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?

Gregg Hopkins
Gregg Hopkins
Founder & President of Get Hoppy Consulting

While I certainly agreed with this statement in the past, I don't believe that today it holds true as much. The reason? Hotel operations have become much more sophisticated and, as a result, require more technology to support their initiatives. While more time consuming, hoteliers traditionally could operate their property with manual processes that did not require technology. 

Take for example revenue management. It is now common practice for hospitality organizations of all types to dynamically price their inventory based on factors other than just their occupancy. Other factors are taken into account such as historical bookings and pace, city-wide occupancy, and other data. Technology is needed in order to process this information and make quick decisions. The same applies to guest loyalty and personalization. Without a CRM it is difficult to understand the total guest value, their preferences, and booking patterns to meet their needs. Furthermore, as the cost of technology increasingly becomes more affordable I believe Hotel Technology will begin to catch up with other industries in the future.

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