The digital transformation huddle is an online collaborative content hub for your hotel’s team members and customers.

Content management today has evolved into an interactive process where your hotel’s team members and customers participate and personalize legendary experiences.

This is a process that focuses on learning and helps to learn.

Why content management is important for the digital transformation process

As a result of the pandemic, content management is experiencing a new revolution. Content is now shared through a multitude of digital media.

Consumers are using digital media to share and exchange information about every little detail about any given brand today.

And the flow of information happens in real time.

New technology has greatly accelerated the ability of hotels to innovate and improve agility. This provides hotels with a unique opportunity to move quickly and easily respond during the digital transformation process.

Content is the key that ignites the digital transformation process. It is content that will constitute the information your hotel will need to manage.

For hotels to create a legendary personalized experience it requires timely and relevant content.

Here are the key ingredients of a collaborative content management strategy;

1. TRANSPARENCY

The ultimate purpose of a successful digital transformation is to help your hotel team members, customers, and the community to achieve more using their imagination, talent, and intellect to the fullest.

Digital transformation represents a holistic approach to change and creating a new culture.

And in addition, digital transformation is also as good as the data you collect.

Your hotel must be transparent throughout the digital transformation process. One important content goal is to collect information that improves satisfaction and happiness.

Communication during the digital transformation process will help reduce costs and increase productivity.

With people at the center, digital transformation builds trust and engagement.

2. ADAPTABILITY

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become essential for hotels to be able to adapt.

It is now essential that hotels provide their team members with digital tools that help serve in a new environment.

Hotels now have to think outside the box utilizing digital tools that will let their team members communicate both internally and externally from home.

3. RELATIONSHIP

Building relationships and making friends first is one important foundation for the digital transformation process.

It is essential to create a people-centric digital transformation process. Hotels today have to go beyond just function, and also focus on raising employee spirit, well-being and create a new unique culture of collaboration.

4. LEGENDARY EXPERIENCE

The pandemic made us all deep dive into digitalization either we liked it or not.

We all learned a lot more about digital services either it was delivered on the door or a curbside pickup. For the hotel industry, contactless service alternatives became the new norm.

AHLA created a Safe Stay® industry-wide initiative for cleaning procedures, social interactions, and workplace protocols.

As a result of this, we now see a radical customer service digital transformation. Customer service is now far-reaching and driven by customers requiring brands to work with them, no longer just for them.

Put people first and start evolving your hotel around them. The hotel business model will become B2E – Business to Everyone.

Employees, consumers, and the local community will become key drivers for providing new unique, and legendary experiences.

5. COLLABORATION

Digital transformation also represents a process of co-existing, working together, and using digital tools towards a common goal.

Include employees, consumers, and the local community in your digital transformation process.

The pandemic expedited a dramatic shift towards digitalization almost overnight. And now we are in a situation where every consumer discovered the convenience of using digital tools as part of their daily tasks.

This also has radically changed consumers’ perceptions of customer service.

Consumers are now wanting hotel brands to work with them during the entire customer journey.

Things bring in a lot more touchpoints and data for hotels.

Collecting relevant data and also utilize it in a relevant context requires some new finesse.

Collaborating with your team members, consumers and the local community represents the future of hospitality.

Continuing to stay in silos will prevent openness, transparency, and collaboration.

6. REIMAGINATION

Digital transformation enables a new workforce transformation and the ability to improve and acquire valuable skillsets.

Using digital tools for upskilling not only focuses on relevant skills but also alternative skills. This represents a new mindset and culture for hotels.

Upskilling will help your hotel to turn each employee into an advocate of change, innovating and improving your business at all levels, every day.

Employees will turn into digital transformation hotel advocates creating a unique tribe that supports a community with large networks.

Lifting team members spirit working together with the local community.

7. INCLUSIVENESS AND DIVERSITY

Today’s technology and digital tools provide a unique opportunity for the hotel industry to provide more inclusive and diverse opportunities.

Digital transformation embrace B2E (business to everyone).

Building accessibility into everything hotels will help empower all people to achieve more, including people with disabilities.

The hotel industry has an opportunity and obligation to create a more inclusive and diverse digital transformation process.

8. AGILITY

Through digital transformation, hotels will shape a new agile workforce.

Your team members will have digital tools that assist them in day-to-day operations delivering legendary service alternatives in real time with fewer headaches.

This is a unique opportunity for hotels to become more proactive and successful in their customer service recovery processes.

9. FLEXIBILITY AND ALTERNATIVES

After establishing a new agile ready workforce adapting to digital transformation changes, flexibility and alternative solutions certainly contribute to fast, and more effective transformations.

Your hotel employees will use digital technologies and tools, carrying out knowledge-intensive and non-routine work, and rely on social interaction and creativity.

The workplace of today has become geared towards flexibility, alternative solutions, collaboration, and connectivity.

Hotels that enable this type of work will increase happiness, productivity, satisfaction, a new unique physical space, and brand content to optimize.

Employers, employees, consumers, and the local community all face various challenges today. Today it is important to look at alternative digital solutions that will help the hotel industry through these challenges.

