Abstract

The Coronavirus pandemic has caused a lot of economic problems to most businesses, including hotel industries. As a precautionary measure, social distancing demands people to stay away from others in public, a criterion that has led to a reduction of clients in the hotels. Other actions by the government to reinforce social distancing entail, curfew, lockdown, and quarantine. These approaches encourage staying at home and discourages visiting social places. Some premises have since closed because they cannot operate under this condition. However, integrated IT solutions can work to their advantage if applied meticulously. This paper, therefore, proposes the use of website online ordering, source to pay (S2P), customer relationship management (CRM), voice over the internet protocol (VoIP), video conferencing, and effective security measure to handle cybersecurity. These technologies can be used alongside a precise delivery method. This case requires that the hotel business must be efficient in their operation so as to retain their services. Furthermore, these new solutions may be applied beyond the virus season. A projection holds that it will enhance the process of the hotel industry, hence improving the income.

Keywords: Coronavirus pandemic, IT solutions, social distancing, hotel business

Introduction

The hotel industry is one of the businesses that has been affected by Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19 disease). Social gathering fosters the spread of the virus from one person to another, and it is why most governments opted to close places of social gatherings, including hotels. In Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the lockdown has been instituted in several cities to curb the movements of people (Gralinski & Menachery, 2020). As a result, people are not allowed to visit hotels or any place of socialization, meaning, this business cannot operate normally as before. Most hotels now have laid off their workers, some have closed their premises, and some even get zero revenues. While most industries propose information technology (IT) solutions to operate normally, hotels are not exempted from this idea. If IT is implemented meticulously, operations can be normalized in hotels, and significant operations can be achieved to ensure the streaming of income.

This paper proposes IT solutions to ensure that hotels operate and serve people normally. Even though perfectionism may be challenging to achieve, some form of mitigation can be achieved through IT solutions to manage the hotels and other restaurants affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. The remedial process can solve issues related to management, employees, and customers. In the case of management, coordination is crucial to ensure that they can run the enterprise successfully to ensure constant income flow. The hotels require workers to be present at all times so that they can prepare food products. Therefore, employees will not only need coordination but also means of ensuring that each person is healthy before entering the premise. Lastly, reaching clients is the main area that requires meticulous IT solutions so that food products can be delivered to them. This way, it is possible to save most hotels and restaurants from collapse due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Current Situation of the Hotel Industry

The Coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc globally. The disease is mostly transferred through contact, and therefore, social gathering is one of the methods of spreading it. To curb it, minimizing or eliminating socialization is one of the precautionary measures undertaken by the governments. Several approaches have been instituted by the nations worldwide to fight the virus, including lockdown, curfew, wearing masks in public, and social distancing, among others. These precautionary measures have a significant impact on reducing the spreading rate of the virus; however, they have impacted businesses enormously. Industries, such as transport, hotels, tourism, and education, have been adversely affected. People are not allowed to visit hotels, and as a result, most of them have closed due to the lack of customers.

Besides low or zero income, the layoff is a common trend not only in hotels but also in other companies. Unemployment is one of the significant threats imposed by COVID-19 as hotel businesses struggle to withstand the coronavirus pandemic impact. This pandemic has affected all sizes, including small, medium, and large enterprises. Also, restaurants, clubs, and fast food outlets are not spared. When income is not sufficient to sustain the workforce, most are retrenched, which not only affects the enterprise but also impacts their livelihoods. These people now cannot feed their families because they do not have substantial income. Furthermore, the few that remain may not be sufficient enough to operate the hotels and restaurants successfully. Also, supplies to these premises are impacted because of the imposed curfews and lockdowns. However, some governments allow essential services to operate, but not all. The food industry is commonly classified under this category because people must eat regardless of the current virus situation in the world. Therefore, deliveries of items required for the food production process are permitted. Also, some of these suppliers are impacted in equal measure by the pandemics. As a result, availing the products to be used in the food production process is challenging.

Hotels depend solely on the availability of customers to get revenue, an aspect that has been adversely affected by Coronavirus pandemic. Precautionary measures used globally restrict the free movement of people, and therefore, most hotels and restaurants globally do not have visiting clients. Without finance, these premises cannot run smoothly or even manage to pay their employees. Consequently, most of them have closed indefinitely, an approach which is risky because it is not yet known when the pandemic will end. This fact is why most governments, such as Saudi Arabia, and the United States of America, among others, are now contemplating the idea of lending most enterprises some money so that they can revive their operations after the virus pandemic problem. However, this solution may not benefit all hotels and restaurants. Similarly, the political factor is known to change depending on the prevailing conditions. Perhaps most elected persons may not support that notion, or some alterations may occur that alter the entire idea. Therefore, hotels can continue running during this Coronavirus pandemic regardless of precautionary measures, a suggestion that can only be achieved by adopting workable IT solutions to ensure that the management is adequately coordinated, including workers. Also, clients can be reached to ensure that they are able to buy food products, either through online purchases, as well as automating delivery procedures to reach consumers.

