The Lasting Tech Trends That Fad-Averse Hoteliers Are Pursuing Now
Skift Take
It's never been easy for hoteliers to decide which tech investments to make. The pandemic has tightened budgets and workforces, making the choices even tougher.
If you've ever stayed in a hotel whose guest rooms still had iPod docking stations, you have an intuitive grasp of why hotel executives are nervous about investing in guest-facing technology. Some technologies are faddish, and it isn't easy to know which ones will deliver a high return on investment.
"How many of us remember years ago — long before the pandemic — when NCR sold us self-check-in kiosks for something like $55,000 a unit?" said R.P. (Raman) Rama, president of Sarona Holdings, an investment company that owns 25 hotels worldwide. "The guests hardly used them. With many technologies, it's a matter of timing and changing consumer preferences."
Several industry experts echoed Rama's thoughts last week in Dallas at HITEC, the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference run by HFTP, the association of Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals.
It's easy to second-guess hotel investment decisions when you don't have to deal with a split-ownership structure and all the finger-pointing that can happen between real estate owners, management companies, and brands. But the view from inside the sector reveals the nuances.
"I've worked in a lot of different industries, and I agree that hospitality has been a bit of a laggard in terms of its ability to execute in adopting technology that isn't even cutting edge," said Sonesta International Hotels CEO Carlos Flores.
"But I see now that when you're dealing with the brand, the manager, and the owner, getting everybody on the same page on a single asset — let alone an overall portfolio — is very complicated," Flores said.
Given the difficulties, which pieces of technology show the most promise? Here are some highlights about what hotel executives are look
