We had a great diversity of opinions and positions represented:Richard Oram senior director of sales consulting hospitality systems (EMEA) at OracleAnders Johansson co-founder and CEO at Demand CalendarPete Simpson SVP Global Business Technology with Protel hotelsoftware GmbHFlorian Montag co-Founder and CEO at HotelheroDavid Turnbull (Moderator) co-founder and CCO at SnapShot GmbHA cry for open systems and industry standardsWe all know it too well, data in the hospitality space exists in silos. Even when the systems have existing integrations there is a lack of standardization. All providers input data in different formats, quality levels, and make it difficult for 3rd party systems to consolidate and analyse these data points.The first step to solve this is to push and reinforce industry standards. HTNG has done a good job in the past but has not been too active in updating these standards, in the last couple of years. Opentravel has just released their new modern OTA 2.0 standard. These initiatives are very important for the industry, but it is essential for the legacy vendors to adopt them and take on the challenge to renew their dated integration technology.This would be the first step to break down the silos, as it will facilitate integrations and improve the quality of transferred data. Breaking down these silos is important for comprehensive business intelligence and deliver actionable insights for the hotelier.What Operating System should I develop against?In Europe alone, there are over 300 different hotel operating systems and worldwide the largest hotel operating system has roughly 35'000 hotels. As a point of comparison, in the B2C space, there are 3-4 different operating systems giving you access to millions of users globally.This is a big problem for a lot of start-ups, as they underestimate the time and resources it costs to build integrations to get access to their target market. Not even considering the fact, that to be able to build an integration with one of the big players you will need to prove your track record.For a lot of these startups building these point-to-point integrations is highly inefficient. A point-to-multipoint approach would allow start-ups faster growth potential with fewer resources spent. In recent years, there has been a clear trend towards this model with new marketplaces or middleware emerging, which focus on enabling these point-to-multipoint integrations.It is essential for both start-ups and legacy systems to embrace this, as it will reduce the time and resources spent on building and maintaining integrations and free it up for product development.The marketplace - Get, try, like, buyThe aforementioned integration difficulties lead to a severe problem in today's hotel technology landscape.Most of the time it is the large vendors who decide which new system will make it in the market and not the actual users. They do this based on their own interest and judgment and not based on a detailed analysis of the product or market opportunity.The marketplace concept has the possibility to solve this pain point by facilitating integrations, pushing transparency and allowing flexibility for hoteliers.Test phases and monthly subscription models will allow hoteliers to test a variety of solutions and choose the one, which performs best.Rating systems or performance stats could be developed and allow hoteliers to decide who will make it or not.Advice for startups: Talk to the hoteliers and make sure that you understand their pain points and goals. Not every guest-facing problem is an actual industry problem.Do your industry research, analyse your potential competitors and find out if there is an actual demand.Understand who the end user in the hotel will be (GM, FO, RM, etc.). They do not have the same requirements and understanding of technology.Choose very carefully with whom you integrate, too much point-to-point integration will hinder your development.Join forces with like-minded start-ups to create economies of scale or increase your value proposition as a bundle.Advice for legacy systems: Innovation is not just a one-way street, make sure you embrace new technologies and stay relevant in the future (let's not have a Kodak or Nokia moment ;))Work together and push for a modern integration standard.If you don't have the time to manage all integration requests, work with third-party middleware's or marketplaces.It shouldn't be the vendor deciding which startup makes it, but the end-user.My take: It is great to see that tech start-ups are disrupting the industry and pushing legacy players to reinvent themselves. Providers need to be open, flexible and transparent. Locking your customers in with closed systems and long-term contracts should be a thing of the past.

