Technological Changes and Its Implications in the Hospitality Sector

This report discusses the key changes and implications of technological advancements in the hospitality sector. It explores the concept of smart tourism, strategies for personalizing customer experiences, concerns for safety and security, and the impact of global economic and political factors. The report also highlights the need for educating users about optimizing new technologies and understanding the transformative effect of tourism on socio-economic progress.

Running head: CURRENT ISSUES IN HOSPITALITY
Technological Changes and Its Implications in the Hospitality Sector

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Technological changes and its implications in the hospitality sector...........................................................3
Key changes in hospitality sectors because of the smart technology.......................................................3
Smart tourism..........................................................................................................................................3
An evaluation on smart tourism...............................................................................................................4
New smart strategies in Hospitality industries.........................................................................................5
Personalise relationship with customer and customer’s feedback and recommendation..........................5
Concerns for safety and security remain an important issue for the hospitality industry.........................6
Responding to increased interest in the long-term impacts on tourism of climate change and global
warming in the context of hospitality sector............................................................................................7
Resolving barriers to travel: visas, passports, airline services, fees, and delays in the context of
hospitality sector......................................................................................................................................7
Educating users about optimizing the application of new technologies in the hospitality industry..........8
Understanding the transformative effect that tourism has on the geopolitics of socio-economic progress
in the context of hospitality sector...........................................................................................................8
Impact on the Hospitality industry resulting from a global economic-political perspective....................8
Changes in tourism demand resulting from increased travel by emerging nations in the context of
hospitality sector......................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................10
Recommendations.....................................................................................................................................10
Self-reflection............................................................................................................................................11
References.................................................................................................................................................14
Appendix: Surprise questions....................................................................................................................17

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Introduction
The main aim of this report is to address the issues of technological changes and its
implication in the hospitality industry. This report also demonstrated that different issues faced
by the hospitality sector. Along with this, different strategies should be considered by the
hospitality industry to overcome the issues.
Technological changes and its implications in the hospitality sector
There are different key changes in hospitality sector because of smart technology such as
keyless entry, save energy, online booking, and automatic check-in and check-out. It is
evaluated that smart technology is defined as the application of data and communication for
creating innovation technique in tourism. There are different technique of smart tourism such as
mobile application and augmented reality. Smart technology is used in different manners such as
smart shopping guide, weather data, payment settings, and smart shopping guides (Li, Tryfonas,
& Li, 2016).
Key changes in hospitality sectors because of the smart technology
 Improve efficiencies
 Automating check-in and check-out
 Keyless entry
 Save energy
 Online bookings (Li, Tryfonas, & Li, 2016).
Smart tourism
It is defined as the use of data and communication in order to develop the innovative
technique in tourism. It aids in the integrated struggles at destination to address innovative
methods for gathering and using the information derived through social connectedness,

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physical infrastructure as well as organizational sources like both government and non-
government. It involves users in integrated with advanced technologies for increasing
sustainability, experience as well as efficiency (Buhalis, and Amaranggana, 2015).
The data and communication technology technique practiced related to smart tourism
such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence as well as mobile communication. It
integrates the social and commercial infrastructure related to tourism, and physical
information with such techniques for offering the smart tourism opportunities (Gretzel, Sigala,
Xiang, & Koo, 2015).
The given examples are smart tourism technique:
 Mobiles application
 Augmented reality
An evaluation on smart tourism
Tourism is a sector that may directly as well as indirectly associated with technological
advancement for cause of gaining customer satisfaction, offering the competitive benefits as well
as keeping the atmosphere. It indicated that technology can be practiced by tourism industry for
adopting the innovation in information and communication technologies. Moreover, smart
tourism involves the experience of smart tourism that makes competent to tourists to interact as
well as communicate more closely with local business, local government, local residents as well
as attraction of tourist in cities (Gretzel, Zhong, & Koo, 2016).
However, smart tourism is defined as the new smart tourism city with new market
participants, new sources, and new exchange models that dealt with the aspect of smart tourism
as well as all factors of tourism sector. In this way, smart tourism function can be illustrated in
the smart guide, payment settings, smart destination management, smart shopping instruction,

