In the May/June Issue of NAGA NEWS, NAGA talks with Paul Robertson, President of Romeo Bravo Software, about the why and how of Hospitality Tech, and what Hunt Clubs and Lodges should think about it when it comes to putting software to work for their business.
What is Hospitality Tech and Why Do Hunt Clubs and Lodges Need It?
“Hospitality Tech” is the collection of digital tools and software products that offer the opportunity to provide structure to your Hunt Club and Lodge. It can be the foundational framework upon which a profitable and great organization is built. In the very broadest of terms, properly implemented software will help establish, manage, and validate the strategy, objectives, performance, and grander vision for your Hunt Club or Lodge. It can ensure your entire team is focused, aligned, and empowered to achieve the same mission. Effective Hunt Club and Lodge management software also fosters the development of a cohesive structure for how your Hunt Club or Lodge operates. Additionally, “Hospitality Tech” will improve your guest/member experience, inform how you want your guest/member experience to improve in the future, and what your team needs to do to make certain everything gets done right, consistently, all the time.
At a nuts and bolts level, “Hospitality Tech” consists of specific software products that give Hunt Clubs and Lodges tools for Property Management (PMS), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Guest Resource Management (GRM), Point-of-Sale (POS), Reservations, Correspondence, Hunt and Guided Activity Scheduling, Event Management, Personal Data Tracking, Reporting, Invoicing, Billing, Digital Payment Processing, Accounting, HR, E-Waiver, Automations, Mobile Applications, Online Booking ( For Hunts, Shooting Activities, Lodging), and much more.
In so many words, “Hospitality Tech” is any software product that provides business management tools that digitize your organizational workflows, increase the efficiency of your staff, and/or enhance your guest/member experience. “Hospitality Tech” should be a cornerstone of your Hunt Club and Lodge, and any business with a goal of strengthening the leadership, management, and accountability of their team might reasonably need it.
What Can Hospitality Tech Do for My Hunt Club or Lodge?
Simply put, the objective of any Hospitality Tech solution should be to tip the competitive balance of business in the favor of your Hunt Club or Lodge. Expect software to drive improvements in these critical areas:
Revenue Generation, Profitability, Performance, Guest/Member Experience, Hunt Quality, Talent Acquisition, Team Member Retention, Operational Effectiveness, Cost Controls, Accountability, Fiscal Responsibility, Brand Recognition, and Business Reputation
How Hospitality Tech Increases Asset Value?
Data is one of the greatest assets to any business, hence, utilizing Hospitality Tech to securely house and better manage data in a single database can add tremendous value to your most important asset, your Hunt Club or Lodge. Track departmental revenue and total expense, analyze cost of goods sold (COGS), understand cash on hand for capital expenditures, and likewise debt service. Set topline budget goals, forecast revenue, and improve flow throughs to net operating income (NOI). Investments in software enable owners and operators of Hunt Clubs and Lodges to protect, leverage, and monetize their data in a way that is superior to businesses that choose not to deploy Hospitality Tech solutions.
How Does Hospitality Tech Drive Efficiency and Save Time?
Imagine you have at least one inefficient workflow in your Hunt Club or Lodge that requires a manual task, and an extra ten minutes a day (every day); such as putting a bill in the mail. Over a year that will add up to 60 hours of lost payroll, and at standard hourly wages for Hunt Club and Lodge employees, each inefficient workflow roughly equates to an opportunity cost of $1000/year. More realistically, it is likely your Hunt Club or Lodge has not just one, but dozens of processes that can be made more efficient and save time with Hospitality Tech. Based on this example, it is reasonable to conservatively forecast a cost savings of $20K or more per year. Efficiency gains and time saving measures that are made possible by Hospitality Tech stand to generate a ROI that surpasses the software acquisition cost and improves your bottom-line profitability year over year. In other words, through increased productivity, and for a fraction of the cost, an investment in Hospitality Tech has the potential of saving your Hunt Club or Lodge the equivalent of one salaried Full-Time Employee (FTE)
Why Start a Software Company to Serve Hunt Clubs and Lodges?
Romeo Bravo Software was launched in 2020 with the idea that the community of Hunt Clubs and Wingshooting Lodges has been traditionally underserved by the software industry. On the one hand we recognized an opportunity to become a market leader, and on the other we liked the idea of supporting sophisticated and multi-faceted businesses run by a very talented and unique group of owners and operators. It didn’t hurt that the entire proposition also spoke to our passion for hunting, shooting sports, tradition, and world-class hospitality.
Our company culture is one of continuous improvement and constant development. We know our customers personally and we are obsessed with getting user feedback for the purpose of optimizing our technology and adding future enhancements. In short, the crux of every software conversation we have is about clearly understanding our customers’ goals and objectives, what challenges exist, and which solutions we believe can be applied to facilitate positive change and growth in their business. Our mission is to provide our Hunt Club and Wingshooting Lodge partners with technology that increases operational efficiency and profitability. Presently, we have over 170 customers across the U.S. and Canada.
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About Paul Robertson
Following a 30-year career in outfitting and lodge leadership, Paul joined Romeo Bravo Software in spring of 2020. In 1993, Paul founded Rock Creek Anglers, an Orvis Endorsed Outfitter and Guide service located at the HF Bar Ranch. He was the opening GM for the Ranch at Rock Creek and Sage Lodge, and also served as GM of Lone Mountain Ranch, a National Geographic Unique Lodge of the World. Paul earned his Masters in Hospitality Management from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, a certificate in Executive Leadership from the Stanford Graduate School of Business as well as a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A resident of Montana, when he’s not in the office, you’ll find him fly fishing, or upland bird hunting with his yellow lab, Leo.
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