Hotel IT Solutions: Defeating Coronavirus Pandemic

Background

The global Coronavirus pandemic has halted several industries, including hotels. The precautionary measure to observe social distancing has been widely used to stop the virus from spreading from one person to another. This approach means that there is no more movement to social places, visiting restaurants, and pubs, to name a few. It has been devastating for hospitality industries, such as hotels. Even though the governments have instituted these precautionary measures to curb the disease from killing people, the customers are expected to continue being cautious when socialising with others. Therefore, adverse effects are projected to continue at the end of the virus problem. Hotels should remain relevant by continuing to serve people by using automation methods to increase sales and reach out to their customers. IT solutions can help in mitigating this issue, and it can be instituted by coordinating kitchen operations, management, clients, and employees. Furthermore, Artificial intelligence can also be used to do most activities in the kitchen.

Integrated IT solutions can help operate most hotels and ensure constant revenue. Most organizations should, therefore regroup and strategize better methods of running their premises so as to ensure continuous financial flow. These solutions still could be used after the virus problem has disappeared. IT solutions will improve communication in the business. For example, skypes, instant messaging, and using video to the conference will ensure that management and employees can coordinate the work process even when they are located remotely. Several obstacles will be eliminated, and the running of the enterprise can be made easy. Efficiency is another merit that IT solutions will achieve. Coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc in the hospitality industry by reducing the influx of customers, a problem that can be sorted by now reaching them to their homes. Online ordering can then be instituted so that consumers can buy online and have their food delivered to them at home. It is even convenient for clients. This method will not only improve the efficiency during the virus problem, but also more consumers will be reached even when the pandemic has ended.

Protecting the business is another issue that comes into question during the Coronavirus pandemic as most industries are predisposed to cyberattacks danger. IT solutions that will ensure that security is paramount will protect most automation introduced in the industry. Once the businesses begin to operate online, most assets will be kept in the cloud, a method that is vulnerable to hackers if not guarded adequately. Moreover, securing the hotel industries will enhance the workers’ zeal for technology – a trait that will span beyond the Coronavirus pandemic. Currently, most companies automate their operations in order to go global. However, hotels are still dependent on the physical availability of the clients. This pandemic has, however, changed people’s attitudes because now they cannot access the hotel premises. Several precautionary measures promote this project, including lockdown, curfew, self-quarantine, and social distancing, among others. People cannot normally interact as before, and that is the benchmark for making operational alterations.

Engaging employees and coordinating the work process is another area that can be addressed by IT solutions. With automation, most restaurants and hotels can reach their workers easily and address their problems. This process is possible through using video conferencing techniques, Skype, and Zoom, among others. Limitations will be reduced, and several customers can be reached more than it was before the Coronavirus pandemic. Flexibility in performing tasks is also encouraged because workers will be able to communicate seamlessly regardless of their location. Improving service delivery is an essential aspect of every business, and IT solutions will promote it.

Proposed Solutions

WebsiteOnline ordering

Description and Design. Now, most people have internet-enabled phones. Therefore, it is easy to reach people online. Developing websites is the first technological solution to reach several customers, both in the neighbourhood, as well as those a bit far away. Creating a site that is responsive to any screen solution and size, otherwise known as responsive web development, is a certain way of reaching many customers (Iskandar & Adhayani, 2018). This method helps in developing sites that are unique and comfortable. Any person can use them, and they are accessible via any device. In the process, it is pragmatic to use simple methods and prioritize the content so as to enable accessibility to people of different ages. Poorly designed websites can easily discourage impatient clients because they will have to scroll or zoom the site in order to access the ordering page. Since most hotels would want to gain more consumers, then they must develop a user-friendly website so that clients can navigate easily. The web design follows the steps as illustrated here below.

