When digital processes meet genuine hospitality: How the Hotel Larimar is modernising day-to-day hotel operations with Relution
From check-in to the kitchen and housekeeping – Relution is used throughout the hotel
Guests check in digitally, sign their bills directly on a tablet and enjoy a service that has long been organised via mobile devices behind the scenes. Whilst tablets are used at reception, orders in the restaurant are processed digitally; in housekeeping, all processes have been modernised and Relution ensures that sensitive guest data is managed even more securely.
To ensure that all of this works reliably, the Austrian Hotel Larimar in Stegersbach relies on the mobile device management solution from Relution – in collaboration with Relution’s Austrian partner AH trade IT GmbH and the entire team.
The four-star superior hotel impressively demonstrates how modern device management simplifies day-to-day hotel operations without compromising on personal hospitality.
“Here, the computers are moving towards the guest”
Since 2007, Erik Handler has been overseeing the technical development of the Hotel Larimar in his role as IT manager. A lot has changed during this time: away from fixed devices, towards mobile processes right at the guest’s side.
“Here, the computers are moving towards the guest – in the form of mobile devices,” explains Erik Handler. “We wanted to simplify processes, reduce paper use and give our staff tools that really support them in their day-to-day work.”
Today, mobile devices are used throughout almost the entire hotel:
- Tablets at reception for digital registration forms and invoices
- Mobile devices in the restaurant and at the bar
- Tablets for stock management and kitchen processes
- Apple TVs in the suites
- Mobile solutions in housekeeping
- Digital processes in the spa area in the future
It was particularly important that the technology eased the workload rather than creating additional effort.
A one-man IT department for 140 staff
With around 140 staff and over 110 rooms, the Hotel Larimar is one of Austria’s larger wellness hotels – yet it does not have a traditional, large IT department.
Responsibility for the technical infrastructure lies centrally with Erik Handler. Before Relution was introduced, this involved a great deal of manual work: Devices had to be set up individually, accounts created and apps managed manually. “Hotels need simple and maintainable systems,” says Erik Handler. “We’re not a traditional tech company. Technology must work reliably and support us in our day-to-day operations. However, finding a suitable solution proved difficult. Many systems were too complex or heavily specialised for individual platforms.”
A platform for Android, Apple and Apple TV
At the Hotel Larimar, a wide variety of devices are used simultaneously – from Android smartphones and iPads to Apple TVs. It was precisely this diversity that was one of the key reasons for choosing Relution.
“The great thing about Relution is that we can manage our entire range of devices using a single platform,” explains Erik Handler. “Other solutions were often heavily focused either on Apple or on Android. Relution combines both.”
The hotel currently manages around 25 devices with Relution – with more already on the way for the housekeeping department.
Quick to implement, easy to manage
The roll-out was supported by Andreas and the team at AH trade IT GmbH, our official Relution partner in Austria.
Together, they defined the initial guidelines, prepared the devices and implemented the enrolment process – within a few days, all devices were up and running. “With other solutions, we had lengthy processes and still didn’t get a result that worked properly,” recalls Erik Handler. “With Andreas and Relution, it was completely different. The onboarding was straightforward, easy to understand and implemented extremely quickly.”
Andreas also sees this as the key advantage:
“Companies don’t need complicated projects, but solutions that work quickly and solve real problems,” explains Andreas. “Hotels in particular need simple, maintainable systems that provide reliable support in their stressful day-to-day operations – that’s exactly what Relution is ideal for.”
Data protection and security as a decisive factor
Data protection and data security play a central role, particularly in the hotel sector. In addition to contact details, sensitive guest information is also frequently processed.
For the Larimar Hotel, it was therefore clear: the solution should come from the German-speaking world and comply with European data protection standards. “Data protection, security and German-speaking support were decisive factors for us,” says Erik Handler. As data protection has been firmly embedded in the hotel’s workflows for years, internal communication processes have also been consistently designed to comply with data protection regulations.
Technology that works in the background
Today, Relution reliably supports the hotel’s day-to-day operations in the background: New devices can be set up quickly, apps distributed automatically and policies managed centrally.
For Erik Handler, this means one thing above all else – a reduction in workload. “The system provides us with enormous support in our day-to-day work. The devices work reliably, policies are applied automatically, and I hardly have to spend any time on administration”, he says. “This is exactly how modern device management should be.”
The Hotel Larimar impressively demonstrates how modern device management is no longer relevant only in schools or traditional corporate environments – but wherever service quality, mobility and data protection intersect.
Header photo: Hotel & Spa Larimar