The majority of travel bookings today are done online. The dramatic shift caused by the internet has enabled small and mid-sized hotels to gain more opportunities to compete in such a robust, internationalised market. Hotels now have to compete not only against each other but also against other online travel agencies.  

Digital and the reliance on data have continuously disrupt the hospitality industry in various ways. Those who know how to leverage the power of emerging technologies to extract actionable insights will stand a higher chance of earning customer loyalty in today’s age of personalisation.   

The hotel industry handles loads of sensitive data on a daily basis, from the customers’ reservation information to their flight details and payment records. Having all these private data on hands makes hotels the prime targets for cyber-attacks. In the case of internationally recognised brands that house F&B and retail outlets within the hotels, it’s even more challenging to resolve the data issues. To effectively safeguarding not only your customers but also your employees’ personal data, hoteliers need to first identify the elements that roadblock your ways to success.

More people travel now than ever. In a study conducted by Amadeus, 83 per cent of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that “People will view travel as a right rather than a luxury and consider it an increasingly important part of their lives.”

It is estimated that by 2020, the world will have more than 20.4 billion connected devices, creating one enormous intertwined network called the Internet of Things (IoT). In hospitality, IoT can be the key to achieving a complete personalised guest experience at an optimised operating cost. Embracing IoT’s endless possibilities can certainly help hoteliers create a good head start in their digital transformation journey.