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’.

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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: Reviews & credibility – Websites strive to build trust

Online reviews continue to influence customer decisions. Data from Deloitte shows that 81% of general consumers read reviews and check ratings. In the hospitality industry these reviews are being published on different social media sites, direct on hotel and booking sites, and are frequently being written on mobiles and on mobile apps. Knowing that fake reviews are possible, trust between companies and consumers is becoming increasingly important.

In this briefing four experts discuss credibility and making the most of reviews.

According to Deloitte 42% of holiday makers use review sites. But companies are also looking for ways to show reviews on direct platforms. As discussed in the above videos, Choice Hotels is verifying reviews that are posted on its website, and TrustYou is a company offering tools and solutions for Travel and Tourism companies to display credible reviews to customers. Expedia is also taking step to ensure only true customers can leave reviews, whilst also displaying TripAdvisor posts alongside these.

Foursquare is a mobile app and review site for food, drink, activities and shopping, on which comments are always linked to specific locations. The site has more than 55 million users worldwide who have ‘checked in’ to locations over seven billion times. Business can ‘claim’ their locations in order to interact with the customers who are posting on the site. Two million businesses have done this so far. Research shows that connecting with customers who are leaving reviews can have a positive impact on business.

One review site that covers all industries is Yelp. In the first quarter of 2015 more than 50% of Yelp content (reviews and photos) was generated on mobile devices and 65% of searches came from mobile devices. Interestingly in the first quarter of 2015 there were many more positive reviews posted than negative ones with 42% of reviews giving a 5 star rating, 25% giving 4 stars and only 14% of reviews giving 1 star.

Validity and trust is of course important to the success of review sites themselves. Yelp has a review filter which it says helps to spot fake reviews. It has taken legal action against people trying to buy and sell reviews and has recently filed a lawsuit against a company which falsely said it could remove negative reviews form the site.  Yelp is not the only company taking this kind of action. Amazon too has recently taken out a lawsuit over fake reviews.

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 for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: LinkedIn creating tremendous noise?

With 3 out of 4 companies using social media in the recruitment process (Source: eFinancialCareers.com), this briefing looks to understand how in an online and digital world you can be successful. Leading experts from hospitality, law and recruitment give invaluable insight into this new marketing channel. This includes Guy Lean of the Hospitality People Group, Adam Morallee of Mishcon de Reya talking about retaining exclusivity and Lina Stahl on the advantages of TripAdvisor.

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