Almost everyone would agree that the pace of technological advances in hospitality has accelerated since the pandemic, when many technology providers were forced to redesign their offerings in response to one of the largest catalysts for change that the world has ever seen. Revenue management tools were quickly re-worked to be forward-looking versus relying on historical trends, and now machine learning is being applied to everything from creating the ideal travel itinerary to cleaning up the coding that night auditors have been screwing up for decades.
But this technology is having an impact both on the industry best practices as well as the career paths of those who have dedicated their lives to hospitality. In many cases it seems like technology is permanently altering, but not replacing key positions as many experts have forecasted. A common trait among some of these emerging solutions is hasty development and reliance on the user community to sort out the bugs and refinements. And then there’s the cost.
So, on the eve of this year’s 2023 HSMAI Commercial Strategy Week and HITEC® 2023 Toronto, we asked our experts: In your opinion, is this new era of technological advancement in hospitality a blessing, a curse, or somewhere in between, and why?
The challenge we might be facing is the sheer amount of solutions coming up at the same time, which can be puzzling for most hoteliers, especially the independent ones that don’t have a dedicated IT department, and need to decide by themselves on which solution should they sign in, and which one they must discard.
To add salt to injury, most solutions are very niche or specific, performing just one task, and might have a challenging connection with others that are needed to fully function.
And since the customer journey is becoming longer (I would say circular), more technology is needed to make sure the customers is engaged throughout, to make sure they enjoy their experience to the fullest…and the Hotel maximizes revenue.
Therefore, in my opinion every advancement in technology is positive. It’s more a matter of the hotelier having good honest advice regarding the right solution to choose for his or her establishment.
It’s not about going for the most expensive/the cheapest. It’s about choosing the right one for your needs (based on size, type of accommodation, location, segmentation, etc…). And for that, having the advice of a trusted friend, peer or consultant can be key.
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