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Definitely Doug 11/17/23: The Hotel TV Dilemma
Posted: 11/17/2023

In case you missed the memo, people no longer watch television the way that they did ten years ago. Not at home, and not at hotels. Nielsen reported that streaming services cornered 34.8% of TV screen time in July 2022, when they overtook cable for the first time.

Property management systems (PMSs) fundamentally have changed very little since the 1980s. And many hotels still use systems that were built in the eighties, nineties, or aughts. Since then, massive technology changes have occurred: the mobile revolution, cloud computing, distributed ledgers, AI-based large language models, Web 3.0, and other innovations have fundamentally changed both the technological capabilities of software, the way it is designed and built, and expectations for user experience.

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Definitely Doug 10/20/23: Gluing It All Together
Posted: 10/20/2023

Hardly a day goes by that hotels do not express frustration about the inability to tie together key data sources and technology systems. This is not a new problem; it has been around for decades. Progress has been made on many fronts to be sure, but digitalization has created new issues much faster than solutions.

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What’s the Buzz Among Today’s Hoteliers?
Posted: 10/17/2023

What’s on the minds of hoteliers? What’s keeping them up at night? And what makes travelers happy and eager to return? Some of the best places to have these candid discussions are at the industry’s conferences and events, and this year’s lineup has not disappointed. From AAHOACON and BITAC, to HITEC and The Hospitality Show, I’ve been traveling steadily, attending 13 events since January.

Technology has become an indispensable part of the guest experience. As travelers increasingly expect tech-enabled convenience, hospitality businesses must continue innovating to meet these demands. While WiFi was once the primary tech offering for hotels, today's guests want more. Integrated proptech solutions are becoming the new standard.

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Move Fast and Break Things

07/03/2014

by Geneva Rinehart

Even days after the close of #HITEC2014 in Los Angeles I’m still recounting the details of this tremendous industry event and takeaways that I will use in the workplace. My mind continues to download information, insights and new connections to my network.

I know that there were many of my respected colleagues who have shared their thoughts from last week. I look forward to reading these blogs once I get my email inbox back under control. When I was asked what I thought of HITEC 2014 there was one thing that immediately came to mind: Move Fast and Break Things.This phrase was borrowed from the offices at Facebook. There is a part two to this motto: What would you do if you were not afraid?, to which there is an arrow pointing back to Move Fast and Break Things. This is defining.

If you missed the Tuesday morning session with Rachel Botsman you probably have missed the best session ever at HITEC. Yes, I said ever. I won’t even try to bring a summary of this fantastic, enlightening and inspiring message but I will share this: in today’s world it is the old way of thinking that will get you into trouble. For example, the old thinking had a 12-month timeline for research, discovery, planning and implementation. In the year 2014 that is not a luxury any company can afford. If you aren’t making decisions quickly you will find you are wasting time spinning wheels and are destined to repeat your steps. Technology moves too quickly. Being quick doesn’t mean being careless, but rather thorough and decisive.

Technology is outpacing regulation and legislation. You don’t have to look far to find Airbnb, Uber and Lyft. These companies, and more importantly these ideas, are disrupting the established communities. While it took Hilton Hotels more than 90 years to reach a number of available guestrooms upwards of 610,000, Airbnb surpassed this number of available guestrooms in just four.

The success of an idea or a company in 2014 relies on realizing a friction point and resolving it. Botsman said, “Once the public decides there is a new way and the new way is better, there is no way to reverse.” No one wants to be the Eastman Kodak of the hospitality industry.

At this juncture, there are only three choices a company can make: Put the proverbial head in the sand, fight or pioneer and embrace the change as an opportunity.

It’s the end of the world as we know it. Understanding this disruption, the momentum and ideas that it brings with it will define your work in 2014. This clarity might help you Move Fast and Break Things. And I am hoping you won’t be afraid to try.

Slides from Rachel's presentation are available at Collaborative Consumption

I greatly enjoyed the session by Rachel Botsman and I hope that HFTP will release a stream of this session so I can watch it again!

About The Author

Geneva Rinehart
SVP, Managing Editor
Hospitality Upgrade

Geneva Rinehart is the managing editor at Hospitality Upgrade. For two decades, she has followed the world of hospitality technology. On occasion she will chronicle hospitality technology issues, technology trends, and new technologies for Hospitality Upgrade on LinkedIn and Twitter: @genevarinehart