The Oberoi Group is using small cost-effective innovations to create a 'wow' effect in customer service
RAJESH CHOPRA
OBEROI HOTELS & RESORTS
We use IoT to an extent to control our FMP cost which means that in case analytics and IoT play a role in combining the two. In a hotel, the only way to control power is to measure it. To analyse it at a real-time rate, where is my power going at this point of time.
The Oberoi Group is not only the largest hospitality group in the country but it prides itself in being the best in what it does. “We create an experience for the guest. For this to happen, the people have to be enabled to do it,” says Rajesh Chopra, Senior Vice President, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts.
The organisation initiated a project called “Power of 100” wherein when someone enters the hotel and from the person who carries his bag to the room to the one who serves him to the housekeeping staff to the engineering person, everybody, every front facing person should be and is empowered to create a “wow” to treat the guest to spend up to Rs. 600, he is free and empowered to spend that amount without approvals.
Giving an example of how this works, Chopra says, “You go and stay in a hotel. Thrice a day, the housekeeping staff comes and cleans your room. If they find the shaving cream is almost empty, they put a new one of your choice which you otherwise had been using. You return to your room and find the shaving cream of your choice and a 'wow' comes out of your mouth. This is what you wanted and you got it.”
All of this was enabled through a kiosk placed at various locations in the hotel where the staff can feed in the ideas to create a wow effect for their customers so that other staff can choose to replicate the same with their customers.
To improve the quality of service further, Chopra helped in the automation of normal butler system in the hotel. “Due to the centralised system, someone on the floor gets a message: Nishant from room number 203 called you. Technology is such that the message is acknowledged and the person reaches your room. There is an extension around it so that if nobody reports within five minutes, the message goes to the floor supervisor and within 10 minutes, it reaches the front office supervisor. Escalations are in-built and the people who responded within two minutes get additional stars because they are prompt in service,” explains Chopra.
The innovation cost the hotel nothing but helped Oberoi Hotels in getting a “wow” from the guests. The hotel chain recently added iPads in the rooms, called 'Oberoi in Hands'. This little device helps the guest open the door after looking into the camera when the bell rings. He can see who has come to the room, can adjust the room temperature, control lights, fill his bath tubs and even control the temperature of the shower.
Creating the 'wow' experience with small value adding application getting them integrated into the infrastructure and IT systems is what the group has been looking at. And it does not cost much. The Oberoi Group is one the first adopters of IoT in its hotels. The hospitality chain's first business case was where it controlled leakages through IoT.
In a hotel, there have three major costs: F&B, Manpower and Power cost. This together is called FMP cost.
The Group reduced consumption with the help of different sensors, analysing the pattern and highlighting it when anything goes up. In case there is a leakage in a connection, in terms of devices consuming more power than required, a signal can be given to the hotel chief engineer and corrective action is taken for things to become normal. Here also escalations are built in and maintained. If the chief engineer is not reacting, hotel general manager gets the signal and finally, it comes to the corporate engineering team which operates out of the corporate office there.
Similar measures are adopted for water. “Water is a scarce commodity. In hotels, especially in Shimla and such places, we ferry water from 20 km down the line to feed the entire hotel. Here, IoT again comes into picture. We measure the pressure valves in the water lines. In any case, the pressure valve leaks which can lead to busting of the pipes is measured with the help of IoT sensors, In case the pressure is more, it means the gaps are not properly optimised and it gives the signals and corrective action is taken,” he says.
Chopra believes the success of any project depends on two factors. First, co-ownership on the function side for a project to succeed. If it is an IT project, then it remains an IT project and if it fails, it fails then and there itself. Second is quantifiable benefits for the user? Why should he use a service? And only when he is fully convinced, his acceptability and availing of the service tells you about the success of the project.
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