10. STORIES

The content becomes valuable when it is put in a context that impacts;

  • Cognitive perceptions
  • Affective intent
  • Behavioral actions

Stories are formed through a series of the incident throughout various touchpoints in the employee and customer journey.

Digital disruptive hotels will provide new unique opportunities and more innovative experiences.

Identify new ways to turn your employees, consumers, and the local community into co-creators that bring a new life to your hotel’s stories.

11. OWNERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY

It is critical for hotels that are starting, or for that matter has already started on their digital transformation journey NOT to focus on too many digital themes at one time.

To start with focus on digital themes like;

  • Happiness and productivity
  • Digital innovation
  • End-to-end employee and customer journey

Use digital tools to help employees take ownership of the task ahead, and feel accountable in a positive manner.

12. MEASURE SUCCESS

As your hotel is getting ready to start investing in your digital transformation process you need to understand how to quantify the impact this has on your bottom line.

Here are steps I already provided for your hotel;

  1. Create a digital transformation plan for your hotel
  2. Create a digital transformation playbook for your hotel
  3. Learn why digital transformation is important for the hotel employee and customer experience today
  4. Implement the ultimate digital marketing guide for your hotel
  5. Learn how digital transformation leadership defines your hotels content marketing strategies

The next step is the digital transformation huddle where I have already outlined the foundation here.

Digital transformation will help your hotel reduce costs, speed up processes, connect, communicate, and collaborate with employees, consumers, and the local community in a new way.

Now all you have to do is implement this in a digital content management system. Here you can measure success in context with the digital themes you focus on (happiness and productivity, digital innovation, end-to-end employee and customer journey).

Digital Content Optimization

Hotels need to utilize a content management system that helps amplify the digital transformation process.

Digital transformation focuses on value innovation that focuses on differentiation and cost efficiency that will help hotels serve new uncontested markets.

With the rapid growth in digitalization content is now distributed through a multitude of digital channels in real time.   One result of this is that many hotels now provide a chatbot assistant on their website to assist in real time.

This is also why it is critical to creating a content management system that allows your hotel to respond in real time.

Here I use two simple content management processes.

1. Huddle tasks

Tasks here is related to;

  • Digital transformation plan
  • Digital transformation playbook
  • Digital transformation huddle (daily/weekly)
  • Digital transformation audit (status and metrics)
  • Digital hotel advocates
  • Build relationships and make friends
  • Rewards and celebrate
  • Collaboration opportunity

I will implement OPEN tasks – TO DO – IN PROCESS, – COLLABORATION – COMPLETE along with S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goals.

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Achievable

R – Relevant

T – Time-bound

E – Evaluate

R – Re-adjust

2. Content transformation

This is all about processing the content.

Status:

What type of content is OPEN?

What type of content is SCHEDULED?

What type of content requires APPROVAL?

What type of content requires UPDATES?

What type of content is PROCESS?

What type of content is SCHEDULED?

Assignee:

What content is ASSIGNED and to whom?

What content is UNASSIGNED?

Priority:

URGENT

HIGH

NORMAL

LOW

NO PRIORITY

Due date:

Today

Tomorrow

Set due date

Overdue

No due date

Channel:

LinkedIn

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Theme:

Wedding

Social event

Business traveler

Leisure traveler

Influencer

Local business

Local event

Transformation

Optimization

Holiday

Inclusiveness

Employees

Tools:

eClincher (content distribution/scheduling)

Word

Google Docs

Canva

Google Analytics

ClickUp

Diib

CONCLUSION

Successful digital content management today comes as a result of a high-value digital transformation and digital content optimization process.

Content management today is not a static process, it is very much a dynamic process.

I don’t emphasize things like what time should I post on LinkedIn or Facebook. Neither do I emphasize likes or followers.

And has nothing to do with that these are unimportant metrics.

Through digital transformation and digital content optimization, everyone at your hotel, consumer, and the local community will have a better understanding of what, how, and why your hotel provides new unique legendary service experiences.

Likes and followers will now come as a new high-value ripple effect that actually will add value to your hotel’s bottom line.

Ready to take your hotels digital transformation to a new level?

Hire a digital transformation coach for a new and bright future!

Contact Are Morch – Digital Transformation Coach today!

Related article: Why Digital Transformation is Important for The Hotel Employee and Customer Experience Today

We are in this together!

I need to let you all know that we are in on this together.  If you need to vent, talk, cry, or just have some to talk with, I am here listening. Since I am working part-time at the local Kroger, I will best work it out around my schedule to the best of my ability.

But you can reach me here:

Email: hotelblogger@aremorch.com

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We will get through this unprecedented event together! #hotelstrong #hospitalitystrong

For any specific information on COVID-19, I recommend go to CDCWHOAHLAAAHOA, and HSMAI. Also, follow information from your local authorities.

NOTE

The hotel industry still is facing some uphill challenges. Make sure you follow their guidelines and say THANK YOU to those that now show a unique spirit to serve, and helps us all get through this!! #hotelstrong #hospitalitystrong

About Are Morch

Hi, I am Are Morch. Your Digital Transformation Coach helping hotels create unique and unexpected experiences by freeing up resources to focus on new ideas through value innovation and a growth mindset.

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