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and cycle of smart services (Boes, Buhalis, and Inversini, 2015). Within the particular cycle, smart
tourism function involves the transaction like traffic flow, weather data, online or credit card
payment, as well as registration of tourist movements (Buhalis, and Amaranggana, 2015).
New smart strategies in Hospitality industries
The most commonly found smart technology in any hotel room is to perform centered
around the room temperature as well as air conditioning. Currently, there are major chains such
as Hilton hotel have launched applications as well as digital systems that permit consumers for
remotely control to rooms. The IoT connected conditioning makes sure room is always going to
be at an appropriate temperature and that company never returns to ice cold room. However,
smart room is prepared for return and it understands what settings a customer would like to
experience (Buhalis and Amaranggana, 2015).
Hotel can offer room facilities by asking for it. Hotels can play TV channels that
customers want at the volume as well as dimmed light helps to generate the cinema effects.
While before, hotel should leave the air conditioning for all day to make sure the cool room.
Customer can turn air conditioning from app. As well as, it can leave the beach as well as know
that in ten minute walk back by the bar and room is cooling down to exact needs (Boes, Buhalis,
and Inversini, 2016).
This is not a thing of upcoming year as this smart hotel technology is presently being
practiced in choice of Holiday Inn hotels. By using the app of hotel, guests can point their
phones at wall mounted map as well as see their alternatives. They create almost experience their
dinning earlier they even leave the hotel (Matos, et. al., 2019).
Personalise relationship with customer and customer’s feedback and recommendation

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Issue: For the better implementation of tourism strategies and policies, the arrangements related
to the leadership are similarly informal (Mowforth, & Munt, 2015).
Strategy: The leadership for changes in tourism policy or tourism development must lead to the
strategic collaboration between business related to tourism and other institutions depending on
the commitments to destination consistency (Ozturk, Bilgihan, Nusair, & Okumus, 2016).
Concerns for safety and security remain an important issue for the hospitality industry
There are frequent terrorisms incidents, natural disasters such as the hurricane, Asian
tsunami, as well as forest fire, warn the hospitality suppliers and buyers to be prepared for just
imaginable crisis. For instance, the susceptibility of the hotel was made visible most recently in
the Indian city of Mumbai via assaulting from tourists that are belonging to Pakistani based
company that started in the late evening of 26 November 2008 (Pandy, 2017). The Taj Mahal
Palace, luxury hotels and Oberoi-Trident is highly visited by international businessmen as well
as more prosperous Indian nationals and celebrities were both occupied. Business was badly hit
and Mumbai hotel rates dropping by 41% in the last quarter of 2008. It has taken the long-term
procedure to return towards near-normality (Tervo-Kankare, Kaján, & Saarinen, 2018).
Strategy:
In current times, the hotel uses technology safety as well as a security system in order to
protect their guest. However, it should practice other training technique process in order to train
the workforces and educate the guests as a precaution for accidents to happen. In addition to this,
the hospitality should be more concerned about which aspects can be related to the high rate of
accidents occurring in the daily routines. With the training of security and safety, they will reach
the workforces and guest satisfaction in which they feel safe just like they are in their own house
(Brendehaug, Aall, & Dodds, 2017).

