The Oracle and Skift report reveals that 40% of executives surveyed believe that the future of hotel management will be based on an unbundled model, like that of airlines.
The pandemic has made society, both organizations and individuals, depending on technology as never before and, even more so, they demand it. Travel industry is not the exception. This is shown in a new report, which reveals that 73% of people prefer a hotel with technology that allows them to manage their entire experience through their mobiles - such as check-in and check-out, payment, and food ordering, among others-, minimizing contact with the establishment's staff and with the rest of the guests.
This suggests very important changes and investments on the part of hoteliers, especially in the context of post-pandemic tourism reactivation. In fact, according to the report, 95% of people are planning to travel in the next six months, and 29% will travel in large numbers, as a way of 'making up' for the two years of confinement and restrictions.
However, the report indicates that social distancing resulting from COVID-19 will remain a trend for travelers. In fact, 92% of them say they do not miss being surrounded by people at their hotel, an inclination that is reflected in their greater interest in technologies that favor complete self-service (38%). Likewise, 49% also prefer contactless payments.
74% of respondents would like hotels to use artificial intelligence to receive offers or suggestions tailored to them. In addition, 68% of them would be willing to pre-select hotels in the metaverse.
Other technologies preferred by tourists include chatbots for customer service (77%), access to on-demand entertainment (45%), voice-activated controls for all room amenities (43%) and controls that automatically adjust temperature, lighting and even digital art (25%).
One of the main problems in the post-pandemic tourism sector is the shortage of labor, which is why this is one of the areas in which hoteliers are investing the most: 65% say that this will be the objective of their technology strategy. 96% will do so through contactless technology and 54% will prioritize technology that will improve or completely eliminate front desks by 2025.
Additionally, the report detected another important trend that is occurring in tourism: 81% of hoteliers believe that by 2025 there will be a change in the service model of the tourism sector and 40% believe that an 'unbundled' model is the future for hotel revenue management. In that sense, 36% predict that the hotel's future will be based on a model like the one offered by airlines, in which room rates are unbundled according to quality level (such as 'economy' or 'executive' on airplanes).
This is something shared by travelers. 87% percent would be willing to book in a hotel that allows them to pay only for the services they use, 54% would pay more to choose their view, 38% to choose their room, 37% to check in earlier or check out later and 33% to use spa, wellness or gym services, among others.
Experts point out that the pandemic has established the role of technology in the guest and companion experience, and the industry is never going back as it was before.