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Over the past year, GDS by SiteMinder powered nearly 200,000 reservations worth over $60 million in hotel revenue, showing how effective global distribution systems are in bringing guests hotels wouldn’t otherwise attract, especially from Monday to Friday when properties need business most.

Mr Lewis-Purcell has spearheaded SiteMinder’s dedicated GDS function over the last 12 months, growing the total number of GDS by SiteMinder hotel users from 250 to almost nine hundred.

GDS by SiteMinder uniquely brings cloud-based technology together with legacy GDSs that are as relevant today as they were thirty years ago, to provide hotels an incomparable total distribution platform. It’s now used by about sixty percent more hotels than our industry’s most renowned soft brands.

GDS by SiteMinder provides hotels a single point of entry to the world’s major global distribution system providers – Sabre, Amadeus and Travelport – and travel agent network. In addition to sales and marketing representation, hotel users of the GDS connection receive free consortia advice, account management and local customer support.

Today, the vast majority of hoteliers are primarily focused on and investing in Guest Services Technology, while underinvesting in Guest Engagement, Acquisition and Retention Technology.

Guest Services Technology

Guest Engagement, Acquisition and Retention Technology

cloud hosting and CDN (Content Delivery Network) provides far better server response times and faster download speeds.

In other words, hoteliers’ technology focus and investments end where the OTA focus and investment begin.

With nearly 59% of online travelers now visiting the hotel website from mobile devices,

a mobile-first website design is a must.

Mobile-first responsive website with

Today’s hoteliers must create and manage a robust digital presence and engage, acquire, service and retain travel consumers in this increasingly mobile-first world.

Quite often different teams at the property use different sets of data in their day-to-day operations, creating a total “data integrity mess,” which directly affects the property’s guest acquisition and retention efforts.

They must understand and invest in digital technology and marketing that enables the best possible user experience, provides the best customer service, increases efficiencies and boosts revenues.

From a technology perspective, the challenge to hoteliers is to create a hotel and room environment that at least matches but preferably exceeds their guests’ home environment. In other words, hotel and room technology, amenities, and features should be the same or better than what guests already enjoy at home. These include:

The future of this technology is the Smart Guestroom which will be completely personalized to guest preferences and loyalty member profile.

“Imagine a world where the room knows you, and you know your room.”

Hoteliers are overwhelmed by the amount of technology, data, and digital marketing silos and the need to work with multitude of vendors in their guest acquisition and services efforts.

Each team has its own technology tools, databases, and vendors which are not in communication with the other teams.

These are the major impediments to the industry becoming a digital technology-driven and technology-savvy industry:

Reluctance to invest in digital technology:

Antiquated accounting in hospitality:

The technology and data fragmentation in hospitality

Unlike hoteliers, the OTAs are focused exclusively and investing only in Guest Engagement, Acquisition and Retention Technology since they do not have to worry about on-property technology and guest experiences.

Recently, an independent hotel introduced room service delivery robots, which would have been great if the rest of the hotel tech stack were in order, and if it weren’t for the 6-year old property website, and absence of any CRM technology.

Hotels should first focus on the fundamentals of the technology stack before implementing more advanced things.

The U.S. hospitality industry is a $155 billion industry. This provides endless opportunities for smart technology vendors to thrive and service the industry with state-of-the-art solutions.

The industry needs fewer, as opposed to more, technology vendors servicing the industry.

The industry has a “vendor deficit disorder” in the sense of being overwhelmed by the number of tech vendors and solutions out there.

Hoteliers need to monitor, proactively inquire about and familiarize themselves with the Next Generation Technologies that are already making their way into hospitality, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Voice Assistants, Chat Bots, Robotics, and Blockchain.

Over the next 3-5 years we will witness wider adoption and implementation of the following next gen technologies:

Hoteliers must wake up to the fact that by being primarily focused on and investing in Guest Services Technology, while underinvesting in Guest Engagement, Acquisition and Retention Technology, they are allowing the OTAs more visibility to engage, acquire and retain the online travel consumer.

Unlike hoteliers, the OTAs are focused exclusively and investing only in Guest Engagement, Acquisition and Retention Technology.

