ICT IN HOSPITALITY

Hoteliers are increasingly using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a tool to increase efficiency and enhance customer service.

- BINDU GOPAL RAO

The hotel business is always developing, and technology plays an important part in keeping it competitive. Information technology has improved the way hospitality organisations handle inventories, bookings, reservations, and customer data.

IT IMPETUS

Information technology is crucial to the success of any hospitality business, offering tools that allow hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises to simplify operations and deliver improved customer service. Companies may track client data, manage inventory levels, process payments, and handle bookings by deploying systems such as POS systems, property management systems, and CRM solutions. This helps cut expenses, enhance efficiency, and provide better customer service. Businesses may now go beyond the physical borders of their premises, thanks to advances in information technology. Today, empowered by technology, guests can compare hotel rates and research the hotel's amenities by looking at guest feedback before making the final bookings. They can visit the hotel website, look for availability as per their itinerary and book their rooms. They can also book their rooms via OTAs and metasearch engines.

"The best part is that it allows guests to make reservations 24/7, and at the same time, hotels don't have to deploy dedicated staff to manage those bookings. Moreover, hotels can also offer mobile booking facilities to their guests, allowing hotel reservations on the go. Understanding guests' requirements is critical to offer them suitable services, and a Cloud-based Hotel PMS plays a significant role in this. It stores all guest data, their past visits, room, food and beverage preferences, special requests and more. With such a goldmine of data, hotels can offer personalized services to their guests before they ask for it," says Aditya Sanghi, Co-founder & CEO, Hotelogix.

CUSTOMER CUES