Opinion Articles

Converging Perspectives on Elevating the Role of IT Managers in Hospitality | By Mihaela Lica Butler

HITEC Amsterdam will bring together the best of hospitality financial and technology professionals next March, in an event that will show advances in the trade with access to innovative resources, industry experts, and vendors. The European version of HITEC (Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference) which takes place in North America every year, HITEC Amsterdam is a premiere on the continent and promises to be the hospitality event of the year, with some 60 booths exhibiting advanced solutions and innovative industry-specific technology. In anticipation of the conference taking place next year, Hospitality Net conducts a series of interviews with HITEC Advisory Council members discussing relevant industry issues and offering expert insight on key technology topics.

IT – The UK hotel industry’s forgotten element?

IT is often described as the forgotten element in the UK hospitality industry. For more than a decade, the UK hotel industry has significantly underinvested in IT, with serious consequences. The emergence and dominance in recent years of Online Travel Agents (OTAs), for example, has impacted bottom line profits through the industry failing to invest in IT to win the battle to drive bookings through their own proprietary websites.