effectively within and across departments.
-Information about all scheduled events (e.g. conferences, weddings etc.) accompanied by the associated details (e.g. menus, timing, staff responsible etc.) is shared with the relevant departments and appears on a dynamic calendar.
-Useful files, such as hygiene and security protocols/forms, manuals and training material are shared with relevant departments.
-Directories with suppliers and business partners can be created, along with the support for evaluation and quality non-conformities reporting.
-Standard procedures, such as the reporting of repairs/maintenance issues, request approvals and any type of control and quality checklists can be automated.
-Another strategic tool is the advanced HR Portal that supports functions like the creation of CV database, employee onboarding and evaluation, as well as the management of training and development schemes.
TDN: Which are the costs of the solutions and what other investments are required by the hotelier? Do you provide support and how quickly will the Hotelier offset the investment?
E.K.: What HotelTect is offering is a suite of very affordable strategic business tools designed for small and medium units. Such tools have been mostly available for multinational companies or large hotel chains and thus have been considered a luxury for SMEs. The price for the HotelTect solutions start from €32/per month and vary depending on the hotel size. Apart from an initial setup fee in the region of €350, no other investment is required as the platform is offered on the cloud (no server is required). A sophisticated administration panel accompanies all packages, while a support ticket system is also available.
Undoubtedly, the smooth operation of internal processes and especially high employee engagement are vital for the overall performance. This is even more true in tourism and hospitality, whereby the importance of an engaged team is even higher due to the personal communication with customers and because of the popularity of evaluations on booking.com, TripAdvisor and other websites. What is also noteworthy, is the fact that investing in human resources management has a financial impact in the form of increased revenue (26% increase in revenue per employee). The platform has also helped travel businesses in increasing innovation and competitiveness.
