Tumeu Janer: "We use technology to improve the experience of our customers"

The new tourist has revolutionized the hotel industry because technology allows you to access, in a simple and fast way, all the information you need when you decide on your vacation.

The traveler begins a process when he has the initial idea that ends when he returns home after the trip: choose the accommodation online, look for reviews and comments, what activities he can do both at the hotel and destination, reserve accommodation and, once there, he tells what he sees and what he does, sends images and thinks about the accommodation, recommending it or not.

And in most cases, all this is done from a mobile device. Technology has opened the doors of the world to the traveler. How is a hotel establishment facing this change?

The Royal Son Bou Family Club Hotel has for years begun to adapt to the new times and does so by facilitating, through technology, conversations with potential clients.

This is explained by the hotel's manager, Tumeu Janer:

We try to have contact with customers through various channels: social networks (Facebook and Instagram, mainly) from where we receive different inputs, whatsapp (recently activated for queries and reservations management), from our own website, and through of the Hotel App".

We also have a program of surveys in the hotel, which are manual, but this is tabulated and the results are collected on a platform and from there you can check complaints, suggestions and even congratulations, both by room, by nationality, etc. which gives you more specific information of the client type. And it also allows you to interact with the customer who has a complaint and be able to provide a solution before the client leaves the hotel.

Sharing experiences with customers allows the hotel to have very interesting information about their tastes and habits, does it also help to improve the hotel's service? How?

Of course. Social networks allow us to launch a question about a specific service and the answer already gives you some idea of the preferences of the clients. Then it is also very important to monitor what is said about you in the networks. Platforms such as Tripadvisor or Holidaycheck, which clients use to assess the stay, are points where a lot of information about services to be improved is collected. The client also appreciates very much that he is heard and that he sees changes from year to year. 

Travel search platforms take over most of the hotel reservations, although that has a cost for the establishments. How does the Royal Son Bou use technologies to get direct reservations from its customers?

Since 2011 we have tried to allocate more efforts towards direct bookings. We have gone from having a 3% bookings through the web in 2010 to this percentage reached in 2018 the 20%”.

How have we achieved it? Well, investing a lot of time and effort in our website. I think we have completely redesigned and updated our website up to 3 times in 8 years, in addition to making continuous improvements day by day. And also, of course, through Google Ads we have invested resources to position ourselves better within Google.

Likewise, we have launched a loyalty program through our website that has also helped us to get more direct bookings, and we try to have contact with the client throughout the year so that he is informed at all times about the advantages it has booking directly with us.

Differentiate itself from the competition is essential to define a brand, what technological tools does the Royal Son Bou use to achieve it?

Mainly the web and the App, as well as our profiles in Social Networks.

We offer a product focused 100% to families and we try to sell ourselves as such, with total transparency. I think our website is very important in that differentiation and in the definition of the brand we want to be .

For years the Royal Son Bou began to use new technologies in the organization and marketing, how has its use evolved in the hotel?

We have gone from having an outdated website in 2010 to having a well positioned website, an own App, using social networks professionally, sending periodic newsletters to our database, etc ... that is, in just 8 years the change in this sense has been total, because you either do it or you disappear from the map.

What is your experience as a Manager? In what face has it been more positive?

The experience as Manager has been positive. In addition, you always learn with each step you take. It turns out that we are in a very competitive world and it is important to be agile to implement changes in order to be present when the client wants to contact you or look for you in the network. I do not know the most positive thing, but what is always the most exciting is to start up a new project and carry it out.

How has the customer responded to the growing application of technology in the Hotel?

Sometimes I have the feeling that we are not moving fast enough. Technology changes very fast and you must be very agile to implement those changes in your organization. Many times it is more the client that demands a technology that you then end up applying.

There is a hard work to try to anticipate the needs of customers and know when to bet on them to avoid being late".

Years ago it was unthinkable that 57% of the visits to the web came to us through mobile. At the time we decided to bet on the mobile version of the web and we guessed right.

Technology has become a vital part of the vacation trip that helps to further improve the traveler's experience that now demands, not only higher product quality and services, but also immediate information and easy access throughout the year.

At present the importance of technologies in hotel establishments is evident. The Royal Son Bou Family Club demonstrates every day that with good use the services, the relationship with the clients and the productivity of the human resources available are improved. Which communication channel do you prefer to use to maintain contact with the hotel on your family vacations?