There is no shortage of great ideas — rather, the bigger challenge can be found in bringing those great ideas to fruition and envisioning the ways in which they can change lives and better businesses.
When Jos Schaap first saw a B2B application on an iPad in 2012, he wasn’t merely consumed with admiration of that technology in its existing form — he was already imagining how it could impact hoteliers. What would that look like? How could new and innovative software change the hospitality industry for the better? His determination to cultivate this idea within the hospitality industry lead to the conceptualization of StayNTouch, his company which delivers a truly mobile, cloud-based PMS.
Before the realization of developing and delivering mobile solutions to hoteliers, Jos had already discovered his passion for hotel software. While working at Hilton International in the nineties as a Food & Beverage Controller, he was awarded the opportunity to lead the project of implementing a new purchasing software, a role in which he immediately thrived. Following a successful implementation, Jos was asked to travel to other Hilton locations to implement the same software, processes and best practices, which lead to his transition to a Consultant at MICROS (now known as Oracle/Micros). From that point on, Jos knew he had found his calling streamlining and automating processes for hotels with the help of cutting-edge technology combined with a vision of the future. The future is now the implementation of cloud-based PMS systems to streamline operations, drive revenues, mobilize staff and re-define the guest experience. This was where Jos settled into his stride as a hospitality industry leader, by creating a solution that enables hotels to meet and exceed the demands of their guests.
“From its inception, the PMS has transformed into a dynamic platform that helps drive day-to-day hotel activities and shape strategic decisions,” explains Jos. “It has become the most fundamental tool for hotels to manage and growth their business. It is the heart – streamlining operations, increasing efficiency, enhancing the guest experiences, as well as providing new avenues to boost revenue and maximize profits.”
A New Way to Hotel
Jos believes that experience and instinct are invaluable assets for anyone in the hospitality business. Those attributes have led him to some fascinating conclusions about the present state and the future of the hotel technology industry. Citing mobile PMS as ‘the New Way to Hotel’ – Jos has made it his mission to ensure every feature offered by the StayNTouch platform empowers hoteliers to maximize their operational model and better connect with guests. The inclusion of mobile, cloud-based software not only provides his clientele with increased security and staff productivity but ensures they can effectively run their operation from anywhere — and on any device. This is the kind of operational freedom hoteliers were missing for so long; and with the right ideas and process, mobile PMS has since become the driving industry standard.
And for any hoteliers who find themselves wary of learning and training new employees on a new, advanced system…don’t be. Utilizing user-friendly dashboards, Jos explains that this shift away from traditional, legacy PMS systems empowers staff to easily navigate the platform and access the information they need to deliver personalized guest experiences. New, cloud-based systems have designs that are simpler and created for staff to understand and to become comfortable with quickly. Training is simplified, operational efficiency remains paramount, and costs are reduced.
Jos adds, “Cloud technology has enabled hoteliers to invest in powerful, modern, mobile-centric PMS systems that not only help them enhance guest engagement, but also streamline operations, realize new revenue opportunities and boost productivity.
So, if mobile PMS is already in the ‘now’, what does Jos see for the future? When faced with this question, Jos articulated his answer without hesitation:
“I think over the next five years more and more processes in hotels will be automated to ensure guests don't have to deal with the administrative part of checking-in and checking out. Hotels will run 100% on cloud systems and services, and guest communications to and from guests will be done more and more via mobile. Guest service will be a holistic combination of personal and digital.”
Following Your Passion
Along with his love for technology, Jos is a lifelong traveler and adventurer. “You need to be passionate in life,” he says. “If you love it you can do it.”
A passionate CEO leads to a successful and passionate company. Jos adds, “At StayNTouch, we don't see our company as just about innovative technology. We are a brand committed to providing our customers with the very best customer service and experience every day.”
The future of hospitality is something we are all excited about, and with creative, solution-driven minds like Jos' at the crux of this movement — we can only expect great things to come.
