The main indicators that we have been following over the last year seem to indicate that the summer season may be the beginning of the recovery. But we have had this mirage before. Now, after more than 14 months of uncertainty, openings and closures and restrictions, we wanted to find out how hospitality and distribution companies have prepared and what they expect from the summer season.

To do so, we spoke to 5 professionals who have been at the forefront throughout this crisis. And who have prepared themselves to face these first months of green shoots.

Summer season: optimism, but tempered optimism

“We are optimistic about the opening of the hotels, but not so much about occupancy,” explains Tanausú Riera, New Projects Executive at AMResorts.

Something similar is the opinion of Quantum, as its Director of Administration, Xavier Pampin, says, “We believe that this season will be very similar to last year’s but with a little more movement in the coastal areas. We believe that urban tourism will be minimal”.

Josep Garriga, Purchasing Director at H10 Hotels, is a little more optimistic: “We believe that the 2021 summer season will be better than last year, but we are still waiting for the issuing markets to consider Spain as a safe country (…) At H10 Hotels we already have more than half of our portfolio of hotels operating with all the safety and hygiene measures and protocols dictated by our Safety Program by H10 Hotels”.

Along the same lines, Álvaro Garrido, Head of Purchasing at Hotusa, says, “It all depends on several factors (…) but we expect this season to be a little better than last year. Our idea is to have practically all the hotels open in June. Once the summer is over and depending on the vaccination calendar, we hope to be able to keep the hotels open in September, October, November and December”.

Processes digitisation is key for post-pandemic adaptation

The role of technology in the post-Covid-19 recovery is almost indisputable. The digital transformation of companies in any sector is here to stay and has been a key factor in speeding up openings and closings almost “on demand”.

Javier Marí, IT & Online Marketing at Insotel Group, explains, “The automation of processes in the back-office allows us to allocate our human resources to tasks that provide greater added value for the organisation, freeing them from routine tasks, which although necessary are not a differentiating element”.

Quantum explains that “the automation of processes has made the situation more bearable and the impact has been minimal”.

For Álvaro Garrido of Hotusa, the digitisation of back-office processes “is something that is fundamental at any time, whether in crisis or not. But when there is a crisis, it is a way of controlling and unifying processes (products, prices, suppliers…)”.

Reorganisation of internal processes

The countless last-minute changes have also served to analyse internal processes and optimise them in order to face the season more competitively. Many businesses have taken advantage of this to digitise processes that they did not pay attention to when activity was frenetic.

One example is H10 Hotels. “We have reorganised the departments, improved processes that we had somewhat forgotten, setting guidelines in the teams to be more efficient in our management and thus prioritise customer service“, explains Josep Garriga.

AMResorts also believes that “we have made a technological leap in quality, due to the current situation in which we are immersed, and the time we have been able to dedicate to this type of internal processes”.

Something similar is explained by Insotel Group “we have taken advantage of this time of less forced activity to analyse some of our management processes in order to detect shortcomings and opportunities for optimisation. In this sense, we have undertaken projects to review and optimise processes which, although limited in scope, we believe will contribute to the efficiency of different areas of the organisation”.

Technology also for the end customer

In addition to adopting all the health protocols established by the authorities, hospitality and distribution businesses wanted to go one step further to improve the user experience after the toughest months of the pandemic. And here technology has also played a leading role.

Thus, over the last few months we have seen the emergence of QR codes, mobile apps, take-away food services and contactless payment methods, among others, with the sole purpose of conveying a sense of security and convenience to all restaurant and hotel customers.

“We have made several technological improvements over the last year, both for the comfort of the client (before, during and after their visit) and to adapt to the current Covid situation“, explains Riera of AMResorts.

To which Marí of Insotel Group adds “technology has allowed us to digitalise certain processes, especially those that affect people’s health, thus helping to preserve the safety of our guests, employees and collaborators”.

We cannot say for sure whether the summer season will be the start of the recovery until it is over. What we can say, without fear of contradiction, is that the most astute companies have prepared themselves to become more competitive and optimised through technology and thus improve their business figures.

