HATM3504:11

Reflection Log#1

Bich Phuong Nguyen (Emily)

Student ID: 20189390

Friday, 12th February, 2021

Facilities Management is a well-known term that has just been orientated to me. Prior

entering this course, I have limited understanding the important of facilities management role

to a building property. However, this course has open up a new door and give me a deeper

thought about this role. I used to find facilities manager has a very similar duty and

responsibilities as engineering and human resources. Besides, the role is more than just do the

right thing and right time, they need to keep the property “up- to- date”. The two topics that I

chose to talk about are the very new steps that hospitality’s leaders have taken to bring the

properties and guests’ experience to a new level.

1. Solar Power benefit hotels/ resorts

2. Digital/Mobile in Keys in Hotel Industry

Today, as the tourism industry is growing strongly, hotels and resorts spring up everywhere,

running a hotel business is not easy. According to 5 ways solar Power HELPS HOTELS

leapfrog their competition (2020), running a hotel or resort business is very difficult when

they all face different taxes, expenses, and bills each year. Along with profitability depends

on factors beyond control such as weather, economic conditions and tourism trends. Hotels

will have a very large margin at a good time and vice versa in a difficult time. This is why

fixed-cost strategies help hotels make a big difference, and this is also the main benefit of

solar energy for hotels.

The installation of solar energy in a hotel or resort brings a lot of different benefits, and as a

facility manager, I am most concerned wit cost savings for the hotel but still can attract more

guests. A future hotel facility manager like me is the reason why I think solar energy is very

beneficial for me because it can save energy bills immediately. According to 5 ways solar

Power HELPS HOTELS leapfrog their competition (2020), solar cost is final fixed cost and

will be paid for but it will continue to produce energy for about 25 years of life . This also

means that if you pay off your energy investment in less than five or ten years, you will have

twice the time to reduce your energy costs. Another journalist in the hotel industry said that

even if hotel owners finance solar installations through a third party, the cash flow improves

immediately as the savings are more than the payment. monthly for third parties. Hotels

always use a lot of energy, so funding a solar system often results in a savings in the monthly

cost. Solar energy makes a hotel business great as it saves a lot of energy costs and provides a

faster payback time than other improvements (2020).

Currently a facility manager is also very concerned with the environmental problems, so the

installation of a solar energy system also demonstrates the ability to manage the environment
of the hotel. Using a clean energy source, a hotel will show results that are significantly

different from housing. Installing solar energy will create zero emissions, harm wildlife, use

few resources and especially cut the amount of CO2 and other pollutants into the

environment. . In addition, you will also increase your LEED - a building certification

program that assigns point values to structures based on their energy efficiency which is high

will bring prestige along with financial benefits (5 ways solar Power HELPS HOTELS

leapfrog their competition, 2020).

You may not have expected it, but the solar system improves the customer experience. For

example, by installing solar panels like car roofs, you are significantly expanding the

available space in your hotel for solar energy. This enhances the customer experience when

their vehicle is parked in the shade, when the customer exits the vehicle, stays dry in the rain

and feels cool in the sun, and the passenger car is protected from impact of the environment.

Especially when the shade is generated from solar panels, customers who value

environmental management will be impressed and love this. In addition, the solar panels also

help provide more light without increasing the bill value.

In terms of communication, solar will also help the public get to know your hotel more.

When a hotel uses solar energy, this will be considered a good action to help the environment

while reducing pollution and combating climate change. When the reputation resounds, your

hotel will always have the best support.

According to 5 ways solar Power HELPS HOTELS leapfrog their competition (2020). The

ultimate reason a solar installation would benefit a facility manager is that it helps free money

to help reinvest in hotels. Success in the business sector today, especially when hotels and

resorts are everywhere, the key difference is. When your hotel is the only hotel in the area

using solar energy, you will be admired and respected by everyone. Furthermore, energy
savings can be invested in hotel renovations, remodeling and customer experience

improvements. Now's your chance to make the improvements you've always wanted to make.

If solar power can save you several thousand dollars every month, that’s a permanent

improvement to your profit margins. Even smaller hotels with only part of their energy

provided through solar can save five figures per year with solar power (5 ways solar Power

HELPS HOTELS leapfrog their competition, 2020) . Solar energy is indeed a great choice for

a facility manager to improve energy use and cost of a hotel.

This is very useful for a facility manager when it comes to making decisions for one to

change the existing facilities in the hotel to improve cash flow and deliver benefits without

having to think about it. Research on using clean energy helps hospitality industry in general

and hotel industry in particular to be more integrated with the current trend as industries are

gradually changing to better protect the environment and be more in harmony with nature.

In conclusion, solar energy is a right choice for upgrading the hotel's energy sources and

increasing the satisfaction of the customers when coming to the hotel of a facility manager.

Topic 2: Digital/Mobile in Keys in Hotel Industry

According to the Revfine website (2020), the hotel industry is a segment of the service

industry. It deals with guest accommodation or lodging, and the hotel industry also includes

others form places such as hostels, motels, inns, and guesthouses, not only hotel alone. But

long-term or permanent stay is not usually involved in the hotel industry, and it also has a

close relationship with the travel and tourism industry, which is thanks to the nature of hotel

service. The hotel industry is undergoing significant changes to be more suitable for the

modern technology era. According to Mathews (2019), smartphones and tablets have

developed the innovation of flexibility, accessibility, and convenience across every stage of
travel for travelers. TripAdvisor's study has shown that approximately 42% of global

travelers plan their trips by their smartphones. Through the above data, hoteliers have thought

about creating an entire customer experience on mobile channels to win praise, love, and

customer loyalty in the next years, so digital keys or mobile keys are invented to attend

customers.

