I admit it, I have been quite a fool for too many years. Years spent between Hotels and Restaurants where I have been both an entrepreneur and a manager. Always committing the same mistake, which I will reveal to you in a moment after making some necessary premises to contextualize my reflections.
Meanwhile, let me introduce myself: I am Giancarlo De Leonardo, hotelier and restaurateur until 2018, now founder of Caro Collega Horeca. A community where yours truly has mixed his experience as an insider with the one borrowed over the past few years in the world of innovative startups and digital markets, with the goal of packaging a Method that allows Hotels and Restaurants to add extra revenue directly proportional to the investments made in technology and digital.
Meaning: filling all the rooms in your hotel or all the tables in your restaurant every day.
Ready? Let’s get going.
In this article
An incredible story
Escopazzo wine & cocktail bar, The Place music club, Travelrounders tour operator, Poltu Quatu Resort… until 2017 I always did more business than economics, despite a degree taken studying Philip Kotler’s 4 P’s.
Then, darkness. In recent years I was accumulating more “pats on the back” than money in the bank, and making ends meet was a problem. I had lost my compass. I didn’t realize that the world had changed, instead I had stayed the same.
Advertising is “the soul of commerce,” but in an increasingly digital and social world I was limited to doing a few things badly executed, because I didn’t understand and was afraid of making mistakes. As a result, I quit any involvement in hotel and restaurant business and ended up in the world of innovative startups. Where I regenerated and realized how digital can be a great opportunity to be developed also for Hotels and Restaurants.
Artificial intelligence at the service of Hotels and Restaurants
I always talk about the digital revolution and the opportunities available to enlightened hoteliers and restaurateurs who want to add extra revenue to their businesses. In this article, we will explore the incredible opportunities offered by artificial intelligence, particularly ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) for hotel restaurants. The digital revolution has opened new horizons for us, and as pioneers in the industry, it is critical to understand how to exploit at its best these technologies to increase the revenue stream and to improve the experience of the customers.
First and foremost, through artificial intelligence, it is possible to have a personalized interaction with customers. With the advent of ChatGPT, hotels and restaurants now have the ability to offer a more personalized and engaging customer interaction experience. These tools can be implemented on websites and mobile apps to answer customer questions instantly, provide personalized suggestions on services offered, and even take reservations in real time.
Imagine a guest visiting your hotel website and, via ChatGPT, getting detailed information about available rooms, rates, additional services, and local activities. This type of interaction can increase customer trust in your brand and improve your reservation conversion rate.
With ChatGPT, you can also have Automated Booking and Check-in Management. Artificial Intelligence can simplify the reservation and check-in management process for hotels. Having ChatGPT well-tested can collect information from customers, manage reservations, send personalized confirmations via email or SMS, and even provide detailed check-in and check-out instructions. This not only streamlines the hotel’s internal workflow but also provides customers with a smoother experience, reducing waiting times and making the stay more enjoyable from the start.
With ChatGPT, 24/7 customer service and after-sales support can be provided. With artificial Intelligence, hotels and restaurants can provide customer service available 24/7. ChatGPT can be programmed to answer common questions, provide technical support, and guide customers through issues or requests. This constant availability can help improve customer satisfaction and your brand reputation.
In addition, A.I. can be used to collect feedback from customers after their stay or meal. Analysis of the data obtained from these interactions can help you better understand your guests’ needs and identify areas for improvement.
With ChatGPT, you can also enable personalized Marketing and targeted promotions. Artificial Intelligence can also be used to create customized marketing strategies for hotels and restaurants. Based on collected data, such as customer preferences, booking history, and browsing behavior, ChatGPT can suggest targeted offers and promotions to attract new customers and retain existing ones.
For example, if a customer has booked a stay at a hotel for a family vacation, ChatGPT could suggest additional services, such as children’s activities or discounts on local excursions, making the offer more attractive and increasing the likelihood of booking.
Finally, with ChatGPT, data analysis and business forecasting can be performed. Artificial Intelligence not only facilitates interaction with customers but also enables analysis of large amounts of data to gain valuable insights. Hoteliers and restaurateurs can use A.I. to analyze reservation data, customer reviews, consumption patterns, and other key indicators to obtain more accurate forecasts regarding the sector’s future trends.
This advanced analysis can help optimize resource management, establish competitive rates, identify periods of high attendance, and adopt winning strategies to increase overall revenue.
Conclusions
The use of Artificial Intelligence, and ChatGPT in particular, can lead to a real revolution in hospitality. Hotels and restaurants can leverage these technologies to improve customer interaction, automate processes, offer 24/7 customer service, create personalized marketing strategies, and gain valuable insights through data analytics.
Within our community of enlightened hospitality entrepreneurs, we want to be an active part of these new digital opportunities to ensure an extraordinary experience for our customers and continued business growth. That is why we are ready to take up the challenge of the digital revolution and use Artificial Intelligence to propel hotels and restaurants into a bright and prosperous future.
Article written by Giancarlo De Leonardo, former Hotelier and Restaurateur, founder of Caro Collega Horeca
