Abstract

This study examines the role of Cooperative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) in driving digital innovation within the luxury hospitality sector through the development and implementation of the Varana One+ platform at Varana Hotel Krabi. Research conducted during a four-and-a-half-month professional placement identified a critical operational bottleneck in the Front Office Department, where a traditional reliance on manual, telephone-based request handling intensified inefficiency and increased the risk of service delays and communication errors. To address these challenges, the Varana One+ web application was designed to centralize service requests, dining information, and wellness activity bookings. Utilizing Google Apps Script as middleware, the system automates data logging in Google Sheets and triggers real-time notifications via the Line Messaging API, transforming a five-step manual workflow into a streamlined three-step automated process. The results of the implementation showed a significant 35–40% reduction in daily telephone call volume, effectively redistributing staff workload from administrative tasks to high-value, personalized guest engagement. The findings demonstrate that WIL initiatives can transcend traditional internship models by positioning students as active co-creators of digital maturity. Ultimately, the project proves that fundamentally redesigning workflow structures to align with modern digital behaviors is essential for enhancing operational efficiency and guest experience in a five-star hospitality environment.

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