F E AT U R E A R T I C L E
How digital
transformation will
help you win in
guest experience
W
ith the constant advancement of technology
combined with the modern consumer, the
meaning of Guest Experience (GX) is ever-
evolving.
It’s also becoming very apparent the hospitality
industry is falling behind on the very thing its business
is centered around: guests. Despite being guest-centric,
why are so many hospitality brands still using outdated
legacy systems and technology that creates friction and
fragmented experiences throughout the guest journey?
What can the hospitality industry learn from brands in
other industries that are winning on the GX front?
How can your brand not only compete with the most
successful brands of today, but also position itself to
constantly evolve with the changing landscape?
Customer Experience Becomes a
Competitive Advantage or Disadvantage
in the Travel Industry’s Future
Digital transformation is universally changing
businesses. While becoming digital is important, the
biggest opportunity for digital transformation is
instilling modern DNA into the vision, purpose, and
culture of aspiring brands. While digital implies a
technological approach to competing, its power is in
building brand agility and resilience in a transforming
marketplace. As trends change, so do the brands and
experiences guests seek and value. Modern brands
must not only keep up with changing customers and
technologies, but also must explore new ways to
create and deliver new and relevant value throughout
the entire guest journey as it evolves.
4
Better Revenue I Better Industry I APAC I www.revenuemanagement.com.au
Digital transformation goes beyond marketing,
operations, and the latest tech.
Modern brands are most successful when change
purposely delivers meaningful, frictionless, and
integrated experiences in the moments that matter to
guests…in each touch point throughout the guest
journey and life cycle. Those individual and collective
experiences become the brand. And, this is the challenge
facing hospitality brands in their quest to digitally
transform. Many executives aren’t 100% plugged into
evolving guest behaviors, expectations, preferences, and
aspirations. Yet, decisions are being made in the name
of guest experience without actually being guest-centric.
That’s just one of many difficulties involved in digital
transformation. Many hospitality brands, for instance,
are still burdened by legacy systems and technologies,
silos, inadequate customer journeys and user experience
(UX) design, outdated guest perspectives, etc.
For all of these challenges, these are also times
for great innovation and, equally, disruption. Guest
experience (GX) combined with modern technology
becomes a catalyst for digital transformation and
also a competitive advantage. That’s why these
times represent so much promise and opportunity.
Everything is open for improvement and re-
imagination: not only in terms of technology, but in
terms of how and with whom you work; in terms
of processes and policies; and in terms of new
perspectives from outside industries, which prompt
you to learn, unlearn, iterate, and innovate.
This is why the future of GX needs architects
focused on integrating modern tech and touchpoints