Sydney 26 May 2015 – A decade ago the sound of a busy hotel housekeeping office was punctuated with the persistent sound of phones ringing, relaying messages and requests from reception and in-house guests demanding urgent attention.
Today, it is more likely the sound of silence that is the best indicator of a hotel team’s efficiency and responsiveness, thanks to new streamlined and intuitive innovations being facilitated by companies like McLaren Technologies.
The Four Seasons Hotel Sydney is the latest luxury address to enlist the services of McLaren, Asia Pacific’s leading provider of SaaS based technology solutions for the hospitality industry, to ensure its high standards and impeccable service ethos remain unmatched in Sydney’s CBD.
This month, the hotel introduced two new products from Newmarket International, Inc. (“Newmarket”), an Amadeus company, installed and integrated under the close guidance of McLaren’s tech team in Australia.
The first, called the Hotel Service Optimization System (HotSOS, pronounced “hot sauce”) was installed to help automate workflow and communications, and to wirelessly connect service staff to each other, guests, groups and meeting planners. The second, REX (Room Expeditor) operates on the Apple iphone platform, streamlining the housekeeping room assignment process and effectively changing how the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney’s room attendants work while integrating the property-management and energy-management systems.
“To maintain our inside edge on productivity, new software innovations became absolutely essential,” says Four Seasons Hotel Sydney Assistant Director of Rooms, Yogesh Juneja.
“Keeping all team members across the hotel informed and in a position to make swift decisions in real time is now a much easier process after McLaren’s recent tech install. The result is that our service levels continue to consistently exceed even the heightened expectations of valued upper-upscale guests.”
Yogesh says the technology install at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney was undertaken to complement the hotel’s already famous customer service ethos, and provide a safeguard to ensure the team stays on the fast track to delivering an unrivalled, intuitive consumer experience for visitors.
He added that the engineering department is benefiting from the new systems McLaren has introduced. “Engineering can now see individual guest details in each room they are called to and recognise them accordingly which makes it easier to identify, action and rectify any issues or special requests.”
McLaren Technologies Managing Director Matthew White said while Sydney hospitality sector’s technology revolution may appear understated, each hotel technology update was contributing to the overall positive impact of the hospitality industry.
“In the past two years, we’ve been encouraging technology innovation and adoption, and our hotel clients have obliged because ultimately the results – and guests – speak for themselves,” Mr White said.
“The impact of quiet technology achievements at iconic addresses like the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney in recent times continues to create lots of positive noise and impact with staff and guests alike and ensures that destinations like Sydney remain relevant and attractive to domestic and international tourists alike.
“We’re proud to be part of this ongoing technology transformation, and help shape and redesign the business model and processes in the tourism sector. It is always exciting to see the results and contribute toward improving productivity, competitiveness and enhancing the consumer experience for our clients.”
