Image credit: Ministry of Communications and Information
In picture, left to right: Jonathan Chan, Front Office Operations Executive, Richard Ong, General Manager, DPM Mr Heng Swee Kiat, and Gobinath Pillai, Front Office Manager
In this picture, Jonathan is explaining the paperless check-in to Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Minister of Finance, Mr Heng Swee Kiat, during his visit to the hotel in February 2020 with the purpose of understanding how the hotel has been coping. Paperless check-in is one of the newest technologies that PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road has implemented as part of the hotel’s transformation. Jonathan is also one of the associates involved in the hotel’s Job Redesign Initiative, with trainings in place to enlarge his role by encompassing the responsibilities of a Duty Manager and performing night audits, as well as being readily deployed to Housekeeping.
PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road has recently undergone a facelift, transforming itself for greater productivity and enhanced guest experiences. With the completion of the full Front Office transformation, the hotel boasts new productivity solutions and facilities such as a paperless check-in system, RFID luggage management systems and upcoming self-check-in kiosks which focus on elevating guests’ arrival experience. By adopting such technological solutions, PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road has effectively cut down on the time taken for guests to check-in, as well as reduced manual processes. As a result, Front Office Associates will be able to take on additional duties at other departments, maximising labour productivity and creating a multi-skilled yet highly versatile workforce.
With the self-check in kiosk for instance, six associates from the concierge team and front office will be able to perform a myriad of functions as Lobby Ambassadors. Lobby Ambassador will be able to offer end-to-end services by receiving and giving a warm welcome to guests, as well as consistently offer professional, friendly and engaging assistance with service excellence in mind.
The adoption of productivity solutions with job redesign helps promote staff development and improves perceptions of jobs in the hotel. The hotel’s comprehensive transformation, taking into account both hardware and software aspects, has enabled the associates, who are already trained with the right mindset, to become more flexible. Now, the hotel is equipped with associates from the Concierge team, trained to perform and be ever ready for deployment to the Front Desk. This results in more effective cross-deployment of associates, ensuring that the hotel is constantly equipped with a pool of multi-skilled and versatile workforce to continue providing gracious and dependable hospitality despite the challenging circumstances.
