Thought Leadership

How to Take Advantage of Today’s Innovative Hospitality Technology

By Paul Peddrick

Table of Contents

What is the origin of hospitality technology?

Why do hotels need to change their mindset when it comes to hospitality technology?

Why should you be using cloud hospitality technology?

 

For years, hoteliers openly acknowledged that hospitality technology lagged behind all other industries’ tech offerings. Yes, the Internet profoundly disrupted and changed the hospitality distribution system. But too often, these hospitality technology changes were forced on hotels as opposed to being championed from within.

Recent evolution in cloud technologies means there is new growth in the number of innovative hospitality technology start-ups in a market that is now desperate for help. The question is, will hoteliers continue to do their jobs like it is still 1992 or will they wake up to the potential that awaits them?

What is the origin of hospitality technology?

Historically, hotel brands play it safe when it comes to hospitality technology procurement and management. Hotel purchasing has traditionally focused on price negotiations with a one-stop-shop. IT professionals have been generally risk-averse. They choose what has been used before, or what others use. Why? IT departments traditionally limit their focus on keeping things running, not finding ways to drive revenue or efficiency.

Take a walk into any hotel IT department and you will more than likely happen upon a curious cabinet reminiscent of a scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Not exactly Hal, but “the” internal hotel server. Locked behind a glass door with its ornate display of cables and various colored flashing lights, the “on-premise” server has been a long-standing fixture of hotels. In the beginning, it represented a huge leap forward in terms of organizational efficiency. It was comprised of complicated software options that could help you manage and track all your departments via a central point in-house.

Why do hotels need to change their mindset when it comes to hospitality technology?

Times have changed. Proprietary hospitality technology stacks built by IT departments have now become a hindrance to achieving optimal hotel performance. Many old-school hotel IT pros cite convenience, security, and the economy as reasons not to change their tech stack. But hotel operations face new more complex issues (COVID) and competition (AirBNB, boutique concepts, etc.). Sales, marketing, and operations all need to evolve, hand-in-hand, to address these market changes. Hospitality technology is one of the only effective levers hoteliers can pull. IT staff can now move the revenue needle with their decisions.

“Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence are continuously giving greater choice in every aspect of travel turning customers into DIY travelers who plan, manage and book travel online. Tech-savvy tourists are demanding more from hotels and therefore it is essential to give them the enhanced experiences they grave.” says Laurent A Viovenel, Senior Vice President, Operations and Development at Swiss-Belhotel International in his recent CIO Review article “Hotel technology is Shaping the Future of Travel Industry”

How is cloud computing the transformative factor in hospitality technology?

Cloud computing has been around for almost a decade. It has transformed businesses from across the world, irrespective of their industry. For hotel owners, current cloud hospitality technology solutions up the ante in the cloud vs. premise discussion.

  • Cloud is cost-effective. Unlike locally installed hospitality technology, the cloud eliminates the need for on-site server hardware and replaces the day-to-day maintenance of dozens of proprietary back-end IT systems that go with it. It also means hotels can avail themselves of the latest software updates, features, and functionality without the need to purchase and install each new release.
  • Cloud hospitality technology is fast. Switching from in-house enterprise software to a cloud-based option offers a more agile and responsive solution. Changes are made across multiple properties simultaneously, allowing the faster introduction of market-leading innovations.
  • Cloud is scalable. Cloud offers hoteliers limitless scalability – facilitating rather than restricting business. With the cloud, hoteliers have the agility to add resources and scale in line with growth.
  • Cloud hospitality technology is flexible. Cloud makes it easy to connect all hotel functions and operations, and it provides hotels with limitless flexibility to work with other vendors. With Open APIs, hotels can easily integrate with other systems and create a customized management suite that is right for their business. In an industry that is always changing, this kind of flexibility is priceless.

Why should you be using cloud hospitality technology?

Legacy hotel systems impair a company’s potential for growth and get in the way of today’s type of service delivery. With open APIs and cloud platforms in the hospitality market, hotels can partner with vendors for technologies that help them achieve operational and financial goals. Instead of preoccupation with the next upgrade or integration nightmares, cloud solutions keep hoteliers nimble. The technology out there. All we need is for hoteliers to move out of their comfort zone. For better or worse, the COVID crisis may just do that. In the long run, it will be good for the industry. Hotels will finally be a tech-forward industry.

 

 


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