Introduction
In this episode, Tiago Araújo speaks with Claire de Saint-Denis, Director of Operations for France at Honotel, about how automation is reshaping hotel operations without losing the human touch. Claire shares where teams feel the most pressure today, why good technology should be “invisible”, and how giving staff back their time and headspace translates into warmer, more consistent service. Her advice to other leaders is refreshingly simple: don’t start with the tech, start with the people.
Transcript
Tiago Araújo (00:01): Hi! We’re here for another edition of my Virtual Coffees. Today I have Claire with me, Director of Operations at Honotel. Would you like to introduce yourself, Claire?
Claire de Saint-Denis (00:13): With pleasure, yes. I’m Claire de Saint-Denis. I’m Director of Operations for France at Honotel. Basically, I have a team of 30 hotel directors, in hotels across France and one in Switzerland, making sure we’re reaching our targets, satisfaction-wise and, of course, number-wise.
Tiago Araújo (00:35): Thank you so much for accepting our invitation to our Virtual Coffees at HiJiffy. It’s a pleasure to have you here. For today, one thing I was interested in, and why I sent you the invite, was around operations and automation. I’d like to talk about smart operations, and how automation is redefining efficiency and the guest experience. To kick off, Claire, as a Director of Operations, which areas of the hotel do you find most impacted by repetitive tasks or staff constraints today?
Claire de Saint-Denis (01:17): Well, it’s a great starting point, because that’s exactly where we’re feeling the pressure these days. What I’ve noticed across our properties is that managers and teams spend a huge amount of time on administrative repetition: scheduling, updating reports, following up maintenance requests manually, checking inventory. Tasks that are necessary but take the focus away from the guests. Housekeeping coordination and communication between departments are also highly time-consuming. And especially when staff are short, everything becomes much more reactive. That’s when the service starts to suffer, not because of a lack of motivation, but because of a lack of time. So improving that side of operations, removing the friction and giving time back to the people, is our biggest opportunity.
Tiago Araújo (02:08): Of course, that’s what HiJiffy is here for, to try to take on as many repetitive tasks as possible. But I’m sure there are many other technologies out there that can help, taking the eyes of whoever is in hotel operations away from the screen and looking more at the guests, having true conversations. Having said that, technology can help in many ways, from automating guest requests to streamlining back-office processes. In your view, which areas have the most potential to make a real difference for teams and for guests?
Claire de Saint-Denis (02:59): Well, first, in the back-office area. When we automate staff scheduling, reporting, or procurement, we bring structure and speed to daily decisions. So a manager gains hours, and they can spend their time with the team or guests instead of being buried in Excel. And on the guest side, automation is a real game changer, from the digital check-in to smart messaging tools, like what HiJiffy does. So the guest journey becomes smoother, and the staff can focus on the emotional part of the relationship. Ultimately, the real benefit of automation is not only time saved, it’s really energy regained. Because when teams have that space, they naturally deliver a better, warmer, and more consistent service.
Tiago Araújo (03:52): Sure. Yeah, I never thought of it from that point of view, actually, of how it’s important not only to give people time but to give people mind space, head space, from not having to do those repetitive tasks. How people are actually happier in their jobs and then tend to do a better job because they’re happier. And on that aspect of hotels thriving on personal service, it’s something we talk about a lot with hoteliers day-to-day: how do you see automation helping staff deliver efficiency while keeping the guest experience warm, human, and personalised, and not lacking that human touch that anyone, as a guest, is expecting?
Claire de Saint-Denis (04:47): Well, that’s the heart of the matter, for sure. For me, good technology should be invisible. It simplifies, it connects, but it does not replace. When the tech removes complexity, as you said, people can focus on the connection, which is what we do. We welcome people, we try for the connection. If you imagine a receptionist freed from the repetitive check-in steps, suddenly they can have a conversation, they can welcome the guest, they can actually see them, not see the computer or the PMS. So, yes, hospitality is emotion before anything else, before the process we have now. So automation should handle the process, so the human can create the emotion. And that’s where the magic happens, in that human moment that the technology made possible.
Tiago Araújo (05:39): Awesome. And now, looking a little bit ahead, thinking about the next few years, and I know this is always a difficult question and a shot for the moon, but thinking about the next years ahead, what does smart operations mean to you? And what advice would you give to other hotel leaders exploring automating their processes and operations?
Claire de Saint-Denis (06:12): Well, for me, smart operations means having clarity, anticipation, and alignment. Clarity, because automation provides access to real-time information, which simplifies decision-making. Anticipation, because with that tool you can detect trends and needs before they become an issue. And alignment, of course, because every tool should serve the same purpose: making life easier for the team and better for the guests. My advice to other leaders would be: don’t start with the tech, start with the people. Ask what drains their time and energy, and automate from there. So, yeah, I think automation is not about digitalising everything, it’s about freeing the people to bring back what matters, what makes hospitality so powerful: genuine attention, creativity, and real care.
Tiago Araújo (07:16): Yeah, and one thing I normally do at HiJiffy as a company, and I think it applies quite well to hotels too, is to always start with a problem, and not go with solutions and tech in general just because they look fancy, or because competitors have that specific tech you’re looking into. Always start with a problem, and then within the storyline you have that problem and you look for the solution. Sometimes tech solves that. Other times, it’s just about the organisation of your teams, it’s a process within the teams, and it’s not a tech problem at all. And I’m talking against myself here, about HiJiffy, right? But sometimes it’s not a tech problem. Sometimes it’s about organisation. Don’t you feel that sometimes within hotel operations?
Claire de Saint-Denis (08:12): Yes, yes. Sometimes we intend to go fast and think we already have the solution, but it’s so, so important to just go back to the people using it, or not using it, and ask what the real problems are, and take the time to do that together, and not from past conclusions.
Tiago Araújo (08:34): Thank you so much, Claire. This was very insightful. I think it’s one of the main topics right now, how we can automate as much as we can in our operations, but always keeping that human touch. Thank you so much for joining me.
Claire de Saint-Denis (08:50): Thank you so much for inviting me.