Digital technology is making its way into every aspect of the industry: hotel operations, guest services and communications, revenue management, distribution, CRM and marketing.

Today’s hotelier must understand, know and use digital tech solutions in their everyday environment, and be able to assess, evaluate, recommend and acquire technology solutions to improve guest satisfaction, operational efficiencies and productivity, customer service and revenue.

Website Technology: The property or hotel brand website has become the gravitational center of all hotelier’s efforts to engage, acquire and retain the customer. Any marketing efforts of the hotel today lead the potential customers to the hotel website. Today’s website technology includes cloud-based Content Management System (CMS), comprehensive merchandising suites, reservation abandonment tools, personalization pricing and content, technical SEO, cloud hosting, and robust analytics suite

The goal here is very clear: bridge the guest data and technology silos in hospitality and create an end-to-end solution, empowering hotels to acquire new guests, engage current guests, and retain past guests by combining digital marketing, website, and CRM data into one cohesive marketing and personalization platform.

The “digital way of life” adopted by today’s tech-savvy travel consumer is forcing the hospitality industry to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies and become a 100% digital technology-enabled industry.

"I think that you will begin to see more hotels going to RFID and smartphone entry before using biosystem recognition," says Wolfe. "These systems are expensive, and there are many consumers who just don't want this information stored somewhere -- for a variety of reasons."

Systems that track the other qualities that make each human unique are in development as well.

Yet more card-free security systems are on the way.

Many industry watchers are keeping an eye on Houston's largest hotel, the vast 1,200-room Hilton Americas–Houston. The hotel has a facial recognition system that can identify and track guests, employees, and even suitcases. With 700 employees and an annual $16 million payroll, the system offers benefits such as employee time-theft monitoring and prevention for the hotel. But travelers aren't that concerned about employees taking an extra cigarette break. What it means for you is that the system includes alerts if unwanted people are on the property and a response time of mere seconds if there's an incident. Customer service is heightened as well: Returning guests will be recognized and greeted by name. And with 1,200 rooms worth of luggage in transit, the system makes it a lot easier to find lost or misdirected bags.

not everyone wants to be on-camera, all the time. With concerns about "snooping" and a Truman Show-like lack of privacy, might guests feel that systems such as this are too intrusive in our hotels? "

Technology is opening new doors to hotel safety, and the way we navigate hotels is set to change in the blink of an eye. Or the swipe of a cellphone. Or the print of a finger. With futuristic systems like scent and iris scanners and digital facial-recognition, hotel security is being taken to the next level. #plain_module { width: 590px; height:170px; border: none; float:left; margin:0px; font-size:12px;} #plain_module img {border:none; width: 13px; height:14; border: 0px; margin:0px; } #plain_module .mini_main { margin: 0px; padding:0px; width:585px; height:220px; repeat scroll 0 0} #plain_module .mini_item_header {padding:10px 0px; margin: 0px 0px; font-size:16px; color: #555555; border-bottom:1px dotted #CCCCCC;} #plain_module .mini_item {padding:5px 0px; margin: 0px 0px;} #plain_module a { color: #49A3CA; text-decoration:none; } #plain_module a:hover { color: #F98419; text-decoration:underline;} span.gray {color:#949494;} .mini_main li{list-style-type: none;background-image: url(http://www.aolcdn.com/travel/bullet);background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: 0 1px;padding-left: 10px;} Those plastic key cards that once seemed so innovative will soon go the way of the actual key. The new thing is contact-less Smartcards and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) cards that need just be waved to allow room access. Much like the cruise world's one card system, these cards may soon make hotel stays easier by allowing guests to pay for services, as well as to check-in and check-out, through a single device. Travelers may even be able to save preferences on the cards, from pillow type to floor choice. RFID cards are already in use at New York's Plaza Hotel, and Starwood Hotels are considering introducing them into their hip Aloft and Element properties. But travelers worried they will constantly have to traipse back to reception every time they lose their card need not despair. Security systems in some hotels do away with cards altogether. "In addition to Radio Frequency Identification, there are also systems that use a smartphone, such as an iPhone," says Frank Wolfe, CEO of Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals. "When a guest checks into a hotel and provides their phone number, they get an encrypted sound code via text message." You can then play back the code to unlock your room door.

