TECHNOLOGY
TIME TO UNLIKE FACEBOOK ?
Facebook has come under fire recently following revelations that the personal information of more than 87 million users was improperly harvested by a British analytics firm , and for allowing the spread of disinformation and foreign intervention in domestic politics on its platform . It ’ s taking steps to regain trust , including vowing to apply the EU ’ s GDPR , but it is too little , too late ? And where does this leave hotels ? Here ’ s what Daniel Craig , founder of Vancouver-based reputation management company Reknown , says :
“ The more likely scenario is the scandal will quickly blow over . With 2.1 billion users worldwide and over US $ 40 billion in annual revenue , the company isn ’ t likely to go anywhere anytime soon ... As for hotels , changes to the way Facebook handles personal data aren ’ t likely to affect advertisers .
And when it comes to leveraging the power of earned content , no platform rivals Facebook . Travel photos and recommendations from friends , family and colleagues offer the type of personalized advertising hotels simply cannot buy . And while Messenger has yet to be widely embraced as a business tool , the shift to digital messaging and chat among consumers has the potential to transform communications and customer service . Rather , the real threat to Facebook is apathy . The next generation of consumers has shown a greater affinity for Instagram and Snapchat . If
A different
ANGLE on data
“ The amount of data an average hotel collects these days through different sources can be quite overwhelming ,” says Iris Steinmetz , vice president of data partnerships at Berlin-based data management company , SnapShot . But much of it isn ’ t used , she says . “ We are looking at data incorrectly , where it is often thought of as analytics , historical reports and dashboards , without considering the value that unstructured data – i . e ., guest comments and reviews – can bring to the table when looking at optimizing profit and guest satisfaction .” a hot new rival appears on the scene , Facebook could see an exodus of the young , the old and advertisers alike .
So perhaps it ’ s not yet time for hoteliers to unlike Facebook . Looking ahead , however , there ’ s no question that consumers will be more sensitive to how their data is used . Regardless of where hotel companies operate , they would be wise to take a cue from Facebook and implement GDPR rules worldwide .”— C . R .
The biggest pitfall appears to be the
LACK OF ANALYSIS on the available data .
“ ”
Her thoughts : “ There are skills hotels can and must embrace to stay competitive … Integrating and validating different data sources serves great importance . Some middleware platforms will facilitate this , while other user-friendly ecosystems will allow hotels to pick and choose the software solutions they need . The platforms that do fully integrate trials on their own data will allow even individual properties and smaller groups across several property management systems ( PMSs ) to get access to technologies previously only available for large hotel companies . “ The biggest pitfall appears to be the lack of analysis on the available data . Analysis can be done in a more descriptive and less technical way ( PMS reports ), or by using prescriptive analytics and suggesting action based on trends with advanced processes ( machine learning in a revenue management system ). The way to determine the appropriate analysis will largely depend on the nature of the business and the funds available , but the ‘ new soil ’ should be mined to be fruitful and provide a rich harvest .”— C . R .
46 hotelsmag . com June 2018