Technology will play a key role in the long road to recovery from the COVID crisis for India's hospitality industry, according to a comprehensive new report, Indian Hospitality at Tech Tipping Point, produced by RMS Cloud.

The report reveals hotels using cloud-based property and revenue management technology have been out-performing the market for many years - a trend RMS founder Peter Buttigieg believes will accelerate post-COVID.

"There is no question technology will be key to the rebound, enabling hotels who use it properly to better manage demand generation in an online world and reconnect with their customers," says Mr Buttigieg.

"It's clear that hotels which have embraced technology are doing much better than those that haven't and we believe this trend will be amplified over time."

Key report findings:

  • Indian hoteliers using the latest technology are strongly outperforming their peers.
  • Outperformance by tech-savvy operators is likely to accelerate post-COVID.
  • Branded hotels are the fastest growing sector of the Indian hotel market.
  • Technology is a major factor in migration from independent to brand.
  • Brand hotels are making twice the revenue per room of independent properties.
  • A new generation of tech-savvy millennial managers will lead the change.
  • Guest data will become more important with demand generation paramount.
  • Increased technology uptake will enable Indian hoteliers to diversify distribution.
  • Indian internet usage is growing at 18 per cent a year.
  • Over time, the dominance of Online Travel Agents will diminish.
  • The future of Indian hospitality is bright but hoteliers who do not adapt will flounder.

Opportunity in Adversity

The RMS report urges Indian hoteliers to view the COVID crisis as an opportunity to refresh their businesses and embrace technology.

"The COVID crisis has presented hotels with a chance to re-evaluate their business practices, reset and start again with new tools and a fresh approach for the years ahead," the report says.

It also suggests that technology will enable Indian hoteliers, many of whom are overly reliant on Online Travel Agents for bookings, to diversify their sales channels.

Tech Investment Required

"As we are now seeing in more mature markets, hotels will gradually embrace a more sophisticated multi-channel approach to distribution with a much greater emphasis on building better websites and driving direct sales," the report says.

"To achieve this, hoteliers must bite the bullet and invest in a solid technology platform anchored by a robust and reliable PMS supplemented by channel management, revenue management, customer relationship management, financial and administrative tools.

"Those who do not quickly adapt to the new operating environment will be left behind," the report warns.

Desire for Change

But encouragingly, RMS is seeing a real desire among many Indian hoteliers to move forward, upgrade technology, improve processes and run their properties more efficiently.

"RMS Cloud is confident about the future of India's hotel industry and excited about the role technology will play."

Indian Hospitality at Tech Tipping Point is the first comprehensive overview and analysis of the impact technology is having on India's accommodation sector.

Download: Indian Hospitality at Tech Tipping Point

About RMS Cloud

RMS delivers scalable, cloud technology trusted by more than 7,000 properties across 70 countries to manage, operate and grow hospitality accommodation businesses. As an innovative market-leader for over 40 years, RMS has unparalleled expertise and insight informing the constant evolution of our robust and fully integrated platform. Our comprehensive suite of native features and broadening product offer enables operators to increase revenue, streamline operations and engage and retain loyal customers.

RMS's innovative approach drives our expanding reach into global markets, and our focus on constant improvement and customer experience positions our product as a key partner with properties of all sizes – including groups looking to optimise multi-national enterprises. We are the world's fastest growing property management software for good reason and our dedicated global teams strive to achieve more for our customers every day.

Join us at the forefront of hospitality technology.

Visit www.rmscloud.com or follow us @rmscloud on social media.