Systems that track the other qualities that make each human unique are in development as well. Movement-activated video-capture systems were showcased in New Zealand in September 2010. Researchers are at work on devices capable of recognizing an individual's gait or walk and even their DNA. Frank Wolfe says, "If you want to go 'way out there', there are some systems being explored that can allegedly sniff someone, and also systems that can recognize the pattern of blood veins on a human being which are apparently unique to the individual," says Wolfe. Quite common in Japan, vascular-recognition systems such as this are still "several years off," according to Wolfe. "I think that you will begin to see more hotels going to RFID and smartphone entry before using biosystem recognition," says Wolfe. "These systems are expensive, and there are many consumers who just don't want this information stored somewhere -- for a variety of reasons."

Oracle Hospitality’s OPERA Property is a comprehensive and scalable solution that comes in three levels (Premium, Standard, and Lite) and is also available for both cloud and installed deployment. Any property from boutique to chain hotels can make use of this popular solution.

InnQuest’s flagship roomMaster solution is for hotels of all sizes (great for flexibility if you see growth in your future), leading to their top three spot with 5,200 customers and managing more than 450,000 hotel rooms every day.

Charged for bookings processed through third party OTAs

Multi-Systems, Inc.’s CloudPM is fifth on this list with 5,800 customers in North America

This cloud-based property management solution has been around since 1990 and is great for hotels looking to keep costs down by bypassing the purchase of additional hardware.

RDP (Resort Data Processing) provides customized software for clients and says it can handle properties of any size, whether it be a small vacation rental or a huge resort.

For hotels, finding the right software fit is especially important, because without a suitable software solution, you’re wasting time and money—big things that take you away from your customers and keep you from providing a stellar guest experience.

Oracle Hospitality’s OPERA Property is a comprehensive and scalable solution that comes in three levels (Premium, Standard, and Lite) and is also available for both cloud and installed deployment. Any property from boutique to chain hotels can make use of this popular solution.

A related threat is that of “skimmers,” or devices that catch credit card numbers when consumers use them for payment. The problem primarily is contained to the restaurant industry, but Callaghan is concerned it could spread to hotels.

Ironically, one of the main reasons terrorism tops the list is because it has become less of an issue in recent years, sources said.

“The greatest business risk, as I see it … is insurance fraud. And it’s the most expensive,” he said.

The hot-button issue within the realm of hotel-information technology is mobile and cloud technology.

“Liability” as a general label refers to hoteliers being held liable for the acts, which are often criminal, of third parties, the AH&LA’s Callaghan said.

“Security” still is something of a taboo in the global hotel industry, said Paul Moxness VP for corporate safety and security at The Rezidor Hotel Group, a Brussels-based hotel management company, with more than 400 hotels and nearly 90,000 rooms in its portfolio.

Remote check-in with mobile keys will allow guests to go straight to [their] room and improve the hotel’s operational efficiency.”

The mobile technology used with radio frequency ID electronic locks delivers a more personalized and interactive guest experience—from check-in and informing guests of hotel amenities to securely accessing their room, all via their mobile device,

By making use of cloud computing, as a hotelier, you pay only for what you demand. It specifies that your upfront costs are kept low as you are only paying for the computing power and cloud storage which your hotel actually needs.

The need for hardware overload in your hotel is brought down, because of which your electricity bills are also reduced by a huge margin.

also shortens the project time resulting in costs cutting and higher productivity.

An added advantage of cloud computing is that it frees your staff from their otherwise fixed terminals and lets them work independently and even more efficiently.

increased in the speed at which the guests access the products and services, thus only creating seamless hotel experiences for them.

Also, one of the major benefits is the real-time update — it makes the process much smoother and cheaper, and saves a lot of time.

However, when you put your hotel process and management on the cloud, it provides you with the flexibility to access it and work on it from any part of the world — all you need is a steady internet connection and a smart device (a laptop, or a computer, or mobile phone or tablet.)

