Customer Management: Technology has become essential

The epidemic has hit the tourism and hospitality sector hard. Urgo Hotels Canada (UHC) was not released, however the company was able to move forward again to continue its growth.

You may not know the name of the company, but its hotels are definitely there. UHC operates 17 hotels in Canada with over 2,600 rooms, mainly located in Quebec and the Maritime provinces. Big international banners like Hilton and Marriott, to name a few, are part of its portfolio.

“We own several hotels, developers and hotel managers for different groups,” explains Serge Primeau, managing partner and chairman of UHC, part of the U.S.-based Urgo Hotels & Resorts in Maryland.

Technology for recovery

Since the outbreak began, it has had to deal with a significant drop in the number of customers in hotels it manages or owns.

“For one year, we recorded very modest aggression rates,” he said. Primau insists. However, we had to better serve our customers with new needs. Technology has become essential for our customer management. This is one of the best lessons learned from the Covid 19 crisis. ”

UHC Quickly activated digital hotel banner service sites to facilitate contactless check-in and check-out. Access to the room is now done electronically and a code is sent to open the door to the guest room. “We had already planned to deploy these digital services, but the epidemic process has accelerated,” Serge Primau explains.

Many clients who were locked up in their rooms needed a stable and fast internet connection to work remotely. “They can do multiple video conferencing in one day and access their company’s information technology system. Fortunately, we have upgraded all our IT infrastructure, which has enabled us to provide a service that meets the expectations of our customers, ”he said. Primau promises.

In this era of change and uncertainty, videotron business technologies have helped the company to cope with the situation.

Development projects

Since last summer, UHC Is in the process of resuming its operations. “Quebec tourists are coming back, especially in the resort hotels, where there is a good turnout,” he said. Primau said. We also get more American and Ontario tourists. As for international customers, they will have to wait until the spring of 2022 to see a return in numbers. The same goes for business conferences. ”

The company continues its growth momentum by opening six new hotels in Quebec since last spring. Among them is Delta Mont-Saint-Anne, with 211 rooms, located at the foot of the Ski and Mountain Bike Resort in the Charlevoix area.

Last June, the 193-room, 193-room luxury company opened under the banner of the Marriott Autograph Collection, which is affiliated with the prestigious Humanity Real Estate complex in Montreal.

“We still have several projects on the pipeline, including a new hotel in Laval that will open its doors by the end of 2022,” Serge Primau reveals. We want to increase our footprint across the country by adding new entities to our portfolio of assets in other provinces. ”

Opening new hotels in the midst of an epidemic shows the reputation of a successful company. UHC. “The future is bright for us,” he says.