• Tanausú Riera, New Projects Executive at AMResorts.
• Josep Garriga, Purchasing Director at H10 Hotels.
• Javier Marí, IT & Online Marketing at Insotel Group.
• Xavier Pampín, Administration Director at Quantum.
• Álvaro Garrido, Purchasing Manager at Hotusa.

Enter a few simple facts about your business to find out how much you could save with baVel solutions

Digital transformation is a reality in all sectors and is here to stay. In recent years we have seen how many companies have invested in digitising processes related to the end customer. However, the real digital transformation starts when companies’ internal processes transform, evolve and become more competitive and optimised.

Sourcing and invoicing processes are the cornerstones of back office transformation. Applying technology to these processes and digitising them allows companies to be more efficient, scalable, productive and save time and money. However, we often struggle to make these benefits tangible.

In order to show in a clear and concise way the benefits that companies obtain when implementing baVel solutions, today we are launching the baVel savings calculator.

baVel Savings Calculator

We have created the savings calculator so that you can calculate how much money your company can save by digitising your back office processes with baVel. The calculator is very easy to use and the results are displayed instantly. All you have to do is enter some basic information about your company, such as the number of invoices, the time you need to process them or the storage space you use.

If you would also like to have more details about this calculation, you can leave us your email and we will contact you.

Access the baVel savings calculator:

At Voxel we have been helping hundreds of companies to digitise their value chain for over 20 years. If in addition to using the calculator you want to see how other companies have done it, access our success stories. In these stories, you will also be able to see the tangible benefits that other companies have achieved.

Efficient stock management is vital in the foodservice and hospitality sectors, yet until recently it remained one of the industry’s biggest challenges. As a study published by Storyous in 2018 showed, the majority of stock management solutions implemented in Spanish foodservice companies had barely been updated in the last 20 years, and this prevented technological innovation from really translating into competitive advantages.

Two years later, we have seen how digitalisation has positioned itself as one of the main levers to emerge stronger from the crisis, as explained by representatives of leading companies in the sector in a previous article on the trends we will see this year in the hospitality and distribution sector.

Fortunately, there are many companies that have already opted for the latest technological innovations to improve their stock management and related processes. Below we will look at some of the challenges that restaurants, hotels and other companies in the sector have faced, how they have solved them and what results they have obtained in relation to the digitisation of stock management.

Inventory management: challenges, solutions and benefits

One of the main challenges that businesses face when it comes to stock management is stock control: managing incoming goods and dealing with the associated documentation (delivery notes, orders), as well as resolving any discrepancies that may arise in the process.

The manual receipt of goods was one of the main problems UDON wanted to address before digitising the process. “The workers in the establishments had to check and register the new goods manually and from the paper delivery notes, a process that, in addition to requiring time, led to errors and incidents causing setbacks in the day-to-day running of the restaurants”, explained the Asian restaurant chain.

To overcome these setbacks, UDON digitised the issuing of orders and the receipt of delivery notes and invoices with baVel. With all these transactions 100% digitised, they were able to easily digitise and automate stock management through a proprietary portal.

Find all the information about automated stock management in UDON restaurants here.

Selenta has implemented something similar, which thanks to the combination of three technology partners – baVel, SAP and MOBBA – even avoids discrepancies in goods returns, which are done in real time. This is how Selenta Group digitalises its procurement process.

Sighore-ICS, a company that has been offering IT solutions for the hotel and catering industry for more than 25 years, has observed that the poor management of delivery notes has a direct impact on the control of raw materials in restaurants and hotels. This mismanagement can have an impact of up to 4% on the cost of the final product, which in these sectors can mean profit or no profit.

With the aim of offering a solution for all its clients, Sighore has teamed up with baVel to achieve a 100% digitised front and back office in the catering and hotel sector. In addition to an exhaustive control of their stocks, it has been observed that thanks to the technology, companies can register savings of up to 8% of their purchasing volume.

