Hospitality Technology

RANDOLPH, NJ – Hospitality Technology (HT) magazine has released the results of its second annual Customer Engagement Technology Study. Through a research partnership with University of Denver Daniels College of Business and the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at UNLV, the study boasts 143 findings on how foodservice and hospitality operators are engaging guests.

The study is a deep-dive into the evolution of customer engagement technologies – including mobile, social and location-based technologies – and how these tools are leading to deeper and more meaningful connections with guests and increased sales. Last year's first-ever Customer Engagement Technology Study proved the importance of CETs in the industry. This year, the study was repeated to learn how the segment has changed and how CETs are contributing to guest loyalty, differentiation, competitive advantage and bottom line. Insights were culled from execs who collectively oversee 81,748 restaurant units and 5,705 hotels worldwide across all market segments.

The study findings show that four major trends are fueling the growth of CETS. These include: consumer technologies, social, mobile and convergence. The merging of consumer technologies, social media, and mobility create new expectations and opportunities to deliver guest services and to enhance guest experiences. With social media apps integrated into every new mobile device, most social media usage and Internet activity now occurs through mobile devices. Travelers are at the epicenter of this convergence trend; it epitomizes their lifestyles.

Key findings reveal:

  • By 2015, 85% of restaurants and 91% of hotels will have a mobile website.
  • 72% of hotel apps have the ability to reserve a room.
  • 96% of restaurants display menus on their mobile apps.
  • By 2015, 53% of restaurants and 39% of hotels plan to offer mobile payment.
  • Interactive digital signage ranked high both in business impact and customer engagement for both restaurants and hotels.
  • Facebook (90%) and Twitter (78%) get the most use by restaurants and hotels.
  • Social media is the most-used interactive tool by restaurants (89%) and hotels (91%).

The complete report can be downloaded here.

About Hospitality Technology

Hospitality Technology (HT) is the only publication dedicated to covering the role of information technology in improving business performance for hotel and restaurant operators. The Hospitality Technology editorial portfolio includes: a print publication that publishes nine times annually and reaches more than 16,000 hospitality industry executives, three networking and educational events (MURTEC, Hotel Technology Forum and Restaurant Executive Summit), a comprehensive website, e-newsletters, web seminars, and several exclusive annual reports and studies. Visit Hospitality Technology online at . Hospitality Technology is published by media company Edgell Communications, headquartered in Randolph, N.J.