For most people, travel, whether in the form of a vacation, business or a mix of business and pleasure, is an opportunity to escape from ordinary. Today's demanding guest doesn't just expect easy check-in, clean rooms, and a picturesque property -- they don't want to pick and choose the elements of their stay which stand out. Instead, guests, today expect a seamless, personalized experience from start to finish, from before they step foot on in the lobby to after they leave. Guests want to know their needs are understood and taken care of, so they can lose themselves in their vacation or log a successful business trip without the stress that can so often be associated with travel and accommodations.Fortunately, technology, especially mobile, has come a long way in giving hoteliers more opportunities to optimize the guest stay - driving new standards of personalized experiences and resetting the competitive bar at the same time. To improve guest satisfaction, you need to make sure each touchpoint leads to a great visit, and that the journey as a whole delivers on guests' expectations.Pre-ArrivalThe mobile evolution is impossible to ignore, for business owners and hoteliers alike, as guests continue to demonstrate a preference for hotels which optimize their mobile functionality for pre-arrival communications, check-in and more.Further to that, 83% of guests want hotel service promotions (including restaurant, spa, etc.) on their mobile devices (SmithMicro). This desire comes as no surprise, with a mobile device being one of the most important accessories for travelers today. After all, almost every one of your guests is likely carrying a smartphone or tablet, and time spent on mobile apps is only increasing. People expect to remain connected anywhere, at any time -- and if some of the primary touchpoints of their stay can be conceptualized within their favorite device? Even better.With the right technology in place, hotels can offer the complete mobile experience to their guests before they even arrive with pre-arrival messages, curated upgrade offers and reservation overviews available right from their smartphone.Day of Arrival and On-PropertyThe shift to a more mobile experience can, in many ways, be attributed to the desire for daily task simplification. Guests today want more from each experience, but never at the cost of their time or convenience. Simplification of tasks is noted as the most important factor in the mobile travel experience (65%) while having a more personalized stay is important to mobile users and younger travelers (Adobe).Investing in the mobile experience presents hoteliers with a unique opportunity to simplify primary touchpoints of the guest experience (embracing a low-touch, convenience-driven model) while also offering increased personalization (high-touch). Guests get the best of both worlds -- quick, easy check-in when they're in a rush, and personalized offers and communications when they want something more unique. In fact, according to hotels.com, 67% of travelers are "more likely" to choose a hotel that allows guests to check in and open doors with a smartphone than a hotel that doesn't. When a hotel is optimized for a complete mobile experience, they can offer their guests frictionless, mobile check-in and check-out and mobile keyless entry to rooms, which further streamlines the arrival process for each guest. This freedom from check-in and other arrival duties empower your staff to connect with each guest in a more personal way, with those more arduous registration tasks and long lines out of the way.Furthermore, reports show that guests are more likely to engage with (and invest in) hotel upsell opportunities and upgrades without the presumed pressure of hotel staff interaction. Guests feel empowered to 'choose their experience' when given the opportunity to make purchases or upgrades through their mobile device. According to hotelexecutive.com, there's an 18% increase in room service orders when made via mobile and guests typically spend 20% more when ordering via mobile (Business Insider). This is a major revenue opportunity for your hotel powered by the inclusion of mobile for upselling, upgrades, promotions, concierge and room services.Post StayThe guest experience should not end as soon as they step foot off your property -- after all, the world of online reviews and feedback can make or break a hotel's success in the modern age. According to JD Power, 46% of guests wrote a review in the past six months. With the right technology in place, hoteliers can extend their guest courtship efforts beyond the confines of each guest's visit with personalized post-stay communications, surveys and relevant offers to drive loyalty and direct bookings.No matter how big or small your hotel business is--at the end of the day, we're all just human beings interacting with other human beings. Each touchpoint of a guest's journey is an opportunity to connect with them and transform their stay with you from being viewed as an accommodation, to an experience. By investing in every step of a guest's journey with your hotel with mobile technology and a holistic, personalized approach, you can ensure that each guest will continuously invest back in your hotel.

In the world of hospitality, there exists a crucial difference between simply servicing a guest's demands and providing truly outstanding guest service. Hotels that are able to focus on the latter will reap the rewards with increased guest loyalty and, in turn, an undeniable ROI in their business model. Why? Because great hospitality is about great service, and at the root of that understanding exists the realization that hotels need to be guest-oriented rather than task-oriented. So, the question becomes, how can hoteliers empower their staff to shift their customer service model to one which is personalized, attentive and responsive in nature, rather than reactive and task-focused? How can hotel owners free up their staff to provide their best service and connect with guests on a deeper level?Believe it or not, the answer lies in your hotel PMS system.Much of the frustration experienced by hotel staff as it relates to daily operational duties, can be correlated to limited technology or software that fails to enhance or streamline their day to day duties. This often starts with the PMS system, and whether it is intuitive, user-friendly, full-featured, mobile-centric and comprehensive. After all, technology should enhance operations and productivity, not act as a burden or limitation to your team. You can't expect your staff to step up their game if you don't provide them with the tools to do so. With the right mobile-centric PMS technology in place, your staff can experience the freedom to excel at their jobs with anytime/anywhere access to improved communications, real-time property updates and vital guest information at a glance.To download the free guide, Shifting Your Hotel Staff from Task-Oriented to Guest-Oriented, CLICK HERE or go to http://www.stayntouch.com/resources/shifting-your-hotel-staff-to-staff-oriented/?utm_source=Hsyndicate_HSMAI_HospitalityNet.

