Briefing: Uniting systems for smooth service

A good hotel should run like a well-oiled machine. And of course machines, data systems, and digital platforms are a key part of successful modern businesses. According to a report by Accenture, “77% of executives think that within three years companies will need to focus on training their machines as much as they do on training their people.”

Integration between multiple systems is vital to achieving a seamless consumer experience. In these videos our experts discuss the technology systems used in different areas of hospitality business:

Accenture conducted a survey for its Technology Vision 2015. 2,000 business and IT executives across nine countries and 10 industries were surveyed to gather insights into the adoption of emerging technologies.

The report states that: “81% believe that in the future, industry boundaries will dramatically blur as platforms reshape industries into interconnected ecosystems.”

Industry specific technology platforms are now available to many industries. According to Accenture; “39% of executives say they are now using these industry platforms to integrate data and applications with digital business partners and collaborate, while 35% are currently experimenting with them.”

The report also found that: “81% place the personalized customer experience in their top three priorities for their organization.” This is certainly a key issue in the hospitality industry. In order to achieve this technology need to work seamlessly in real time, and information need to be shared consistently across platforms. One complication is that this may involve passing data to technology business partners and would need to be accepted by the customer. Accenture say that: “67% of individuals are willing to share data with companies, but that percentage drops to 27% if the business is sharing data with a third party.”

People are the centre of any hospitality business. Whilst hardworking technology is vital behind the scenes to be able to offer the services that we need to give, staff will always be needed to connect with guests on a personal level. One final statistic to mention from Accenture’s report is that: “78% believe successful businesses will manage employees alongside intelligent machines— ensuring collaboration between the two.”

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Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Independent hotels find platforms for growth

Independent hotels have more access to technology and distribution channels than ever before. Could this help them compete with the groups?

According to a report from PWC; ‘about 40-60% of Europe’s hotels are currently estimated branded’. There are more unbranded hotels in rural areas than in cities and airports. The report also states that branded hotels across Europe are set to increase.

So how can independent hotels keep growing? Our experts discuss:

There is a mix of, technology companies, OTAs, and hospitality companies offering services for independents. These include: TripAdvisor, WorldHotels, and ChoiceHotels as above. Plus Umi Digital, AccorHotels, Sabre, TravelClick, and more.

This is a big market to tap. Almost 40% of the UK hotel market is independent hotels, according to a report from STR global. In August last year independent hotels in the UK had a better ADR than branded hotels, at £119 compared to £79. STR’s report indicates that this is largely due to the tendency for independent hotels to be a classed as upscale or luxury, whilst there is a strong economy hotel segment of branded hotels. The report also found that occupancy in branded hotels last year was 4% better than independents (73% vs 77%).

Upscale boutiques are in demand in America. According to a report from The Highland Group, the boutique hotel industry in the US is growing at a 3.1% annual pace and demand is growing at 6.7%. The report classes boutique hotels as ‘independent or part of small brands’ with ‘40 to 300 guest rooms’ and ‘generally upscale to luxury’.

If you’ve been sent to this page and you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by yBC for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Online Reviews – How getting involved increases bookings

Online responses to customer reviews by hotel managers encourage bookings, according to research by TripAdvisor. The review site analysed customer usage of its pages and found that responding to 50% of reviews increased the likelihood of hotels receiving a booking enquiry by 24% (compared to not responding at all). The study places management responses as the factor with the third biggest impact on customer engagement behind the number of photos and the total number of reviews that a property has.

Experts give their views on the power of online ratings, including TripAdvisor’s Minesh Shah, who offers advice on responding to negative reviews:

TripAdvisor’s research also shows that responding to reviews increases ratings. Properties which respond to 5%-40% of recent reviews have on average a 4.04 review rating, compared to a review rating of 3.81 for those which don’t respond. The highest factor influencing bookings and clicks on the site continues to be photos, with just one image increasing engagement by 138% compared to properties with no photo.

TripAdvisor advisor is not the only review site and reviews are also integrated into OTA sites such as Booking.com. TripAdvisor is currently the largest travel site with 280 million unique monthly visitors in the second quarter of 2014 and more than 100 new contributions posted every minute.

In response to a poll by TravelClick, 78% of hoteliers said that TripAdvisor was the social media channel which drove the most bookings to their property site.

The poll also found that these hoteliers are investing in other social media with two thirds now spending on Facebook advertising. Nearly 11% of the hoteliers polled named Facebook as a booking driver with the same number mentioning Google+. Facebook is also integrated into the TripAdvisor site and statistics from Facebook say that users logged in through Facebook contribute more than 1 in 3 new reviews on TripAdvisor.

If you’ve been sent to this page and you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do see here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

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