MIAMI—Housekeeping operations aren’t just becoming more efficient, they’re becoming smarter. Hotel optimization and guest engagement software company Nuvola is introducing a new module—Housekeeping Productivity—to not only save time and energy, but costs as well, all from the convenience of a smartphone. The new module aims to simplify all areas and departments of housekeeping, from room attendants to supervisors.
The Housekeeping Productivity module works in two versions based on an employee’s role, synchronizing hotel staff while simultaneously tracking and managing daily room activities. The module acts as an agnostic assistant and can be accessed via desktop, smartphone or tablet for added convenience.
“For supervisors, Nuvola’s Housekeeping module will facilitate the managerial aspects of room boards, staff assignments and credit allocations in real time,” said Juan Carlos Abello, CEO of Nuvola. “Supervisors know the current status of each room, who is working that day and which room is being cleaned at any given moment via location tracking. The solution will also notify supervisors when room attendants are falling behind on their credits and room assignments in real time, allowing for adjustments to be made at a split-second’s notice.”
According to Abello, the system functions as a smart assistant to housekeeping supervisors while streamlining the cleaning and room assignment process for room attendants. For attendants, specifically, increased efficiency is the goal here.
“For room attendants, their version is a simplified application with the intention of allowing them to work smarter, not harder. They also are provided an SOS feature in case they need help with something in real time, and because supervisors know their locations, it develops a certain level of comfort for the entire team,” Abello said.
The module can be purchased on its own, or in collaboration with Nuvola’s other solutions, and can integrate with a hotel’s existing PMS to streamline data flow across all back-end systems, reducing the need for manual entry, saving time and headaches.
“It’s common for different departments within a hotel to work in a silo, creating lapses in communication and often proving to be costly for hoteliers. A hotel’s housekeeping staff is no different,” Abello said. “Without the ability to easily share information on room assignment needs and time spent or needed for daily cleaning service tasks, opportunities for improving services and cutting back on wasteful spending or time management is nonexistent.”
To cut back on waste, the solution encompasses an ROI analysis tool, which allows hotel leadership to enter in specific variables in operations to help organize and reach financial goals.
As for productivity and efficiency rates, the module tracks in real time, highlighting areas of operation like which guestroom may need more time allotted for cleaning services and which staff members are most efficient at cleaning specific areas of the hotel.
“Auto-assigning rooms, setting up do-not-disturb and emergency notifications, optimizing daily cleaning service schedules and managing all tasks associated with housekeeping can all be done through one user-friendly system,” Abello said. The goal, ultimately, is for hoteliers to be able to easily detect areas of wasteful spending and make adjustments while providing a straightforward system for employees to interact with.
“Teaming up with the right third-party vendor to implement software that works with hotel staff to streamline daily pieces of information fills in the gaps where miscommunication tends to build,” Abello said. “If you can help staff work smarter, not harder, and even automate certain time sensitive processes, you’re heading in the right direction, which is the full intention of Nuvola.”
Abello noted that another major reason that housekeeping is so difficult to optimize is because of the team’s diverse demographics and backgrounds. This creates an environment where not everyone catches on at the same rates or is equally accepting of a new system—common concerns that arise with hotel technology in general.
“As former hoteliers, we understand this intimately, as any piece of technology generally introduced to this department is generally met with some level of resistance,” he said. “With this vital understanding in mind, when we developed our Housekeeping Productivity module, we had a huge underlying focus on simplicity and ease of use. If the system can speak to them on the notion of making their lives easier, user adoption to the technology won’t be nearly as hard to achieve.”
Nuvola is keeping its eye on the evolution of hospitality tech for the coming year, with plans on simplifying more operations in the hospitality space.
“With a new year ahead lies a new realm of innovative opportunities,” Abello said. “While Nuvola’s leadership can’t give their secret sauce away, continuing to create new modules, features and integrations that incorporate the most lucrative advancements into practical hotel solutions will be a vital focus.” HB