Note: The following article is adapted from the groundbreaking study "Built for the Cloud: A Blueprint for Hotel Technology Success" (now available for complimentary access):"Data is the new oil" has become a common refrain -- one that resonates strongly in the context of hotel performance improvement.To compete efficiently and effectively in today's environment, hoteliers need to get their data houses in order. The problem is that relevant data typically resides in many different silos. In the pursuit of advancing their technology capabilities, hotels have tended to proliferate standalone platforms, function-specific modules and guest-facing apps.The end result oftentimes is an ungovernable mass of data spaghetti.This creates an assortment of problems. One problem is the inability to create a 360-degree view across the business or a unified view of guest relationships in totality. Another problem relates to data drift, which is the idea that a copy made of the data will become stale almost immediately. The nature of hotel data is such that it needs to be continuously synchronized to keep from becoming outdated.This speaks to the need for a next-generation cloud property management system. The system needs to balance agility and decentralization with governance and centralization of data assets. Simply put, hoteliers need access to a single version of the truth. That means stitching together all of the data silos through the creation of a cloud-based centralized data repository.No longer a pipe dream, the grand movement to unify the disparate and fragmented technologies and data silos across an enterprise has become an achievable goal with the advent of a next-generation platform built natively for the cloud.At last, hoteliers can connect and seamlessly share data in the cloud across all parts of the property or properties and across all of the various hospitality solutions. PMS interface connections make it possible to manage virtually all crucial functions, from inbound reservation delivery from the central reservations system (CSR) or channel manager to the revenue management solution to the point of sale (POS) system to the guest response platform to the CRM and guest loyalty applications.With a next-generation platform, a hotel can increase vascularity across all functions and operations. That means flowing all relevant guest data streams into the centralized repository where the data then becomes readily accessible on an anytime, anywhere basis. The ability to combine all hotel data in a single place in the cloud -- by either physically migrating the data or by virtually connecting it to legacy systems through APIs, is a critical development in the annuls of hospitality technology and performance improvement.Hoteliers are acutely aware of the need for technology connectivity, integration and openness, even if they haven't yet made the transition to a next-generation platform built natively for the cloud. According to recent research conducted by Starfleet Research, 91 percent of hoteliers "agree" or "strongly agree" that technology platform interoperability is a key success factor for hotel performance improvement. That means deploying a cloud platform that is as open as possible with bi-directional APIs.Cloud connectivity eliminates disparate solutions and fractioned data, making the system as a whole smarter. Cloud connectivity also opens the door to new innovations, such as real-time optimized pricing, which can have a direct material impact on RevPAR. Finally, cloud connectivity sets the stage for future capabilities that may not yet be available or even imagined or invented.One thing is sure: A platform built natively for the cloud gives hotels a distinct and formidable competitive advantage over those that lack the same level of technology connectivity and data integration.This is also true with respect to OTAs, which have no visibility whatsoever into guest transaction activity or behavior inside a hotel property. An OTA cannot capture, analyze and act upon hotel guest data. It cannot glean insights into which spa treatments a guest prefers, for example, or how much money that same guest spends in the hotel restaurants. It cannot launch a campaign with specific promotional offers based on a knowledge and understanding of guest preferences.Only a hotel has the ability to capture interaction and transaction data at every touch point and create a unified view of guest behavior. Only a hotel can leverage that data to deliver a high level of customized experiences. Done right, those experiences should translate into increased guest satisfaction and loyalty.Note: This article is adapted from "Built for the Cloud: A Blueprint for Hotel Technology Success" (now available for complimentary access; click here to learn more).

