For over a decade I have heard industry pundits, consultants, other experts, and myself say that the hospitality industry lags behind other industries in innovation, investment, and adoption of new technologies. Is this really the case? If so, what are the barriers, issues, and conflicts that have led to this situation? More importantly, what should we do about it?

John  Burns
John Burns
Hospitality Technology Consultant

Yes, hotels and hotel groups are somewhat slow to replace their old systems or add new technology. While system vendors and consultants may lament this, the reality is that technology is a relatively low (but increasing) priority for many hotel operators. That will soon need to change.

We have been content to keep our systems as long as they functioned reasonably well. A new generation of connected systems - connected to each other and to external entities - is emerging. Early adopters of that new generation will gain competitive advantage. The future will soon deliver integrated platforms where the technology “knows” the guest (CRM), “knows” the rate to offer (RMS), and instantly assembles the appropriate photos, text and personal data into an appealing booking presentation (CRS). The exchange will feel like a fully personalized conversation. Moreover, the quality of the conversation and the offers presented will steadily improve as Artificial Intelligence and machine learning are applied. That same availability of personalized data and ongoing guest communication will be present throughout each hotel stay.

Many of our traditional vendors will be unable to keep pace with this technology evolution. Their systems will cease to be sufficient, will cease to be competitive.

View all 18 views in this viewpoint