When it comes to the benefits of cloud computing in the hospitality industry, the list includes enhanced guest experiences, massive reduction in costs, faster services and their seamless access, software and service security, and more flexibility.

cloud computing has transformed businesses

hospitality industry, cloud computing has done wonders

reshaped the structure of the industry

from increasing operational efficiency to lowering the management costs.

better guest experience and increase the revenue of the property.

ringing down costs like energy, hardware and operations

increasing inclination towards the use of cloud computing in the hospitality industry, they don’t need to always rely on travel agents all the time

hotel check-ins can be done from smartphones or tablets

cloud computing has transformed businesses

cloud-based services are now replacing the old and traditional systems at all levels. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), Software as a service (SaaS), and platform as a service (PaaS) have all become the first choice of cloud computing services for many hospitality businesses. And they are all charged up with the amazing benefits of cloud computing.

Over the past few years, cloud computing has transformed businesses from across the world, irrespective of their industry. Today, the demand anytime, anywhere access has skyrocketed, and cloud computing is delivering just that — all you need is an internet connection with good bandwidth.

businesses don’t have to burden themselves by storing data in traditional in-house servers; rather, they can opt for a cloud service that would store their data in secured data centres.

There are several benefits of using the cloud and they have helped several hotels across the world to strengthen up their business — from increasing operational efficiency to lowering the management costs.

Advantages Of Cloud Computing For Hotel Industry

In the hospitality industry, Cloud Computing is a mixture of PaaS, SaaS and IaaS. It operates on the model of Use, Builds, and Migrate.

By making use of cloud computing, as a hotelier, you pay only for what you demand. It specifies that your upfront costs are kept low as you are only paying for the computing power and cloud storage which your hotel actually needs.

Hoteliers Can Cut Huge Business Costs With Cloud Computing

cloud computing can benefit hoteliers by bringing down costs like energy, hardware and operations. The need for hardware overload in your hotel is brought down, because of which your electricity bills are also reduced by a huge margin. Cloud computing in the hospitality industry also shortens the project time resulting in costs cutting and higher productivity. Hence, if you shift your software services to the cloud, your hotel business would witness a significant number of opportunities.

Cloud Computing Leads To Improved & Enhanced Guest Experiences

The two main purposes of an efficient and effective hotel PMS are: offer the hotel staff the best set of management tools assist you to ensure the top-notch guest experience

An added advantage of cloud computing is that it frees your staff from their otherwise fixed terminals and lets them work independently and even more efficiently.

Being on the cloud also means that hotel check-ins can be done from smartphones or tablets and not only through the hotel front desk.

Direct Bookings Are Made Easy With Cloud Computing

There was a time when hotels used to payout huge commissions for bookings to the online as well as offline travel agencies. However, with the increasing inclination towards the use of cloud computing in the hospitality industry, they don’t need to always rely on travel agents all the time. Hotels can upgrade their hotel website with cloud-powered services such as web booking engine that can be integrated to the hotel PMS. Also, one of the major benefits is the real-time update — it makes the process much smoother and cheaper, and saves a lot of time.

Cloud Computing In Hospitality Industry Makes Working Remotely Possible When you as a hotelier is not present in the property, managing the operations gets a little tougher. However, when you put your hotel process and management on the cloud, it provides you with the flexibility to access it and work on it from any part of the world — all you need is a steady internet connection and a smart device (a laptop, or a computer, or mobile phone or tablet.)

For smaller hotels, you may think you’re getting more bang for your buck with a solution designed for enterprise hotels, but in reality you might need some tailoring. You may be paying for a bunch of extra features you’ll never use, or perhaps you run tours as well and need a feature for managing that aspect of your business.

you’re wasting time and money

you’re wasting time and money—

you’re wasting time and money

For smaller hotels, you may think you’re getting more bang for your buck with a solution designed for enterprise hotels, but in reality you might need some tailoring. You may be paying for a bunch of extra features you’ll never use, or perhaps you run tours as well and need a feature for managing that aspect of your business.