Figure 1: Basic Web Design Steps

Advantages. Websites have several advantages as compared to disadvantages. It is easy to access many clients through online sites. Many people now have internet-enabled phones, and they can go online to purchase items easily without problems. Moreover, customers can browse through the website and then decide on what to buy. This wat, they can save a lot of time as compared to the situation when they have to visit the premise physically to check the available food products. In the current Coronavirus situation, clients can order food online and have them delivered to their doorsteps. This way, they shall have promoted the precautionary measure of reducing the chances of contracting the virus.

The website is also another way of educating clients on food products so as to enable them to make appropriate choices. Creating educational pages containing information about certain food combinations can help consumers make informed decisions on what to buy based on their health conditions. Besides, the site managers can easily use the platform for marketing the company and even expand the business clients’ base. By developing a chatbot on the website, the client can engage the support directly and make a personalised order and reason before making informed decisions. This feature will enhance two-way communication, and consequently, the clients will feel valued.

Limitations. Maintaining websites is difficult because the manager has to constantly update the website to keep the information reliable. A website that crashes is not good for any industry because the customers will avoid shopping from them. Reaching the right people is typically a challenge to most businesses. This limitation is coupled with pessimistic persons who may want to taint the image of the industry online by posting adverse information on the products and services provided. Besides, one customer with a bad shopping experience may post a comment that discourages other potential buyers. However, using feedbacks from the clients and offering efficient customer support can help alleviate this problem.

Guarding the websites against spams is not easy, and it is highly anticipated in this case. Several users without intention to purchase food products will flood the inbox, or even disturb the support team by asking questions, yet they do not intend to buy. Nonetheless, rude answers are discouraged. To solve such instances, support has to treat everyone with equal measure and be friendly. That way, it will be simple to stay neutral and accommodate everyone. Also, the site can include sections for information so that the customer support can easily redirect the clients to gain more information about their queries there.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Description and design. CRM is a business marketing method that is used by most industries globally. This solution uses a combination of customer loyalty, retention, and database software. This approach works on the principle of establishing connections with new and old clients so as to retain them for a longer relationship (Nyadzayo & Khajehzadeh, 2016). Companies did not have any method of tracking customers before this tactic was discovered. Now, it is simple to examine consumers’ buying behaviour with the use of this technology and then use the retrieved data for targeting advertisement and promotional campaigns. Most Hotels need CRM during this period of Coronavirus pandemic to know the type of food their target consumers prefer. Feedback and value retrieved from one customer are crucial. Besides, competition may be stiff because several restaurants may venture into the same method of doorstep food delivery. Competition is commonly stiff, especially when there are several premises offering the same product. With CRM, a hotel enterprise can get firm control of its processes and clients by producing food products of high quality. Another CRM feature is that all employees become customer-centric, and as a result, they produce goods of high quality. The flow diagram below describes how CRM would work for hotels.

Figure 2: Using CRM to increase sales

Advantages. CRM has several strategic merits. One is improving personal relationships with consumers. The firm is able to treat every client individually and then improving the products based on his or her values. Also, workers are able to comprehend the needs of consumers and their files of transactions. In this case of hotels, workers will be able to prepare specific food based on the preference of the buyer consistently, and this strategy will enhance the relationship between them. Another merit is that CRM help in identifying new customers. By keeping track of specific buyers, the business can determine the type of people to target so as to maximize the purchaser’s return. During this period of Coronavirus pandemic, it is prudent to maintain the link between the hotel and the clients – a strategy that will enhance the customer base. Other merits include revenue increase, help the sales team close deals faster, and make the call department more effective, among others. Building a customer’s loyalty is one of the essential aims of CRM. The software helps the business to gauge the buying ability of a person, which even makes it easier to offer incentives to such persons. Also, testimonials from clients provide crucial insight for improving service delivery and product quality.

Limitations. Even though CRM has numerous benefits, several drawbacks exist worthy of scrutiny. Most of these challenges can hinder normal operations of hotels. CRM is commonly expensive, considering expenditures that are included, such as purchase fees, IT resources needed, training staff, and premium upgrades, among others. Business culture from the workers may pose a significant problem, primarily when CRM is implemented. Unless every employee works for viewing their activities towards the clients’ viewpoint. Poor communication between the workers may hamper the business because everyone should know the information needed and how to utilize it. Therefore, integrating the needs of the business is essential because it aids in advancing team operation. Going online requires a customer-centric approach. However, coordinating the employees remotely may pose a challenge because not all workers will report to work courtesy of social distancing precautionary measures. Lack of leadership may be the main problem in this scenario. So, the management should lead by example and push other workers to be customer-centric. This way, everyone can work to create a better alternative to solve customers’ problems. Also, CRM can be broken into segments so as to achieve a better outcome.

