Jordan Hollander, co-founder of HotelTechReport.com, has been following the evolution of the hotel industry for a long time. He believes the pandemic has not only accelerated the digital transformation, but has also fundamentally changed the way hotels operate. Hotels are now not only looking to innovate, but are specifically looking at technological advances as a means to survive.
Increasingly, hotels are moving away from the old systems that required complex integrations and long-term contracts, and instead are adopting cloud-based, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled solutions that make them more flexible and efficient. Hollander says three key factors are driving the change:
- More work with fewer people: AI helps hotels automate manual and repetitive tasks, allowing staff to focus more on strategic issues.
- Increased expectations for profitability: AI-based solutions provide faster decision-making, helping hotels adapt to market challenges and higher expectations.
- Guest experience and technology expectations: Guests increasingly expect hotels to offer a seamless digital experience, which they can easily achieve with AI.
AI is not only changing the way guests are treated, it is also revolutionising the way we work internally. AI-powered chatbots and automated messaging systems will optimise guest communications while helping managers get real-time, valuable data to inform their decisions. In the future, hotels will no longer rely on traditional dashboards, but will instead use simpler, more intuitive data visualisations that help them act quickly.
Hollander points out that AI will not take away people’s jobs, but on the contrary, those who are able to harness the power of AI will gain a competitive advantage. Hotels should start experimenting with AI tools now to be ready for the challenges of the future.
The future of hotel technology lies in cloud-based AI-integrated platforms that can connect disparate systems, provide real-time data and streamline decision-making processes. It is essential for hotels to adapt to this new technological environment in order to remain competitive with the industry leaders (Hotel News Resource).