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Responding to increased interest in the long-term impacts on tourism of climate change
and global warming in the context of hospitality sector
Continued climate-driven degradation with disruption to natural and cultural heritage will
adversely impact the hospitality industry. It can reduce the attractiveness of destination and
declines the economic opportunities regarding the local communities as cultural and natural
resources are a basis of competitiveness in the tourism sector (Douglas, Lubbe, & Van Rooyen,
2018).
It is evaluated that water usage, energy consumption, generation of the enormous amount
related to garbage, failure to use recyclable and compostable products are global environmental
concerns that are neglected by hospitality industry (Baum, et. al., 2016).
Strategy:
There are different strategies that are aggressively attempting to identify the issue of
global warming as well as climate change and avoiding its impact. These are the United States
building council led program, green globe certification, and operational performance program,
and building research establishment’s environmental assessment method (Taneja, 2019).
Resolving barriers to travel: visas, passports, airline services, fees, and delays in the context
of hospitality sector
Issue: One of the main inconveniences and reasons forthe delay while traveling globally
is getting essential visa and passport. The recent increment in traveling cost to foreign is also a
major obstacle (Li, Tryfonas, & Li, 2016).
Strategy: To resolve these issues related to visa, passport, fees, and delay, the countries should
turn to the online procedure of application as per their policy. It is required to make tourism
policy to reduce or control excessive cost (dos Santos, Méxas, &Meiriño, 2017).

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Educating users about optimizing the application of new technologies in the hospitality
industry
Issue: the major challenge is that there are various people, who do not have the relevant
knowledge and understanding related to the application and use of modern techniques in the
tourism industry (Mowforth, & Munt, 2015). Strategy: to resolve this issue, the education
program should be organized. It is required to develop the understanding in common people
about the basic use of tourism mobile app and new tourist services and technologies (Ozturk,
Nusair, Okumus, &Hua, 2016).
Understanding the transformative effect that tourism has on the geopolitics of socio-
economic progress in the context of hospitality sector
Issue: The other issue is that when travel mobility is inseparably connected to the
geopolitical changes, then they are characteristically irregular and complex to make for in other
sectors. Strategy: to resolve this, great consistency and coordination of international norms
regarding the safety and protection, and global transport rules to reproduce geopolitical power
shift (Pandy, 2017).
Impact on the Hospitality industry resulting from a global economic-political perspective
There are different nations and each one is looking for its own national self-interest.
Other entity like hospitality companies leads to global economic and political integration.
Political stability, inflation rate, and GDP all affects the hospitality industry (Alazzani, Aljanadi,
& Shreim, 2019).
Strategy
Ease of traveling helps to reduce the barriers of fear, expense, and frustration. For
instance, Hilton hotel permits to access the money in almost anywhere at the global level. There

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is different multinational company that offers local transportation, flights, accommodation,and
foods and it is permitted for one-stop shopping in the context of travel booking (Fyall, 2019).
Changes in tourism demand resulting from increased travel by emerging nations in the
context of hospitality sector
There are different motivating trends in international hospitality industry as well as one
of keytrends is increasing impact related toprosperoustravelers from developing market nations
on travel spendingand investment. In outside of US, travelers through emerging marketplace
have significant effect on shape oftravel destinations as well as infrastructure investment
(Taneja, 2019).
There is a certain emerging market that is now a major engine in the context of
development in air travel. Information through IATA indicated that traffic in US is increasing at
yearly basis of 2% when development is going on by 6 to 7% in Asia-Pacific area, Middle east as
well as Africa. An emerging nation creates most of the investment in Airports hence there are 10
fastest leading airports at a global level. Along with this, in emerging markets, customers are
active user in the context of media (Baum, et. al., 2016).
Strategy
Company can deliver the services with the application of media in persuading as well as
servicing the wealthy traveler, particularly in the emerging markets. Thus, there is unique
probability to be prominent. For instance, smartphone scans as well as wearable technologies
could be applied in services of Hilton hotel like upgrading the way to hotel, requesting a room,
and keys of room and to reserve the rental car as per arrival at airport. Along with this, social
networking generates the opportunity related to marketing for hotel to reward guests in order to

