In recent years, technology has become exceedingly integrated into our daily lives and in 2012 the hospitality sector moved quickly to keep up with this pace of consumer technology adoption. With 2013 already upon us, NetLink would like to take a moment to reflect on some 2012’s biggest trends in hotel technology.
- – Cloud Computing: The hospitality sector is clearly moving toward cloud computing and many hoteliers in 2012 took the time to assess the value and risk in order to lead their organizations in the right direction. Used correctly, cloud-based services can help hotel organizations glean the insights they need to provide guests with personalized experiences.
- – SoLoMo Technologies: We discovered early in 2012 that SoLoMo (Social Local Mobile), otherwise known as location-based services, is not just a fad. In fact, it’s the new frontier for hoteliers to enhance guest engagement and retention. SoLoMo defines a new kind of mobile shopper and represents the intersection of behavior, technology and culture. It has become a critical part of today’s marketing landscape, which has considerably changed since the introduction of smart phones.
- – Data Analytics: We are living in an era where ‘big data’ is driving key decisions and programs for multiple business sectors and even the federal government. Thanks to new innovations for managing large volumes of data, as well as advances in algorithms and analytics, we can gain a complete snapshot of customers and end users that will help keep hospitality guests coming.
- – Predictive Guest Marketing (PGM): Managing guest situations with “Predictive Guest Marketing” (PGM) allows brands to build personas that anticipate needs and make targeted, timely and personalized offers to guests.
It’s been a highly innovative year in hotel technology and we look forward to 2013 being even more groundbreaking. We will be here to keep you informed and help you win and retain new guests through the use of new innovations.