I read an article recently about the slow demise of publishing. It looked into how publishing is hardly still an industry in today’s day and age, thanks to platforms such as WordPress which have empowered anybody, from any professional background, based anywhere in the world, to be a publisher of their own content – to a mass audience and in an instant, no less.
It made me wonder whether – or, rather, hope that – one day soon, I’d be reading a similar article about the demise of slow, onerous and manual data entry at hotels. As both someone who flies the hotel technology flag and stays at numerous hotels around the world, I really look forward to that day.
It seems a long way away, though, doesn’t it? But is it possible? I truly believe so.
Thanks to the power of cloud-based channel managers, and the integrations that are made possible through this technology, distribution no longer has to be a job. It’s a button. Or, at least, it can be.
The search for hotelier freedom
Over the last few decades, the front desk has evolved from being a physical table to cloud-based software.
It’s an evolution all hoteliers today must be embracing. As Peter O’Connor, professor of information systems and dean of academic programs at Essec Business School, puts it: “Archaic systems aren’t collecting the right data, and when they do (the data is) siloed and can’t be used together.”
Interestingly, it’s an issue many hoteliers clearly realize. In late 2015, SiteMinder and Revinate released groundbreaking research which found that, behind managed guest relationships, integrated technology systems were the second most critical need of hoteliers when it came to distribution and online marketing.
The finding was encouraging, as it affirmed that hoteliers are recognizing the freedom modern technology can provide to maintain a property without having to physically be there. And, as we know too well, today’s hoteliers must wear many hats – they need to understand room distribution, online marketing and revenue management just as well as they know hotel operations – so being able to run their property efficiently is both a tremendous benefit and a growing need.