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share the experience with friends as well as mentioning the special position (Li, Tryfonas, & Li,
2016).
Conclusion
From the above interpretation, it can be concluded that there are different key changes in
hospitality sector due to smart technology such as improve efficiencies, keyless entry, save
energy, as well as online bookings. It can be summarised that smart tourism is the application of
data and communication technique for creating innovation technique in tourism. It can be also
concluded that smart tourism is beneficial due to different causes such as smart shopping guide,
traffic flow, smart guide, payment settings there are different smart strategies used in hospitality
industries such as the smartest of room control, voice is the master, saving the planet, whilst on
holiday, and getting interactive with models., weather data, and registration of tourist
movements. It can be also concluded that
It can be summarised that hotel should develop personalise relationship with customer by
taking their feedbacks. Hotel should also concern for safety and security as it is key issue in
smart tourism. It can be concluded that hotel should respond to increased interest in the long-
term impacts on tourism of climate change and global warming in the context of hospitality
sector. There are also changes in tourism demand resulting from increased travel by emerging
nations in the context of hospitality sector.
Recommendations
• Short-term recommendation: Hilton Hotel should improve training and development
regarding technology as employees would be capable to handle with new technology
within company.

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• Long-term recommendation: Hilton Hotel should focus on digital technology services in
future such as motion sensor technology, automatically turned off lighting system and
reducing temperature in unoccupied room (Baum, et. al., 2016).
Self-reflection
During lecture week 3, my team member has discussed the topic that we would present.
Through the lecture, I learned that technological changes are major threat that may affect the
economy. However, I have never interpreted technological changes and its implications in
hospitality sector even though I understood that it is one of key factors that may direct impact on
profitability of hotels. We read different journal articles related to technological change in
hospitality industry.
From these articles, I found that I was not only an individual who has avoided the
evidence that technological change is major factors affecting the hospitality sector. Hotels that do
not consider the up to date technology may face challenges in terms of retaining the customers. It
is mentioned that hotels in rural areas are now going more eco-friendly as compared to ones in
the urban fields.
For the presentation on week four, I was allocated the task regarding finding the
international hotel industries as well as key changes in hospitality sector due to smart
technology. By working in hotel chain, I felt that Hilton use smart technology as it helps to
improve the efficiency, automating check-in and check-out, keyless entry, online booking, and
save energy. I have also learned that smart tourism is application of information and
communication to develop the innovative techniques in tourism. I will utilise this learning in
working in hotel as it aids to improve my professional career.

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I have increased my understanding regarding smart tourism tools such as mobile
application and augmented reality. I have also learned that smart tourism helps in considering
smart guide, smart shopping guide, traffic flow, registration of tourist movement and payment
settings. I have also developed my knowledge regarding the new strategies in the hospitality
industry. In this way, I have observed that the smartest of room controls, the voice is the master,
saving the planet, whilst on holiday as well as getting interactive with the locals. I will utilise this
knowledge to improve my professional career and become a good hotel manager.
The presentation was success as we were competent to demonstrate our findings of
research and the recommendation for hotel to be more sustainable. The Q&A session was
effective to interact with students. This research presentation has development the awareness
about the issue of hospitality industry is facing as well as, how I can support as a part of industry
in overcoming it.
As, it was the group presentation, we required to meet as well as manage the time and
meet for discussion. Due to effective coordination technique, we had managed the time with
group members. The conflicts were created because some group members were annoyed and
they made irrelevant slides. I have faced challenges due to no earlier experience regarding
presentation.
Throughout this presentation, I had improved in myself in terms of working procedure of
assignment. The auditor asked to clarify how the tourist visa procedure has been transformed
with the technology changes as well as how political concerns and global warming is related to
technological transformation. I have effectively given responses of these questions.

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References
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directors on corporate social responsibility reporting: a servant leadership perspective.
Social Responsibility Journal, 15(1), 120-136.
Baum, T., Cheung, C., Kong, H., Kralj, A., Mooney, S., Ramachandran, S., ...&Siow, M. (2016).
Sustainability and the tourism and hospitality workforce: A thematic analysis.
Sustainability, 8(8), 809.
Boes, K., Buhalis, D. and Inversini, A., 2015. Conceptualising smart tourism destination
dimensions. In Information and communication technologies in tourism 2015 (pp. 391-
403). Springer, Cham.
Boes, K., Buhalis, D. and Inversini, A., 2016. Smart tourism destinations: ecosystems for tourism
destination competitiveness. International Journal of Tourism Cities, 2(2), pp.108-124.
Boniface, B., Cooper, R., & Cooper, C. (2016).Worldwide destinations: The geography of travel
and tourism. UK: Routledge.
Brendehaug, E., Aall, C., &Dodds, R. (2017). Environmental policy integration as a strategy for
sustainable tourism planning: issues in implementation. Journal of Sustainable Tourism,
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Buhalis, D. and Amaranggana, A., 2015. Smart tourism destinations enhancing tourism
experience through personalisation of services. In Information and communication
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Coccossis, H. (2016). Sustainable development and tourism: Opportunities and threats to cultural
heritage from tourism. InCultural tourism and sustainable local development (pp. 65-74).
UK: Routledge.

