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Data is more important than ever - the single view of the customer , that enables you to understand and anticipate their needs . But we have a load of data silos in our industry . A lot of data , but not a lot of intelligence . We know what we want to achieve , but it ’ s difficult to consolidate and pull and I think that ’ s a really big focus .
And then there ’ s data ownership . In the future you will not own the customer data - the customer will own and control their data and decide who will have the right to use which data sets .
Middleware is also now a huge growth area enabling better integration of systems , but it will also help with providing a single view of customer data .
What is middleware ?
Middleware enables you to connect all your systems , such as your PMS , through one central platform and share data . No silos mean that you can then pull that data out and manage it . Everything interacts with just one layer and no 1-1 systems . You ’ re then less reliant on any one system , making it easier to replace it , as your interface is with one central system via APIs . Yes , it means a new piece of kit that you probably didn ’ t have before , but it gives you much more flexibility . Some examples are IReckonU and Hapi Cloud .
Got it ! How do you see this trajectory of change continuing to evolve for the business traveller with the customers that you work with , for example ?
Business travellers want flexibility and it ’ s now a diverse demographic - digital nomads , bleisures etc . They want a more rounded experience . They want to be able to book more non-room elements online - scenarios such as the business traveller who wants a meeting space and somewhere to eat in a property but no bedroom reservation or perhaps they want a bedroom but only to conduct a daytime meeting . We are seeing system capability evolving to support a range of inventory types and without being restricted in being linked to a one night stay , with the ability to book online .
Coworking spaces , retail outlets and community spaces , are increasingly a feature . The property becomes more of a destination as opposed to a collection of rooms with an unused central space . You increasingly see these mid-scale , limited service offerings with more funky spaces … a nice bar , groovy restaurant , and convenient retail fostering more of a community and now you can even have subscription models covering your coffee , workspace etc .
“ The light bulb is going on that we can ’ t dictate how the customer interacts with us . Whether it ’ s digital , traditional or hybrid , it ’ s our role as a hospitality organisation to enable all of them .”
Finally , Artificial intelligence …
The buzzword of the moment , right ?
Do you see it playing a part in every aspect of hospitality now , or are there any aspects where a human is still better ?
You would hope a human is still better in a lot of cases ! But where AI and machine learning is brilliant is taking away all those repetitive tasks that a human being is doing today , to automate so that the human can actually interact with a guest and offer some kind of service . I don ’ t think it ’ s going to replace humans entirely , but it is certainly going to automate repetitive tasks .
Machine learning is already here . We need to be aware of it , but I personally am more interested in the virtual reality ( VR ), the mixed reality , the extended reality . How will we evolve the physical and the digital world together to enhance experiences ? That ’ s the fun stuff ! VR devices will become more user-friendly moving from massive VR goggles to the overlay being in your glasses for example . That ’ s the future . But I would just be happy if people weren ’ t still asking the question , ‘ should I move my key systems to the cloud ?’!
It ’ s true ! I ’ m still working with hotels that have on premises PMSs , and it ’ s a big change for people . In serviced apartment and hotel back of house there ’ s still a lot of paper and manual processing . Automation and integration through APIs … that ’ s where the opportunity is .