This competitive landscape stretches between hotels brands as well as between hotels and non-traditional accommodation models, such as Airbnb. With both service models existing within the same industry and catering to similar guest demographics, there is a wealth of experiential knowledge to be shared/gained as they strive to evolve and improve their respective offering(s). Our industry first welcomed the inclusion of Airbnb in San Francisco, California in August of 2008. The online marketplace and hospitality service for people to lease or rent short-term lodging including holiday cottages, apartments, homestays, hostel beds (and more) has surged in popularity over the last few years. Capitalizing on the modern travelers' desire for a more unique experience, affordability and sense of adventure, Airbnb soon grew into a $30 billion business. As of this year, the company has recorded 300 million check-ins by guests across 4.5 million rental listings. By comparison, the world's biggest hotel company, Marriott International, has 1.15 million rooms.We also must pay tribute to the growing appreciation for start-ups and entrepreneurial ventures, a dynamic which is supported by the open market in which Airbnb thrives. This style of marketplace allows for lower accommodation prices (as compared to some local rates at hotels) which are generally dictated by the natural ebb and flow of supply vs. demand. Since Airbnb is not directly responsible for any physical real estate, this is entirely possible and gives the hosts' complete control of their offering price and guests a plethora of choice. There's also something to be said about the unique ecosystem that Airbnb provides, as guests experience direct communication with the homeowner before, during and after their stay. This relationship allows for a more personalized experience -- within a metropolitan city it might give the guest a sense of home, and in a more exotic location, it might give the guest a taste of local culture. These factors all play a role in capturing the interest of a wide range of travelers, from millennials to families, bleisure guests and more -- a realization that may have acted as a rude awakening for some hotels. After all, it would be difficult for most hotel chains to rival the affordability, unique style and personalized ecosystem offered by Airbnb accommodations. And yet, as the company celebrates a decade of operation, we're realizing that they likely have just as much to learn from the hospitality industry, as we have to learn from them.While a primary argument for the widespread popularity of Airbnb is likely, it's unique accommodation experience, this element of the business model can prove to be a detriment as well. Where guests are seeking a more boutique, relationship-based and adventurous experience, they still crave a predictable service offering. In other words, they want to know exactly what they're getting when they book their stay. While the company screens their host applicants and offers user-generated reviews, guests might find themselves wary of newer properties that may not have adequate pictures or reviews for the vetting process. Where hotels deliver a standardized service structure applied to every room/location, Airbnb accommodation quality relies entirely on the host. Within this (more unregulated) model, some hosts may go above and beyond, while some might cut corners while using the platform as supplemental income. Guest complaints could include host to guest communication breakdowns, non-adjustable thermostats, undesirable bathroom amenities, location-related safety concerns and more. There is also the issue of hosts with higher cancellation trends, or who discriminate against specific guests (for seemingly unjust reasons).This is where the trouble lies, leaving Airbnb to take notes from the hospitality industry as they roll out a new program, Airbnb Plus. The new program entices hosts to apply for better promotion and higher rates but also demands they meet a 100-point checklist of hospitality quality (as verified with an in-person inspection by an Airbnb contractor). Airbnb Plus launched with 2,000 listings in 13 cities (Toronto included) but aims to hit 75,000 listings by year's end.After all, there's something to be said about knowing exactly what to expect when it comes to your travel accommodations. Hotels have traditionally excelled in this regard, but are striving to catch up in the realm of guest personalization and property differentiation. Expanding the traditional hotel framework to include different lodging formats (including communal spaces for the more seasoned, authentic traveler), unique amenities, more genuine hotel to guest communication, self-service technology, and mobile optimization will prove to be imperative in the success of the modern hotel.As we work to envision what the hotels of the future will look like, we would be daft not to learn from the Airbnb model. By understanding the ways in which Airbnb excels (and suffers), hoteliers can better conceptualize the ideal balance between the boutique travel experience, and one which is still entirely controlled and guaranteed.