Video Conferencing

Description and design. Video conferencing uses visual connections between individuals living in separate locations to talk. It is simpler, and it offers transmission of images, as well as text messages between the locations. Also, video conferencing transmits a full-motion video of images of people communicating and audio (Standaert, Muylle, & Basu, 2016). This solution involves desktop video conferencing with the use of available web applications, such as Skype and Zoom. Alternatively, WhatsApp, which is available in google stores, can be used to coordinate work between employees. The structure and design of the video conference contain crucial components. The data transfer network is one of them, and it uses broadband internet with high speed. Video cameras are required in both ends to ensure that people conversing can see each other. Microphones are also needed on both sides to provide audio input. Broadcasting video output requires a screen or monitor, which is a component of the desktop or laptop. The projector can also be used to perform the same role. Getting a clear message is crucial when conversing; therefore, using headphones can improve hearing. Some people may hear directly from their laptop’s speakers, which is acceptable as long as the message is straight. Codecs compress analog input into digital packets and then decompress it at both ends are other elements that are required for video conferencing functionality.

Advantages. Video conferencing is useful in this Coronavirus period because employees can connect remotely. This technology comes into play because crowding is discouraged as a precautionary measure, a method termed as social distancing. Most organisations, including hotel businesses, now allow workers to report to work selectively, especially in shifts. Coordinating the workers, therefore, becomes crucial because all of them are important to the process of the business. Video conferencing permits the business to coordinate workers remotely. Moreover, customers who would like to connect to the management directly can also request food through video conferencing, and then have their items delivered to them. Another explicit benefit is that employees can stay on course during the Coronavirus pandemic by helping out their colleagues remotely by offering advice on doing activities that they may not have a clue to handle. Another merit is that the business can hold a structured meeting while having enhanced communication. Employees and management can chat the way forward remotely through teleconferencing, and then make decisions pertinent to food production and delivery. People need to eat even if they are in quarantine, and the best possible way is having that food delivered to them to their homes. Also, maintaining healthy relationships with suppliers is essential, and video conferencing can offer that merit during this hard time.

Limitations. Video conferencing allows employees to interact remotely, which is one of its main merits. However, a technical hitch may hinder the online meeting when one or more person’s experience technical hitches with connectivity. This sort of problem increases when there are many connected at the same time. It is common to find that at least a person has poor internet connectivity, and that aspect can hamper the flow of communication between conversing parties. Another limitation is that face to face has several communication forms which are absent in the video conferencing. Some of such missing features include facial expressions, body movement, and other unconscious cues. Each of these factors affects the way people interact and even facilitates discussions –merit that video conferencing lacks. Timing may not favor some people because employees and managers live in different places. This view is based on the point that distractions are typically omnipresent at home, most of which are hard to avoid. However, this challenge can be avoided, particularly through instilling a corporate culture that encourages video conferencing as the only way of making all participants respect the process. Still, creating such a culture is not easy, primarily when the workers operate from home.

Source to Pay (S2P)

Description and design. Procurement in the production process must be considered in the IT solutions proposals. Source-to-pay is a procedure that begins with locating, negotiating, and reaching out to the supplier of products, and then pay for those sourced goods. This strategy relies squarely on efficient technology, big data, and network systems in order to establish an effective procurement. Industries that knows how to operate in a competitive industry do not handle supplies separately. Instead, such businesses do aggregate their purchases so as to enhance their performance. With this strategy, such organisations are able to offer a better assessment of their expenditures and improve their business value. Implementing this IT solution to the hotel management system requires specific steps. It begins with deployment, knowing the requirements of the business, and then considering the design workshop. Here, the developer thinks about the requirements of a given firm, workflow, and best practices of the industry. The configuration is the next step involving the use of tools, such as agile methodology alongside the iterative build sprint strategy. This tactic can accommodate several changes that may occur in the process of handling the items procurement process. Integrating S2P solutions to all existing systems is crucial to the running of a hotel. Also, integration techniques should permit user-friendliness. To ensure that S2P solution is feasible, testing and acceptance must be done. This process allows the business to be certain that everything works and procurements can be done easily. Three types of testing exist, such as ability testing, non-functional, and functional testing. Lastly, making changes in the organisation is crucial so as to allow everyone to understand and adopt this IT solution.

