A Comprehensive Overview of Hospitality Facilities Management

The hospitality sector faced several setbacks during the pandemic of 2020. The number of customers greatly dwindled due to lockdowns and consequent healthcare concerns. 

However, the hospitality sector is expected to make a significant recovery in the years ahead. The sector is expected to capture a market share of $ 9905 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 16.4% from a market share of $ 4107.6 billion in 2022. 

Even though the forecast is bright, hospitality businesses are grappling with several challenges. To meet these challenges, hospitality facilities management needs an upgrade in thinking and tools used. 

In this blog, we delve into the key challenges large-scale hospitality facilities face, the solutions offered, and the key benefits of outsourcing housekeeping services and disinfection services in India and other facets of hospitality facilities management to professional facility management companies.

Key Challenges in The Hospitality Sector 

Hospitality businesses face a number of challenges, as follows.

• There is an extensive shortage of staff to perform a wide number of functions daily. A lot of the existing processes are also still performed manually, which results in errors and negligence. Staff needs access to mechanized solutions to bring in efficiency.  
• During the pandemic, several healthcare precautions became a part of daily operations. Even though the pandemic has passed, Customers continue to seek strong safety protocols. Hence, the sector seeks sustainable methods to meet hygiene goals.  
• Hospitals run operations at scale. This includes staff management, bookings, equipment, and resources, which needs automation for smooth functioning, efficiency, and cost savings. However, businesses lack the technology to automate these functions. 
• Businesses are unable to collect and process data entering their ecosystems in a comprehensive and efficient manner. Thus hospitality facilities management staff is unable to power data-driven decisions to achieve their business goals. 

As the number of customers continues to grow due to increased travel, hotels and other large-scale facilities need to implement tech-enabled processes to make operations efficient and profitable. 

The Growing Impact of Hospitality Facilities Management

Today, hospitality facilities span a wide range of businesses. They include accommodation, food, beverages, theme parks, and travel destinations, to name a few. 

Large-scale facilities especially need to invest in the right tools and resources to build a sustainable business. Here is a snapshot of tech-enabled, mechanized solutions that can bring up the quality and efficiency of hospitality facilities management. 

A Single, Unified Management Platform 

Large-scale facilities have many ongoing processes at the same time. Using a single unified platform, such as a Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS), enables simultaneous maintenance of all utilities simultaneously. 

Businesses can leverage the benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence-based CMMS brings efficiency and accountability to the workflows across all processes. 

Access to Data Insights 

The use of CMMS creates access to valuable data via customized dashboards. 

Hospitality management staff can leverage actionable insights and detailed reports to make superior decisions, optimize the use of all facilities, and reduce costs. 

Smart Cleaning Programs 

The use of mechanized equipment and disinfection focus cleanliness products helps to raise overall hygiene standards and prevent the outbreak of infection. 

The quality of housekeeping services improves with access to the right tools, real-time data, and resource management. 

Streamlined Processes 

The introduction of tech-enabled solutions ensures that all processes work in tandem. 

Resources are allocated accurately, the downtime on repairs and maintenance is reduced, and the labor costs can also be reduced. 

Benefits of Outsourcing This Function

The hospitality sector has become a very competitive and crowded market. When implemented in-house, the entire facilities management aspect of hospitality consumes a lot of time and effort. 

Hospitality facilities today, however, have the option of outsourcing this function completely to a specialist with an in-depth understanding of facilities management. 

There are several benefits to considering this option. 

• One of the top benefits of outsourcing this function is that it frees up the bandwidth of hospitality staff to focus on their niche, which is to provide innovative, relevant services and products based on the evolving needs of their consumers. 
• Secondly, a facilities management expert aims to help businesses drive a higher Return On Investment by running cost-efficient facility management operations by bringing down the cost of operations. Hospitality businesses may not have the necessary know-how to manage daily operations in a data-driven manner. 
• Though several solutions are available, a facilities management specialist understands how to customize them based on a hospitality business’s real-time needs. Applying solutions in an ad-hoc manner may not deliver the right results. 
• Facilities management firms can do regular diagnostic check-ups to predict the root of issues and tackle them from the ground up. This approach ensures that issues are nipped in the bud. 

Conclusion

Today more and more hospitality businesses are considering outsourcing the facilities management function to a specialist because of the sheer scale they operate. This trend mirrors the projections around the global facility management market share, which is estimated to grow from $1,260.36 billion in 2022 to $ 1,856.44 billion by 2029 at a compound annual growth rate of 5.7%. 

Identifying the right partner will enable businesses to scale faster and meet their business goals in the most efficient, cost-effective, accountable, and transparent manner. 

RARE Hospitality is a leading hospitality & facilities management company that has partnered with hospitality conglomerates to deliver world-class services. Connect with us to start a conversation and bring more value and knowledge leadership to your business.