Reference control is also important

In companies with a high volume of products, the manual equivalence of references is a distorting element for efficient stock management. This is the case of Dino, a distributor of cleaning, hygiene and industrial maintenance products and articles made up of 26 independent franchisees operating in different parts of Spain. Before embarking on a digitalisation project, its team had to carry out manual equivalence work on more than 4,000 references, which, in addition to taking time, also meant errors and discrepancies.

After digitising the communication between customer – distributor – franchisee with order, delivery note and invoice through baVel, Dino not only managed to automate the manual work, but can now also carry out exhaustive analyses of the weight of each customer, for subsequent price negotiation. Read all the details of the digitisation of the supply chain of the Dino distributor and its franchisees here.

Modular solutions to digitise your back office

Inventory management is only one part of the entire value chain. Other processes that are often manual and the result of inefficiencies and ineffectiveness are orders, scandals, invoicing (issuing, reception, reconciliation…), internal invoice approval flows, electronic payments, connection with public administrations…

baVel is a technological solution that offers 100% digitisation of the back office of catering businesses through modular solutions that adapt to the reality of each business.

If you want to know how we can help you to digitalise your business, please contact us at info@voxelgroup.net.

Discover how RIU Hotels & Resorts has digitized its supply process in Spain and the Dominican Republic via baVel

After digitizing the issuance of B2B invoices with baVel, RIU’s team decided to streamline its supply process in Spain. The hotel chain wanted to eliminate the repetitive work derived from managing purchase orders, delivery notes and invoices manually. A process that often results in errors and a non-value-added workload for the administrative team.

Facing this situation, RIU decides to digitize the issuance and reception of purchase orders and the reconciliation of invoices via baVel, the electronic invoicing platform of Voxel Group. Its main objective is to connect electronically with suppliers and automatically reconcile the invoice with the delivery note, without the need for manual intervention.

Thanks to baVel, RIU was capable of increasing the number of suppliers and the volume of transactions processed, without the need to increase the administrative team. In addition, automation has made it possible to eliminate errors and redistribute the functions of the management team to tasks with more added value.

Currently, RIU and baVel are working together to digitize the supply chain of their hotels in the Dominican Republic.

Read the full success story and find out the savings figures here:

You can find more success stories of leading companies in the sector with baVel here.

In 2016, UDON, the Asian restaurant chain leader in Spain and Portugal, decides to redefine the internal processes to centralise and streamline the stock control of its restaurants. 

UDON realises that the stock management needs more traceability and digitization, as up until now the merchandise control is done manually and using a physical delivery note. 

Facing this situation, UDON decides to digitize the submission of purchase orders and invoice and delivery notes reception via baVel, the electronic invoicing platform of Voxel Group. The main objective is to electronically connect with its suppliers and automatically manage the stock. 

Thanks to baVel’s automation and digitization, UDON is capable of managing purchase orders, delivery notes and invoices without manual intervention. The electronic connection with its suppliers allowed them to dramatically reduce errors and incidents and, at the same time, improve the relationship with its users. 

Do you want to know how UDON opened 12 new businesses without increasing the team? Read the case study here:

Also, you can find more examples of process digitization with leading companies in the sector on our website.

Soho Boutique Hotels is a great hotel chain that has 46 hotels, the vast majority of which are urban hotels. During the national and international expansion, the corporate team realises the need for optimizing the invoicing process in order to address the huge volume of invoices. 

Up to now, each hotel managed their own invoices, making it difficult to standardize the process and centralise it. Furthermore, documental control is limited which in most of the cases increases the invoice delivery time for clients and, consequently, delays payments. 

At this point, Soho Boutique Hotels decides to digitize the submission of B2B invoices via baVel eBilling, the electronic invoicing solution of Voxel Group, in order to scale and streamline the invoicing process. 

Thanks to baVel’s implementation, Soho has automated the invoicing process, eliminating manual tasks and obtaining better visibility to solve discrepancies in real-time. Furthermore, the accessibility and traceability of baVel have allowed Soho to reduce the invoice delivery time and accelerated the average collection time. 

Do you want to know how many invoices Soho is capable of automatically manage thanks to baVel? Find all the saving figures in the case study: 

Also you can find more success cases of leading companies in the sector here.