How has IT transformed the hospitality sector?

Question

Answer

Within today’s world, it is vitally important for hotels to keep up with the evolution of technology, as the hospitality industry is extremely competitive. With guests often being exposed to new cutting-edge technology, their demands and expectations change, so the industry must therefore keep up in order to suit their needs. There are several areas in which technological advances are transforming the hospitality industry, as well as enabling a whole new level of customer service, which include:

Online Booking Systems – This seems to be an extremely popular method in which customers can now reserve a room or a table within a restaurant outside the venue’s business hours. This provides around the clock convenience to the customer, as they are able to access webpages and booking forms throughout the day.

CRM – Customer relationship management software allows contacts and information to be organised and managed within one place. Having an effective CRM makes it much easier to build ongoing relationships with customers.

Social Media Presence – This is now regarded as crucial to have in the hospitality industry, as customers can provide vital feedback for a particular organisation to act upon. Facebook is a popular platform for check-ins and reviews of various restaurants and hotels.

Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) – These systems are becoming more and more sophisticated, as well as allowing hospitality venues to operate more efficiently, and essentially provides a much better customer service.