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dos Santos, R. A., Méxas, M. P., &Meiriño, M. J. (2017). Sustainability and hotel business:
criteria for holistic, integrated and participative development. Journal of cleaner
production, 142, 217-224.
Douglas, A., Lubbe, B., & Van Rooyen, A. (2018). Business travelers’ use of mobile travel
applications: a generational analysis. Information Technology & Tourism, 18(1-4), 113-
132.
EdgellSr, D. L. (2016). Managing sustainable tourism: A legacy for the future. UK: Routledge.
Fyall, A. (2019). Tourism Destination Re-positioning and Strategies.In The Future of Tourism
(pp. 271-283). USA: Springer, Cham.
Gretzel, U., Sigala, M., Xiang, Z., & Koo, C. (2015). Smart tourism: foundations and
developments. Electronic Markets, 25(3), 179-188.
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Matos, A., Pinto, B., Barros, F., Martins, S., Martins, J. and Au-Yong-Oliveira, M., 2019, April.
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Mowforth, M., & Munt, I. (2015).Tourism and sustainability: Development, globalization and
new tourism in the third world. UK: Routledge.
Ozturk, A. B., Bilgihan, A., Nusair, K., &Okumus, F. (2016). What keeps the mobile hotel
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Ozturk, A. B., Nusair, K., Okumus, F., &Hua, N. (2016). The role of utilitarian and hedonic
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202-223.

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Appendix: Surprise questions
Question 1: What technology trend is next on the horizon for the hospitality industry?
Answer:
Customer-facing apps might have already seen huge success, but we believe the next big
disruptive technology trend will be behind the scenes, connecting employers to staff. The
recruitment industry has already been affected by technology, as job websites rapidly replace
traditional staffing agencies. But with the high costs of hiring through an agency and the
introduction of new technologies, the sector is ripe for further changes.
Question 2: What are the biggest problems facing the hospitality industry and which
technology helps to solve them?
Answer:
Poor understanding of your guests’ habits: CRM Tool.
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool will give you a profile of each guest, as well
as insights to their behaviour and preferences, which will help you follow up with surveys and
marketing campaigns post stay.
Dropped guest requests: Workflow Management Tool
According to a recent article, a shocking 25% of hoteliers still use pen and paper to manage their
properties. Most existing platforms are restricted to a single department, increasing the likelihood
that the request is dropped as employees manually hand it off to one another. So when choosing
a workflow management system, make sure it can communicate across every department.
Question 3: what arethe latest innovative technologies which the hospitality industry needs
to adapt for future growth and better guest experiences?
Answer:

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New Technologies like Virtual Reality (VR), Voice Assistants, Wearable Technology, Artificial
Intelligence,and Robotscan change the way how a hotelier manages his business as well as
completely revamp the guest experience.
Question 4: For the hospitality industry why new ideas and new technologies are Essential?
Answer:
In this era visitors want more than just a place to lay their head, they are searching for an
experience with more hotels providing innovations and new technologies. In hospitality industry
software exists from a long time, which is why there is still a prevalence of on-premise legacy
systems. In an industry that’s fast-walking and progressing, hotel owners will require innovation
and new technology to help to keep them up to date.
Question 5:Whichfactors affectingthe hospitality sector?
Answer:Growing Leisure,Income, Safety & Security, Technology change and Demographic are
essential factors that affecting travel and tourism.