For smaller hotels, you may think you’re getting more bang for your buck with a solution designed for enterprise hotels, but in reality you might need some tailoring. You may be paying for a bunch of extra features you’ll never use, or perhaps you run t

Cloudbeds serves as an all-in-one hotel management system that can also connect your property to hundreds of channels (such as Booking.com and Orbitz) with real-time, two-way integration

Rate management to maximize revenue through seasonal rates Mobile application to receive reports on smartphone/tablet Event management Self-service check-in kiosk

The purpose of an RMS software is to improve pricing strategies in order to sell more rooms at optimal rates. Since the hotel industry is highly dynamic, it is crucial to use a revenue management system. Some of the main advantages of this hotel software include strategic pricing and higher revenue, but there are many more benefits that hotels can make use of.

A channel manager helps avoid overbooking and prevent other costly mistakes since it has the ability to report booking sources. The hotel owner can then determine which online channels or portals are the best fit for their niche market.

Reputation and review management software is designed to track online users’ feedback on services and products. It is a system that helps spread the customer’s positive reviews through the relevant online platforms.

As different technologies in the hospitality industry are constantly evolving, it becomes almost obligatory to choose the right hotel software for improving service and making the process to run smoother. W

Hotel software allows hotel owners or managers to streamline their administrative tasks while cutting costs and increasing bookings at the same time.

PMS is a system that facilitates the booking management and admin tasks of a hotel. A property management system doesn’t just automate operations across the various departments in the hotel.

It has now developed into a platform that helps hotels gain more visibility and enables them to reach out to audience in order to increase bookings

RMS lowers costs as it takes into account the room rates during the low and high season. As a result, the hotel manager can plan in advance and lower costs by avoiding unnecessary expenses.

This hotel software has the benefit of simple graphics and easy-to-use reporting tools that help hotel owners optimise room rates in line with demand.

Heavy graphics, animation and flash demos cause your site to perform slowly. Sites that are built keeping these guidelines in mind will deliver better user experiences, will perform better on search engines, and ultimately drive higher ROI.

As things stand now, mobile queries represent about 10% of all queries made on Google. People are using mobile devices to conduct searches, as well as share content, connect with friends and browse the web

Embracing social media. 93 percent of social media users expect companies to have a social presence. 85 percent of social media users want companies to interact with them on social sites. A well-planned social initiative can turn fans into brand evangelists.

The Internet has consolidated itself as a very powerful platform that has changed the way we communicate, and the way we do business.

The growing importance of e-commerce in the modern hospitality industry has created an urgent need for simple solutions to manage companies' online presence. Now that each hotel is involved in e-commerce, why is hotel e-commerce so important today?

We forget that the human brain can only consume limited information. It is important to take a holistic approach and prioritize information. Good web site architecture and organized content improves site usability and its efficiency when used with search engines.

make sure your ad groups are made up of tightly knit keyword themes and that those keywords are reflected in your ad copy; ensure that your landing pages clearly reflect the offer promoted in the ad copy and includes clear calls to action and conversion factors.

Top e-commerce sites are continually testing new things. It's the only way to achieve continual improvement.

hospitality industry has always been among the first to capitalize on new technologies

The system is very helpful for hotels, motels, chains restaurants, guesthouses

customers.

etc. It is

Hotel software provides improved guest service, eliminates double booking, the ability to view, choose and reserve choice of rooms, the instant confirmation at anytime and secure the personal information. This system can streamline the booking tasks, keep up to date customer database, making invoicing simple and straightforward, and ability to create custom reports.

suitable for any hospitality business that operates in a daily basis. Hotel reservation software is used by the hotels and travel companies to show room availability and provides secure as well as accurate online hotel reservation services to

Hotel reservation software is powered by a technology that connects directly to the central reservation systems of hotels worldwide. Moreover, hotel reservation engine provides the widest selection of hotel accommodations throughout the world with better room and rate descriptions, which can be utilized for bettering up the services

custom-made

reservation software packages

print in any language

Being user-friendly, this Hotel Software can be used by just anyone irrespective of his/her technical knowledge and expertise. Security and Logins are the two crucial part of hotel reservation software. User-friendly features of hotel reservation software allow owners to create logins for important tasks. It not only reduces the risk of unauthorized access and allows him to choose, which employees can access which features, it also helps owners to have secure and safe transactions.