I have had the pleasure of a front row seat at a very special panel discussion. The hospitality industry's top tech executives got together at HITEC Amsterdam today to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) and voice recognition. The challenge: to make sense of all of the changes happening in information technology and articulate value-adding solutions for the hospitality industry. How do we turn a land of confusion into a land of opportunity? The panelists had a few secrets to share.The panelists:Jorge Carmona, co-founder, VeovoxGwendolyn Graman, global proposition lead conversational commerce, CapgeminiKees Jacobs, digital proposition lead, CapgeminiHampus Ljunggren, head of strategy, Travel AppealFrank Reeves, co-founder and CEO, AvvioThe Moderator:Ian Millar, senior lecturer, Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne (EHL)Each panelist, through his own experience and colorful storytelling, perfectly exemplified the tremendous potential for an enhanced overall customer journey through technological innovation.Exploring future usages of these promising, yet still untapped, technologies is something that entices a growing number of companies. The required investment (time, training, expenditure) remains however, a major roadblock in the quick adoption of the many tools, products and services being developed.Communication is changing, expectations are changing too, and immediacy has become expected of anyone under the age of 35. If you have a question, you want an answer NOW. If you need room service to bring a toothbrush up to your room, an unanswered call by reception will kill your customer satisfaction.From a conversational point of view, chat bots offer the possibility to cater to this (slightly capricious) expectation that everything must be delivered at the very moment we have an enquiry. Voice recognition is said to greatly enhance the in-room experience. But let's put all the technical stuff to the side for a moment...One of the most interesting ideas, on which all the panelists seemed to agree, was that you can have all the tech in the world, but if you don't reach your customer at an emotional level, you won't make a difference. This statement takes on a whole new dimension when it is made by people who make a living from interacting with emotionless machines."Rational drivers are still too predominant. Emotional drivers need to be further explored and leveraged," said panelist Kees Jacobs of Capgemini. Only then will innovations such as voice recognition make an impact. And when it happens, it will definitely be disruptive.Who cares if we can control our room with our voice, you ask? Well... humans are lazy (yes, you too). Convenience and ease of use have been the root of much of the world's innovation -- ever since that one guy got tired of pulling on raw meat with his teeth, and decided to smash a rock and use its cutting edge (see what I did there?) to cut through those annoying nerves.It's not only about using voice commands for single actions, such as "switch on TV." Yes, you could probably spend fewer calories just pressing the little red button on the remote. Where it gets interesting is when several actions can be initiated by a single voice command. Imagine the command: "computer, I will go and cook now." The oven turns on, the kitchen lights turn on and your favorite cooking music starts playing on the speaker located in the kitchen.Frank Reeves, whose company Avvio uses AI to offer a unique booking journey, agreed and explained that when it comes to booking engines, they all "serve up same experience to everyone." AI effectively allows a company to individually and proactively engage the user, personalize the experience and incorporate said emotional triggers. This is done, he says, by building up users' digital footprints.Overdependence on OTAs can be upset by using AI to directly reach customers with that missing emotional element. It often equates to basically having an online brochure that offers the same experience to a 21-year-old American spring-breaker and a 76-year-old Turkish grandmother. Why cross-sell car rental services to someone who doesn't have a driver's license, for instance? Good use of technology allows you to make the journey more relevant, more engaging. Show your customers you know them and you've thought of how to make their experience unique.Jorge Carmona's voice recognition company Veovox also recognizes the emotional implications of a seamless voice command experience. Preliminary feedback has shown a tenfold decrease in customer complaints. This is not only good for the sake of increasing customer satisfaction. Getting back to the psychology of it all, we can see that bad voice recognition increases frustration. Frustration raises anxiety, and anxiety is a big deterrent when it comes to spending. So bye-bye to cross-selling and up-selling. Gwendolyn Graman of Capgemini echoed this strong customer-centricity as well. "Focus on the customer. IoT and conversational interfaces must be used to better understand the customer's wishes and offer concrete assistance," she said.It turns out AI and machine learning isn't only good to "stalk" your customers. It's also good for "self-stalking." Hampus Ljunggren, head of strategy for Travel Appeal explained how he uses big data to help hotels adapt to risks and opportunities almost in real-time by "scrapping all available public data relevant to the hotel and its surroundings, identifying patterns and making them actionable through daily recommendations to the hotels." This can help with things such as pricing, cultural specificities of certain guests, or any other touchpoint where a potential improvement has been identified."Voice is also an interesting way to identify someone. Recognizing the speaker offers the possibility of tailoring the answers given by the voice recognition device.None of the panelists seemed too worried about data privacy issues and agreed that people have become used to sharing their personal information, especially younger generations. In fact, millennials expect to have their personal data used to improve their experience. The underlying tacit agreement is therefore, "I give you my personal info, and you make my life easier."AI could create a far better, overall human experience. As a hotelier, if you know what flight your guest is arriving on, send him a WhatsApp message asking if he would like an early check-in (we all hate those 15:00 check-ins!) or if he would rather book a massage while he waits for his room to become available.Exceeding the customer's expectation is when you really start tapping into the emotional side of things. And it's a win-win: you gain legitimacy for cross-selling or up-selling, and the customer is proactively provided with solutions to problems he didn't even know had a solution.Sherif Mamdouh is the external communications manager at Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne (EHL) and an official guest blogger for HITEC Amsterdam 2018, which took place 11-13 April 2018 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.