In the 19th Century, travel was a grand affair, with wealthy American and British families packing trunks and setting off with their servants on steamships for months-long tours across Western Europe, the Middle East, and the Indian Subcontinent, with long train rides between cities. Without telephones, communication, particularly the organization of itineraries and reservations, was dependent on letters and, after the first transatlantic cable was completed in 1858, telegrams.

Digital Communication - A Revolution in Travel

Today, less than two centuries later, every component of the travel experience has been digitized. Trips that once took months or even years of planning can now be done in minutes on a smartphone, everything from booking flights to reserving hotel rooms to making dinner reservations and planning tours, museum visits...even point-to-point ground transportation can be arranged in moments. While the core of travel - the meals and the great art and the mountain vistas, the ancient ruins and the sugary beaches - is pretty much the same, the way we plan travel experiences and stitch them together would be unrecognizable to someone setting off from New York on a ship to the Continent. The way we travel now is "hypersonic," almost all of the details sorted in the palm of one's hand.

Meeting Guest Expectations

Today's travelers expect immediate and peerless service, and nowhere is this more important than during a hotel stay. Hotels large and small, from global chains to boutique properties, need to exceed guest expectations, particularly when it comes to communication. Whether on their own devices or using in-room telephones, guests expect instant communication with the front desk, the concierge, room service, and restaurants. To remain competitive, boutique hotels have to provide guests with the same caliber of communication available at larger hotels and resorts. But how?

Can a Boutique Hotel Provide Impeccable Communications to Guests?

The mission of any hospitality provider is to ensure guests have seamless experiences from the moment they book a room until the moment they check out. This requires a hotel phone system with a complete suite of call center features that dovetails with guest communication needs, including a virtual receptionist for incoming calls (including international calls) and internal calls, interactive voice response, caller ID, and other advanced features for hospitality environments.  

Vodia: Small Hotel Phone Systems Built for Hospitality

Designed with hotels in mind, the Vodia PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is a customizable communication solution that enables hotels to automate tasks, boost guest comfort, and streamline operations. Our phone system is robust, secure, and works perfectly with existing hotel communication ecosystems, thanks to Vodia's Hotel PMS module, which integrates seamlessly with hospitality Property Management Systems (PMS). Let's look at 7 (+1) reasons why Vodia is the right phone system for small hotels, a phone system that makes it so hotels can leave behind analog or obsolete hardware and create an enhanced customer experience by delivering impeccable connected communications for true guest satisfaction.

1. Professionalism at the Front Desk

Hotel staff at the front desk need to greet guests, check them in, and handle their questions and requests exactly as a larger hotel does, and the Vodia PBX makes this possible. On check-in a guest's cell phone number can be associated with his or her room - this information personalizes guest experiences, as the phone system uses the guest's name when the guest calls the hotel - the guest's name is displayed for employees and when staff members call the guest's room.

2. Seamless Integration with Microsoft Teams

The Vodia phone system is certified for Teams integration; it's the perfect backbone for Teams environments. Our PBX creates additional endpoints, so employees can access more communication features than with Teams alone. For call routing and receipt of calls, this combination is the perfect solution for hotels: hotel staff can connect to guest rooms with devices registered to the PBX; they can also use DECT multicell as a cordless, onsite solution or as a softphone mobile app. Vodia’s on-prem PBX keeps external and internal communications intact, even if there's a loss of internet connectivity, which is critical for any hotel, large or small.

3. AI for Unsurpassed Hospitality Communication

We have enhanced the IVR node in our PBX for the management of real-time conversations by processing calls via the OpenAI Realtime API. The Vodia phone system now sends speech to the API, for natural interactions, improved operational efficiency, and better customer experiences. This integration automates many repetitive tasks, making hotel workflows more efficient while providing your property with every telephony feature imaginable. It gives smaller hotels the same communication capabilities as their multinational competitors.

4. Features Just for Hospitality

The Vodia phone system is the perfect choice for hotels large and small, with features designed to streamline hotel operations and provide outstanding service to guests. Our phone system solution makes any hotel more efficient, particularly when it comes to room status and phone use, beginning immediately upon check-in: in-room phone mailboxes, call lists, and data are cleared, and hotel staff can set a credit limit on the phone and decide if any hotel extensions or room phone numbers should be restricted. Do-Not-Disturb (DND) status can be set between the room and the hotel phone system, while housekeeper codes permit housekeeping to use room phones to indicate when rooms have been cleaned. And emergency calling automatically redirects emergency calls from hotel rooms to the front desk.

5. Integration with PMS and Billing Systems

With Vodia PMS integration, you can integrate the Vodia PBX with multiple PMS systems, including Casona, Lolotel, Oracle, Protel and Shiji. Our PMS module makes it so our phone system and your preferred PMS system can synchronize the status of rooms, hotel guests, and housekeeping functions between the front desk and our phone system. How does it work? As soon as a guest checks in, the Vodia PBX logs all guest calls during his or her stay and includes the phone bill as part of the guest's bill at check-out.

6. Housekeeping

By automating housekeeping functions, the Vodia phone system can prevent overbooking and keep your hotel on top of real-time room availability. Maid codes inititated directly from rooms means the front desk is automatically notified when a room is ready for a new guest. Guests can also dial into the hotel phone system to request blankets, toiletries, towels, and other housekeeping items via our IVR system, leaving housekeeping staff more time to clean rooms and common spaces (and to deliver requested items immediately upon request).

7. Cost Savings

Integrating the Vodia hotel PBX system with your current PMS system means you can use Internet-based Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunks for external calls, which will significantly reduce your overall telephony costs. If you operate multiple properties, you can integrate your PMS systems with a single instance of our phone system for reduced infrastructure costs throughout your organization. Our system grows with your hotel - there's no need to switch systems. If you're looking for a future-proof communications platform, look to Vodia.

+1: Reliability, Security, and a Vendor That Stays With You

At Vodia, we measure uptime in years. Our record is 6.8 years without a single restart. Small hotels can rely on our PBX for secure, uninterrupted communication, ensuring guest calls, in-room services, and internal operations never experience downtime. Coupled with personalized support and continuous updates, Vodia provides both peace of mind and a technology partner you can count on for every check-in, check-out, and everything in between. Find out what we can do for your hotel: email us at sales@vodia.com, or call +1 (617) 861-3490 (United States), +61 2 7201 0788 (APAC), or +49 30 555 78749 (Europe).