Advantages. S2P has several merits. The hotel business can gain more visibility when making purchases, and as a result, they can save money during sources. Coronavirus pandemic has created a hard economic situation, and so, every industry now strives to reduce money wastage. Another benefit with this solution is that it permits the integration of different processes together into one platform, merit that hastens contract signing. Also, this method improves the procedures involved, as well as regulations. Time wasted in processing documents is eliminated, and compliance formalities can be achieved faster. With this benefit, collaboration is typically improved between the suppliers and the business, which results in the creation of trustworthiness and consequently prompting negotiation for better prices. An S2P model is undeniably a powerful tool now in the procurement industry. Apart from improving the performance of the organisation, the application reduces several factors related to sourcing processes, such as time, price, and efficiency of procurement. The Coronavirus pandemic has made operations so difficult, for example, sharing physical items may spread the virus. So, paperless interactions with the use of S2P solution, the procurement team can process sourcing fast while saving a lot of money.

Limitations. A computer crash is one of the most common problems associated with any computerized applications. The hard drive may be corrupted, a power outage can hinder an ongoing procurement process, and other technical hitches can lead to data loss. The worst scenarios involve data loss, especially when the business owner did not back it up. So, it is advisable to back data in a safe place to protect it from loss and hacks. Another delicate issue is cybercrime related to this application. Hackers may access or strive to find weak links through the system in order to reach financial information of the business, personal data of the owner, or even employees. To mitigate this issue, site managers should regularly update firewalls, as well as anti-virus software. These applications help in protecting the computers against any external malicious cyber-attacks. Computerized sourcing process may be subject to manipulation by the team members who are involved in the procurement process. Neglecting physical auditing can be detrimental because computerized processes can encourage internal thefts and manipulation. Therefore, regular audits enhance transparency, and it helps in identifying losses, such as spoilage and breakages.

Hotel Cybersecurity

Design and Description. Even though transactions in hotels are not big, they are still vulnerable to cyber threats. The volume of transactions cannot be compared to those of big stores, but the data, including those of employees, and guests are important. Going digital in service delivery faces a lot of online threats. So, the hotel IT team should ensure that when clients order online, their personal data is kept safe and that they are able to use the site without risks of having their information compromised. Cybercrimes are one of the most rampant crimes globally, and therefore, constant checks on firewalls and anti-virus software should be considered. This protection extends to customers who may opt to use their credit cards, Paypal, or any other payment options when ordering via the website. Also, with the invention of the internet of things (IoT), most premises are vulnerable to cybercrimes, and if not mitigated, hackers can paralyze the normal operations in the business. Today, Coronavirus has enabled most industries to work online, a move that favours cybercriminals. Also, cloud computing technology is vulnerable to such threats. Unless monitored and mitigated, the business may fall.

Advantages. Having robust cybersecurity protects the business from malicious intent. This way, the clients are able to surf the internet and then access the information of choice when ordering. Everyone will feel safe in the company, including the workers. Personal information is one of the most crucial aspects. Hackers can access data of the company and use them for adverse intents. Such actions can derail the entire operation of the company. Stopping them means that information is intact and that both employees and workers will feel safe. This merit improves the customers’ trust in the firm, hence improving the revenue of the firm. Viruses can disrupt normal operations and make working difficult. This problem can waste the employees’ time, and it can cripple entire operations. The IT team can then enhance the productivity of the firm by ensuring that firewalls are checked and anti-viruses installed. In this scenario of Coronavirus pandemic, maintaining the website is one certain way of ensuring that customers are able to order online safely and that their data is protected. Otherwise, consumers will write adverse testimonials about the business if their personal information is compromised. Overall, installing consolidated IT security will safeguard the hotel business when operating online, thus improving reliability.

Limitations. The limitations mainly lie with managing and installing security measures. Configuring firewalls is typically challenging, and experts can spend a lot of their time working on it. If done incorrectly, firewalls may block even genuine users from accessing the website and other actions. So, it has to be configured correctly. Maintaining the security of the business is a daunting task for the IT team because they have to update the new software frequently so as to keep the security updated. These demerits are only related to the management process. However, if they are well operated, security measures enhance the operations of the business.

