One need not remind hotel executives of the important of continually evaluating their vision – and execution – of guest service. It’s in the DNA of most leaders in hospitality. What is sometimes missing is an appetite for exploring technologies that might accelerate a quality, personalized, memorable guest experience. Hospitality traditionally trails other industries in adoption and creativity around new technologies.

A notable exception is mobile point-of-sale (POS).

The hospitality industry is second only to healthcare in its adoption of handheld device technology. And as technology begins to catch up with the demands of guests, growth continues to accelerate.

At first glance, this adoption could be explained by reliable revenue increases resulting from the untethered POS. Although significant revenue lifts of 60-80% have occurred at venues where the below steps were followed, it’s more likely for properties to report 15%, 20% and even as much as 40% growths during their busiest periods.

In addition to revenue growth, properties boast about entirely new revenue streams. The freedom and flexibility of mobile POS means that it’s possible to perform a guest service transaction in places that previously were inaccessible or too infrequent to justify a stationary POS setup. Whether it’s accepting a credit card, engaging a room charge or redeeming loyalty rewards, hoteliers have more opportunities to provide just the right service to guests wherever they are, and whenever they desire.

This is the fundamental reason why more than 50% of food and beverage outlets list POS mobility as their top IT initiative in the next 3-5 years. It’s about serving more guests, more efficiently. The increased greenbacks help justify it, but it’s the following benefits that ensure it’s at the top of most IT department’s lists:

• Immediacy – guests don’t need to wonder whether their server will return. The server is more immediately visible.
• Availability – greater guest comfort is established with the confidence servers create by being available to help whenever guests want help.
• Speed of service –orders are delivered more timely. Servers no longer need to run back and forth between tables and a POS terminal.
• Accuracy – orders are entered near real time which minimizes opportunity for interruptions and prevents server confusion. Servers are freed from waiting in lines to enter guest orders.

New and improved technologies, applications and integrations on a single tablet enable staff to address more guest needs. Even more notable are the new technologies that arm your front-line staff with the information necessary to take guest service to new levels. Couples celebrating anniversaries can be honored and recognized graciously upon arrival and throughout the dining or lodging experience as details of the experience are captured at a variety of touch points and shared across the enterprise.

Considerations for better service - understanding guest allergies, sensitivities, preferences, favorites - can be leveraged during future visits. Doing so helps demonstrate attention to detail, and a level of care that differentiate businesses from each another. The art of mobile, personalized hospitality is growing. And it’s proving, guest after guest after guest, that the guest matters most.