With the hospitality industry getting transformed completely by the technology in the recent years, the technology is also getting updated regularly. However, not all hoteliers seem to be onboard for this “technological revolution”. But this approach of sticking to old school hospitality may not be the right way forward for the hoteliers because in the long run it may cause them significant setbacks. The adoption of technology is not merely an option anymore, it is a requirement. Reluctance to move towards new technology can cause significant technology gaps in the hotel’s infrastructure and this can cause the property to lose potential revenue opportunities.
Following are some reasons why technology gaps can be a cause for concern for hotels:
TECHNOLOGY GAPS CAN DRIVE AWAY TECH SAVVY GUESTS
With the use of technology in everyday life increasing rapidly, the hotel guests are also using technology more as compared to the past. Therefore, they expect hotels to be more tech friendly. If the hotel’s Wi-Fi is not fast enough, it may be a deal breaker for some guests. If the hotels fail to meet the expectations of such guests, it can result in hotels losing this segment of guests.
LACK OF NEW BOOKING CHANNELS
With a variety of booking channels available now, guests can choose any of their favorite channel for booking the hotel. Hotels can miss out on a lot of potential guests due to non-availability on those booking channels. Nowadays, the majority of the guests prefer to book a hotel through an OTA. Therefore, the hotels need to ensure that they have booking options available there.
LACK OF SMART TECHNOLOGIES
The average household is getting equipped with various smart devices such as smart speakers etc. It is quite natural for a guest to expect that a hotel will provide them with a “smart room”. However, if that is not the case then the guest may feel unenthusiastic regarding the guest experience as a whole. Therefore, hotels need to consider these factors when considering the enhancement of guest experience in the property.
TECHNOLOGY GAPS CAN INCREASE CYBER-RISKS
Hospitality industry has been a hot spot for cyberattacks in the recent years. New and improved solutions for protection of guest data and hotel’s IT infrastructure are introduced constantly. But the sophistication of malware is also increasing at the same pace. Therefore, it is imperative for hotels to upgrade their systems continuously and keep up with the new practices. Not keeping up the latest technological tools can cause cyber risk.
CONCLUSION
The guest experience of the hotels in the future will be dependent upon the technology. Hotels need to keep up with the pace and ensure that they have adequate technological amenities for their guests, or they may end up losing a significant segment of potential guests and in turn on revenue opportunities as well.
Kazim Raza Ahmed is Research Analyst and Content Strategist at Advanced Hospitality Technologies, A pioneering IT Solutions partner in the hospitality industry. Being a content creator Kazim is dedicated to publishing material keeping pace with the rapid technological developments in the hospitality industry.
