Amlan Ghose, Managing Director, Prologic First: Contactless technologies will be repositioned as self-service propositions in post-vaccine world

Smart solutions in hospitality have always been the critical area that dictated customer services. Has the pandemic shifted the focus the way technology is to be adapted and dealt with? While speaking to WOH News, Amlan Ghose, Managing Director, Prologic First tells Sanjiv how technology is a great armoury for hotels and F&B establishments to be more future-ready, and believe that quality technology comes at a price where RoI is not always easily visible.

The Covid-19 pandemic, in a way, made all of us realize that technology needs to be actively involved in different avenues of hospitality business. Your thoughts.

I believe, hoteliers were already aware that they needed to employ technology. The lockdown last year certainly allowed hoteliers time to focus on the choice and application of technology that they would like to invest in. With limited business opportunities, vendors have also been more responsive to hoteliers. Therefore, it is fair enough to say that this period has worked for both.

Do you think Indian hotels, mainly in the mid- to low-scale inventory category, are still not investing enough in technology?

No, they are not. Quality technology is expensive and RoI is not always easily visible. Buyers are also being cautious about cash outflows. The need is for buyers and vendors to work together to evaluate returns. If RoI is expected and the risk is not high, why would buyers not invest?

How do you articulate the relation between customer satisfaction and the use of technology in hotels, restaurants, malls, etc.?

Today, this is a no-brainer. The ever-growing volume of millennial travellers are seeking technology savvy hotels. Without high-speed Internet access, ease-of-booking on-the-go, quick & easy information access, instant service, guest room media hubs, in-room automation, etc., hoteliers risk guest dissatisfaction. Why just millennials, even my 90+ year old father orders food online from his mobile. What hope does any hospitality business that chooses not to go with the use of technology have?

Contactless approach to services (wherever possible) has become the key to gain customer confidence. Will it become imperative even when the pandemic is gone?

There is already a noticeable reduction in interest in contactless technologies. Post-vaccination the interest may reduce further. In such a scenario, technology providers should focus their attention on the self-service aspect of the industry. Many guests are seeking the efficiency of self-service technologies. For example, ‘would you like to wave frantically to attract the attention of the service staff in a restaurant, or would you rather request service electronically’, ‘are you happy with the ingredient information that the wait staff shares with you about any menu item, or would you rather read reliable information on an eMenu’?

Where do you see the role of technology evolving in the growth of hospitality sector and F&B entities this year?

I believe, this is a year for fundamental changes in the technology employed. Both, hotels and F&B establishments, will invest in new technology architecture on which they can build in the future. For example, migrating to the cloud and implementing more mobile apps. Hospitality establishments will become more data aware so that they are more future-ready.