The advent of a hotel where all IT functions are outsourced has shown the way forward in as much as allowing hotels to focus on their core business and simply look after their guests.
citizenM opened last Thursday in Glasgow, and Hospitality and Catering News was there to see what the new world of hotels has to offer.
On arrival the absence of a check in desk was offset by a team of extremely helpful staff showing guests how to check in on a computer terminal. A process that once experienced would be very difficult to reverse back to traditional methods, a very quick and simple alternative to the traditional British queue.
An email address was all that was needed and the next thing I was in my room.
The room itself was just like the other 197 manufactured off site by Corus. Small but very functional with all the amenities the modern business traveller requires. In a way the room reflected the hotel’s mood, functional and efficient, no frills, just what was needed to get the job done.
citizenM Glasgow, provides a very compelling case for outsourcing the entire IT function of a hotel. Acting as a total solution provider, Swisscom optimises the hotel’s operational cost while creating a flexible and scalable solution. Very much in keeping with and assisting citizenM’s aggressive global expansion plans.
Michael Levie, partner and COO of citizenM commented, “I am very happy to have found a true partner in Swisscom, who views technology as we do as a business enabler rather than as an add on only. Thanks to Swisscom we are taking a quantum leap forward in terms of efficiency. They are our single partner for all network-related needs, they also manage all 3rd party providers as they oversee all relevant application interfaces within the Swisscom managed network. Working with a professional service provider in this specialised area gives us peace of mind and allows us to focus 100% on our guests.”
As a guest of citizenM I can only agree with the sentiment and recommend it to business travellers.
The roll out of the citizenM brand will be an interesting one to follow, and in my opinion a successful one too.