Hotel software offers operation integration between reservations, guest history, reception/front desk, housekeeping, Night Audit, Sales Ledger, Accounting and Reporting modules. The advantage of getting hotel reservation software is that work performed during the long process of reservation can be cut into a few minutes. In addition, this cut down human error and the number of people that are required to finish the job. This brings a lot of benefits into business and owner can promptly make a sale through his site. With the help of hotel reservation software, the data about customers, their behavior, etc. can be stored and there would not be any requirement of piling up files to know about visiting customers as the hotel software stores it all. Other benefit of software includes quick generation of bills, invoices, safe online transaction via payment gateway system, multiple payment options support. It does not matter what size or where the hotel is, getting hotel reservation software is a very sound investment. Hotel Reservation Software helps the hotel industry by reducing the human effort, improving the staff's efficiency and the profit of the hotel.

The online reputation of a property is business critical. It does not however, stand alone as a marketing department concern, but relates directly to daily operations.

the technology systems in use - especially those in large chains - must account for the global perspective.

Integrating these systems can provide more comprehensive management information, faster reporting and a truly comprehensive view of profitability.

Elsewhere, integration offers the possibility of being able to "revenue manage" the guest across all areas of their stay: this requires transaction level interfaces but need not be complex to use. Critically it aligns the marketing -based personalised offering with the financial outcome of the revenue secured.

Customers expect their experience within a hotel to be totally personalised to them:

However, the savings and improvements that technology can deliver mean that managers and directors really need to keep one eye on these six trends.

However, the savings and improvements that technology can deliver mean that managers and directors really need to keep one eye on these six trends.

However, the savings and improvements that technology can deliver mean that managers and directors really need to keep one eye on these six trends.

All of these trends have already brought about a profound change in the hospitality industry - and they will continue to disrupt and redefine operations. From the back office to front of house, from the hotel to the corporate office, the technology that underpins these changes will deliver a sharp competitive edge at all levels.

All of these trends have already brought about a profound change in the hospitality industry - and they will continue to disrupt and redefine operations. From the back office to front of house, from the hotel to the corporate office, the technology that underpins these changes will deliver a sharp competitive edge at all levels.

However, the savings and improvements that technology can deliver mean that managers and directors really need to keep one eye on these six trends.

However, the savings and improvements that technology can deliver mean that managers and directors really need to keep one eye on these six trends.

the savings and improvements that technology can deliver mean that managers and directors really need to keep one eye on these six trends.

All of these trends have already brought about a profound change in the hospitality industry - and they will continue to disrupt and redefine operations. From the back office to front of house, from the hotel to the corporate office, the technology that underpins these changes will deliver a sharp competitive edge at all levels.

After 3 years of researching over 1,000 hotels and resorts across several countries

Our joint research with these thousand hotels was conclusive – 73% of inquiries to the front desk, bell staff or concierge were related to hotel services and local information and recommendations.

Hotels and guests want an easier way to stay connected with one another, and local information from trusted sources via technology.

Freeing-up staff time, yet delivering the guest experience desired. Reception by guest-users and the hospitality industry has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Digital postcards are also available through the app, which carry the client hotel branding.

Trip-planning functionality is built into the app for travelers to plan their customized experience virtually anywhere they stay.

recycled water

ozone

in the form of card key switches for electricity and air conditioning, linen cards for re-using towels and sheets and motion sensors for electricity in public areas

over recent years are installing energy efficient fixtures and fittings for bathroom taps, shower heads and sanitary ware.

Of course green measures don’t have to cost the earth.

Further cost effective measures can be applied when it comes to guest activities

So even if you’re operating on a much smaller scale than the big chains, it’s worth adopting a green technology policy to suit your budget.

3. Longer or no security audit cycles

APTS are considered the most dangerous type of cyber-attack as they simply bypass the defenses that are in place.

Cyber-crime shows up on the security radar as the second highest risk the hotel industry is exposed to.

The gap between the low number of qualified security auditors worldwide and new hotels built is getting bigger and bigger.

Nearly 1.26 million hotels worldwide are dealing with all sorts of safety & security issues.

4. Physical crime will remain an issue for hotels

Physical crime ranges from professional burglaries using nifty social engineering techniques to temporary drug laps in hotel rooms.

