Whilst there has been a continued investment into increasing the hotel guest experience, the UK hotel industry’s general lack of investment in technology and gaining insights from business’ data – as well as in its online marketing to potential and existing guests – could become one of the most significant stumbling blocks to the sector capitalising on the current upturn in the UK economy.

Given this fact, it was very encouraging to learn that 88 per cent of delegates, polled at the recent HOSPACE 2014 Conference and Exhibition, stated that they were investing in hospitality technology in 2015; and 87 per cent thought they would invest in insights from their business’ data.

With regard to providing in-room guest technology, the reality is that IT is moving at such a fast pace that it’s difficult to stay ahead of the curve, so perhaps hotels need to focus less on being the providers of the service and more on being the facilitators – ensuring that guests can do what they want, when they want and without limitation. This is particularly important, given the ever developing sophistication and increasing use of mobile technology. There is nothing more off-putting to a guest than a hotel that boasts the latest room technology, and it has already become outdated and worse still, it doesn’t work!

So what can the hotel industry do realistically to meet customer demand, whilst avoiding such pitfalls, and encourage repeat business? They could provide, for instance, impressively super-fast WiFi (according to a new report from ebookers, 51 per cent of the UK cited free WiFi as the most important thing in making their holiday rewarding) and the option of self-service check-in for those, particularly business customers, who just want to get to their room as quickly as possible, in addition to possibly offering room service via a tablet. In short, they need to offer reliable, economic and practical IT services that will satisfy their clients and make the hotel stand out from its rivals, whilst never forgetting the customer need for human contact and personal service.

You can’t go to a hotel conference these days without the thorny issue of OTAs rearing its head, and the commonly stated conclusion that they are a ‘necessary evil’. In truth, the ‘data insights revolution’ is an area where OTAs, airlines and supermarkets have traditionally led the way in customer relationship management and loyalty schemes; and it’s an area where the hospitality industry has got an awful lot to do to catch up. As a technology provider, we are asked how we can drive revenues to hotels’ direct websites. In truth, the hospitality industry is probably around 15 years behind these other service industries in investing in website technology, ‘big data’ and marketing. If this hadn’t been the case, the profession would not now be having to focus on how it can build its online booking community.

Indeed at HOSPACE 2014, 74 per cent of delegates polled believed the hospitality industry wasn’t good at obtaining insights from their own data, so very belatedly, the profession can take heart that at long last, 87 cent said they would invest in 2015 in gathering insights from their own business’ data. It is going to take a dauntingly large investment to match the huge sums spent by OTAs on marketing, but at least the industry is set to gain a much better understanding of guest buying behaviour, preferences and needs, which in turn will help combat OTA dominance and encourage direct booking from potential clients. It is all about having a robust system for capturing relevant information, astute data analysis, and the provision of a seamless online guest journey.

Source: www.hospitalitynet.org