There is an upward trend of mobile locks implementation across all hotel segments from

popular brands to smaller types. This rise gave various people different ways to look at the

advantages and disadvantages of having this smart mobile check-in and digital key. In my

view, I realize it in both positive and negative sides. Many benefits of these rising numbers

for guests, according to Kipsu Blog about the Mobile Key—The Pros and Cons of the

Growing Hotel Tech Trend (n.d.), the mobile key is a tool that saves customers absolute time

because customers can check-in remotely from anywhere at anytime that the customers want

and then they can skip the long waiting line at the reception. Even if it's just five or ten

minutes, cutting customers' waiting times have improved the overall customer experience.

Furthermore, this allows guests to control their own experience, giving them a sense of

freedom that leads to good guests' experience at your hotel. Looking from a sales perspective,

this has positively increased guests' satisfaction because they just need to go straight forward

to their room when arrived, boost direct booking and re-booking; avoid third party websites,

and have more control of direct booking from guests. According to Hertzfeld (2018), Cline

said that access to the phone from the aspect of hotel management is beneficial because it

prevents employees from having to replace lost keys since the keys are on the customer's

phone. To increase revenue, hotels are accelerating the installation of vital digital systems.

Since the keys are downloaded electronically through a hotel app, the host is already on the

customer's phone, through which the hotel can efficiently respond to customers, offer

promotions, and advertise more about the hotel (Schwartz, 2019).

while improving wasting time efficiency and customer satisfaction while the employees can

use their time to serve premium customer service. Brian Bevins, sales leader at Onity

Hospitality, has recognized potential opportunities to enhance customer experience through

mobile access, making their arrival process smoother by giving them access to garage and

elevator (Hertzfeld, 2018).

Besides, many people find digital keys bring various benefits and convenience for both

customers and hotel staff, but conflicting opinions show that this system's installation has

negative points. First of all, is the limited access; some hotels such as Hilton and Marriott

allow a single mobile key to access one room so that the rest of the customers have to go to

the reception and pick-up a plastic key an old-fashioned check-in (Schwartz, 2019).

According to Kipsu Blog (n.d.), especially most important is the lack of interaction between

the staff and the customer, one of the most critical things in the hotel industry. Without

interaction, employees will not be able to grasp customers' psychology directly and feedback

to serve customers best. Markus Boberg, global president of hotels at Assa Abloy Global,

said that while mobile access and digital keys are increasingly being used, the main challenge

is to ensure that end-users are aware that this functionality is available to them and the

problem can be overcome by focusing o,n staff training (Hertzfeld, 2018). This will cost

more training time as well as some extra accrued expenses. Secondly, according to Hertzfeld

(2018), the cost to implant and maintain the system by removing the old style and install new

locks. Shedd said hotels that have always wanted to make sure their investment capital are

still going well for the next ten years, which is a big challenge for present's modern tech era.

Besides the challenge of information security and compatibility, hotels need to choose which

vendors they have developed securely can verify user identities, Cline shared: “It should
utilize AES 128-bit and SSL encryption. Instant key updates or key cancellations should also

be available in the event the guest no longer should have room access.” (Hertzfeld, 2018, para

9). To be able to know whether the technical key system is secure or not will take many years

because there are many manufacturers with many different technologies. The vulnerabilities

always appear hidden in the applications used to access customers' keys, and phones said

Tomi Tuominen, of Helsinki, one of the researchers. Tuominen advises customers to stay in

branded hotels as they will afford to renew their magnetic locks, and he also reminds

travelers on how to keep their phones safe (Schwartz, 2019).

In my opinion, as a facility manager, I am viewing the digital keys from both sides to have an

overall view of this issue to evaluate it better. From the customer's aspect, the mobile key is a

convenient and easy tool, but some elderly guests may find it a complex problem because

they do not get used to using modern technology or do not use smartphones. People do not

have to wait for the receptionists when they check-in and check-out the room while using

mobile keys. Turn to the hotel employee side, they can save their time serving for customers,

then they can take that amount of time to upgrade the service or for another department in the

hotel. But they will be lost contact with their guest, and they do not have opportunities to

communicate and directly take care of guests, which is one of the most important sections

creating perfect service in a hotel.

In conclusion, I illustrate to you today the conflicting standpoints of the appearance of digital

keys in the hotel industry. Technology has become an essential to all of us; it is vital to adapt

to the trend and apply it to the hotel industry. Technology can be costly, and it can become a

massive amount of money when it gets installed in big hotel chains. On a final note, as a

person is studying and will work in this industry status, we always try our best to serve you
with the best service and latest facilities. In my opinion, it must be a hard decision after many

considerations from the Facilities Management Team.

Technology has become an essential to all of us; it is important to adapt to the trend and

apply it into the hospitality industry. Technology can be very expensive, and it can become a

huge amount of money when it gets install in big hotel chains. It requires lots of

consideration from the Facilities Management Team through different researches and tests,

giving out the most optimal plan that would generate as much benefits for the hotel manager/

hotel owner. The decision that Facilities Management make will create a vibrant effect to

customers’ experience and it is important to do the right things at the right time.
 References

5 ways solar Power HELPS HOTELS leapfrog their competition. (2020, April 15).
[Link]

Hertzfeld, E. (2018, December 13). Why mobile key is taking over in hotels. Hotel
Management. [Link]
hotels.

Hotel Industry: Everything You Need to Know About Hotels! [Link]. (2020, June 20).
[Link]

Mathews, B. (2019, October 22). Mobile Devices and Their True Impact on the Hotel
Industry: By Binu Mathews. Hospitality Net.
[Link]

Mobile Key-The Pros and Cons of the Growing Hotel Tech Trend. Kipsu.
[Link]

Schwartz, K. (2019, July 24). Everybody Hates the Key Card. Will Your Phone Replace It?
The New York Times. [Link]
[Link].