VoIP Phone Systems

Design and Description. Known in full as Voice over Internet Protocol, VoIP offers a toll-free method for voice calling for consumers. This strategy can be instituted by including alternative numbers before the call goes into voicemail. It is also possible to integrate it with cloud services so as to control any call, both outgoing and incoming, as well as the use of data (Rajput, Maheshwar, & Jain, 2017). the support team can also use this service, which then positions the business as progressive rather than. The design and description of VoIP set up are outlined in the diagram below. The steps begin with defining what is required, then installing the hardware system, and lastly, the software part. A broadband connection with a strong internet connection is crucial for this setup. Since the hotel business will handle large call volume from customers, then a higher bandwidth is required. An Ethernet router capable of producing high quality is needed. It should have a strong volume of concurrent connections. A VoIP provider will also help with subscription needs. It helps in making external calls, especially when connecting to customers. The PBX server software is another essential component that enables the operability of all components of the phone system, thus ensuring that connection to the customers is smooth and that all conversations are successful. It helps in handling multiple phone calls. The hotel is one of the essential services during the virus problem, and therefore, several customers will need deliveries from restaurants. So, several calls are possible. While making line requests from the provider, the premise should pay for the highest possible lines based on the used bandwidth.

Figure 3: Installing VoIP Phone System

Merits. VoIP systems are mobile, and as such, they can serve mobile apps from multiple phones, such as iOS and Android. It permits a person to log into the service and then make a call using the assigned work number. This benefit means that one can call anyone, and it is ideal for teams working remotely. Working from home during the Coronavirus pandemic is, therefore, favoured with this solution. VoIP can also connect with outside software, such as google drive and CRM. The messaging capability of VoIP can help those with hearing impairment to read the message.

Limits. VoIP cannot work where there is no internet connection. So, it may affect workers and other clients with an insufficient internet connection. The quality of audio and video may be improper. This demerit arises because the process of decompressing and compressing can tamper with signals. Also, the conversion of signals over the IP network can lead to delays or loss of signals. Security is not guaranteed when using VoIP. One can easily intercept a call and then steal personal information, especially when roaming from one IP network to another. The person can then use that chance to scam.

Conclusion

IT solutions are the right mitigation technique during this period of the Coronavirus pandemic. Several businesses have diminished because customers no longer buy them. The hospitality industry, including hotels, tourism, and restaurants, have been impacted greatly by this problem. Precautionary measures have been instituted by the government system to curb the pandemic, especially limiting people from coming close to one another. Some of these approaches include social distancing, self-quarantine, lockdown, curfew, and wearing masks, among others. Hotels and restaurant businesses now cannot accrue enough revenue. So, adopting appropriate IT solutions can help them run smoothly even when socialization is discouraged. Operating under the principle of delivering food products to customers can help the hotels operate. Having integrated technologies can help them work efficiently and improve their income.

Most states advise their citizens to work from home. However, hotels have a significant challenge because all their workers cannot stay at home regardless of any form of automation in the industry. Some people must be present at work to guide the process of food production. Minimizing the number of employees will help the business obey the social distancing role. Coordinating employees and management, therefore, requires an integrated system to enable a seamless flow of work. Also, customers must be able to order food remotely and have it delivered to them. This need requires the development of an interactive website so that clients can purchase readily. The design process of such a site should be simple and easy to use. Making it complicated may discourage individuals who are impatient and do not want to surf deeply into the website. This idea, if coupled with quick and efficient delivery, then the food department can accrue the right amount of revenue to the business.

The concept of CRM can add significant value to both customers and the business. The database software is utilized in this principle to collect information about what the consumers may want, and then that information is used to make changes. A connection is made with customers, and then the business strives to retain them. The relation is further reinforced by VoIP call options. This method allows clients to reach the hotel easily when making orders, especially those who would like to buy personalised food products. Employees and management also need to connect while at work, especially conversing with those at home. VoIP makes connections easy, and that hotel premises can regulate information circulation. Video conferencing is another combination of solutions fitting the communication agenda. Here, workers can connect remotely and hold a meeting. Physical presence is not a must because everyone can connect to the internet and then avail herself/himself for the meeting session. This solution is dependent on the business culture, especially that requiring everyone to respect decisions that have been made in the business.

The procurement process is another area that ought to be automated during this period of the Coronavirus pandemic. S2P is the IT solution fit for that concept, and it uses big data and network systems when items are being sourced. The business can then pay for goods easily. When integrated with other solutions, S2P can benefit the company. However, an audit is commonly advised to avoid any issue that may arise concerning. Security solutions must also be in place to safeguard these technologies. Generally, the Coronavirus pandemic has caused a lot of problems in the world today, affecting almost all businesses. The hospitality industry is the worst hit by this problem because it relies heavily on socialization. Social distancing being one of the precautionary measures instituted by governments to reduce the spreading of the virus, hotels find it hard now to get customers. However, hotels can continue to serve customers by using integrated IT solutions, alongside the meticulous delivery system.

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