Holdups at night involving firearms have increased since hotels are easily accessible and less protected compared to other industries operating at night.

5. Loss of competitive advantage after a major security incident

The recovery costs after a security incident, including the attention of the media, are often much higher than the investment in security and risk management.

Reputation is a vital yet fragile advantage that requires its very own security plan in a strong competitive market where guests nowadays love to make their booking decisions with the help of online travel review sites such as Tripadvisor & Co.

5. Faster and More Reliable Repairs

3. Enhanced Customer Experience

4. Remote Room Controls

A smart hotel room is a room that makes use of ‘smart’ electronic devices, powered by the Internet of Things (IoT).

another.

Perhaps the single most important reason is because it can improve the actual experience of staying in a hotel, by enhancing the convenience aspect.

This internet connectivity and communication capability allows devices to find information from the internet, and to interact with other devices in the nearby vicinity.

With that being said, smart hotel solutions has grown in popularity for other reasons, such as its ability to reduce some of the costs associated with running a hotel.

One of the main benefits of a smart hotel room is the ability to offer guests a greater level of personalisation.

For hotel management, one of the biggest advantages of creating a smart hotel is the reduced costs that are often associated with the concept. This is primarily due to improvements to sustainability and energy efficiency within the hotel rooms, with certain devices only being used when they are actually needed.

Perhaps the most immediately obvious benefit of a smart hotel room is the improvement it can deliver in terms of the customer experience. A smart speaker, such as that provided through the Alexa for Hospitality service, assists with this by making it possible for TVs, lights, heating and other devices to be controlled through voice commands.

Another benefit of smart hotel rooms and the Internet of Things is the ability for hotel staff to access a variety of room controls from a remote location. This is especially useful when it comes to getting a hotel room ready for a new guest, improving the level of comfort they are greeted with upon checking in.

e advantage that is sometimes overlooked when it comes to smart rooms is the improved ability to anticipate technical issues with devices and make repairs swiftly. This allows hotels to intervene at the most timely possible moment, avoiding situations where the need for repairs hinders the customer experience.

While a growing number of owners are willing to embrace the idea of smart hotel rooms, many are unsure of how to go about actually implementing smart hotel systems. To help out, in the article “7 Ways to Transform a Hotel Room Into a Smart Room” you will find seven ways to transform a hotel room into a smart room.

Video: Example of a smart hotel room

Although these enhancements are beneficial to hotels worldwide, some wonder whether hotels are buying the technology and ultimately, implementing them.

the future of hotel technology is unclear, but moving forward requires a certain factor.

many hospitality properties especially those that are growing chains or planning a global presence, have upgraded from smaller, simpler property management systems to the larger hotel ERP.

A hotel is a hive of numerous operations such as front office, booking and reservation, banquet, finance, HR, inventory, material management, quality management, security, energy management, housekeeping, CRM

With growing competition in the industry it’s important for a hotel to understand the needs of their guest,

what guests demand for most

A property management system (PMS) usually consists of front office software and other best of breed solutions. The PMS served hotels well for a reasonable among of time until now, when hotel operations have grown in complexity.

As complexity of hotel operations increases, a PMS is woefully inadequate and often results in integration issues to

Things are different for an ERP which is usually a comprehensive solution from a single vendor. Although the concept of an ERP in the hospitality industry is still new, it offers numerous advantages in terms of smooth seamless use of technology, greater automation, greater visibility into hotel operations, optimized use of manpower, reduced revenue leakages and higher resultant profits.

When a hotel is looking to upgrade their software the natural question that comes to mind is which Hotel Management System should I choose?

Make a list of the features you are looking for. One of the main deliverables of a hotel ERP is its business intelligence. Does the ERP you are evaluating give you a bunch of in-depth reports that assist decision making?

Always check if the hotel ERP provider has been in the business for a considerable amount of time, has tested the solution across market segment and geographies if possible. A hotel cannot afford downtime, and so ensure your ERP provider also delivers high quality customer support

There are several major global distribution systems that house and process the majority of data from hotels, airlines, and other distributors. These include Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo, Worldspan, Apollo, and Pegasus.