External constraints can sometimes be a source of great opportunities. During the turmoil of the COVID health crisis, the Parc-Hôtel Alvisse took the opportunity to review all its services and procedures to ensure an enhanced experience for its customers.
Jean-Michel Gaudron
Created in 1974 and regularly modernised, the Parc-Hôtel Alvisse is one of the last independent hotels in Luxembourg, owned by the Alvisse family. It has 325 rooms and mainly targets a B2B clientele. It also offers 14 reception rooms that can accommodate up to 1,500 people for meetings, conferences, private events, etc., and 480 free parking spaces for cars and coaches.
"When the COVID pandemic started, everything came to a standstill from one day to the next," recalls Mireille Micoud, the hotel's manager. "We then took this as an opportunity to carry out an in-depth analysis of all our departments in order to improve many processes."
Through the Fit 4 Digital programme, the Parc-Hôtel Alvisse launched the implementation of digitalisation solutions in order to improve its internal organisation and enhance the customer experience. "At the time, many of our processes were still paper-based. They could be very tedious and time-consuming. Not to mention that documents were sometimes filled out mechanically, without the required attention."
With a traditional information system as the basis, complementary and connected solutions were added gradually to optimise the daily management of various services (information sharing, file storage, stock management, check-in, etc.). In addition to better day-to-day management for the company, this also contributed to the modernisation of its brand image.
"This whole process was done with the complete involvement of the staff and a lot of support," notes Ms Micoud. "There has been a succession of projects since 2020 and it is essential that everyone can take ownership of the changes that have taken place." Thus, step by step, the IT infrastructures have been reviewed and completed, and their level of security increased. Digital signage screens have been installed. Online check-in solutions, global management of activity, management of hosting activity and electronic document management have been set up and an intranet platform facilitating the sharing of information has been developed. These are all innovative developments that have boosted processes at all levels of the value chain.
Visible gains at all levelsOther new tools have been implemented – or are in the process of being implemented – for online bookings, catering management and human resources, including in recruitment processes.
The overhaul of the IT and information security infrastructures was carried out with the consultant Rcarré. "Their intervention was invaluable. They asked the right questions and were able to provide solutions. They were very attentive and very precise. They understood the issues and adapted the developments to our needs and not the other way around."
The gains brought by all these changes are numerous and visible at all levels. "We save a lot of time in many of our processes," says Ms Micoud. "Things are easier and there is much less loss of information. The teams know exactly what they need to do and when to do it. It also greatly reduces stress and contributes to the improvement of the service in general. All the time gained somewhere could be transferred to more qualitative things. We have observed a significant decrease in complaints and an increase in our rating and ranking scores on the internet. This is one of the direct consequences of the information gains obtained and the technologies put in place.”
The availability of the Luxinnovation teams and their responsiveness were remarkable. Mireille Micoud, Parc-Hôtel Alvisse
In the continuity of all these improvement projects, Parc-Hôtel Alvisse also joined the Fit 4 Sustainability programme and carried out a detailed carbon assessment and an energy audit with the approved consultant Sustain. These assessments made it possible to review all the existing technical installations (boiler, water heater, air conditioning, gas, etc.) and to consider, in a second stage, the installation of photovoltaic panels and charging stations for electric vehicles in the car park.
"The financial support of the State in all our efforts has been particularly valuable," admits Ms Micoud. She is also grateful for the support provided by Luxinnovation at every stage, particularly the help to obtain financial aid and the expert advice provided. "The availability of the Luxinnovation teams and their responsiveness were remarkable. As an independent hotel in Luxembourg, we particularly appreciated their ability to understand the unique challenges of our industry. With their help, we have been able to carry out projects that we would not have developed without their expertise and strategic support."
