Three hot tech topics dominating HITEC 2022

Technology advances are redefining customer expectations in the hospitality industry, a transformation that presents hotels with both opportunities and challenges. At the 2022 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference in Orlando, Florida (HITEC Orlando 2022), three innovation focus areas drew robust discussion: cybersecurity, digital transformation and improving guest experiences.

While each of these topics carry their own unique concerns, all three speak to a common view of attendees at HITEC 2022 Orlando: Hoteliers must think holistically and with an eye to the future, ensuring they are not left behind while competitors increase their investment in technology-driven improvements that provide a safer, more seamless overall travel experience.

Cybersecurity: Safeguarding your network and data from cyber-criminals

Hospitality is the third most likely industry to be data-breached, just behind retail and finance;¹ several recent headline-making cases have made hotels increasingly eager to prioritize cyber-protection in their planning.

Hotels accumulate all kinds of valuable client data on a constant basis, covering everything from birthdays to credit card and passport information. These troves of personally identifiable information (PPI) present irresistible targets for dark-web purveyors of long-distance fraud and theft.

At HITEC Orlando 2022, multiple speakers discussed measures hotels must take to reduce their own and their guests’ exposure to cyberfraud. This includes the embrace of managed solutions, which improve threat visibility without constricting access to vital cloud and WiFi services.

In 2021, the average cost of a single data breach worldwide hit an all-time high: $4.24 million.² As hoteliers begin to enjoy renewed profitability with the global return of travel for business and recreation alike, they are also conscious of the danger such a surge can bring from opportunistic cybercriminals. Possible breaches of data collected from cloud services, Internet of Things (IOT) devices, virtual check-in apps and smart-room technology collectively raise the bar on hotel IT to think proactively as well as protectively.

In fact, in a recent survey, hoteliers ranked data security as “highly important” nearly as much as they rank physical security [68% versus 74%].³ Fortunately, hotel IT departments have recourse to reliable threat protection tools and systems; many of these were spotlighted in detail at HITEC Orlando 2022.

Managed service solutions offer opportunities to protect data behind sturdy firewalls, while allowing guests to enjoy the conveniences they expect. Such defenses also guard against phishing, ransomware, and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, all of which continue to be commonly reported at hotels.

Digital Transformation: Redefining what’s possible in hospitality

Network modernization is essential for hotels who want to stand out in a market driven by the expectations of today’s more tech-centric traveler. At HITEC Orlando 2022, seizing opportunities for digital transformation was an oft-repeated theme.

Agility and scalability remain critical for any growth-focused business; so too are access to 24/7/365 support and to Ethernet as well as other technologies. In the hospitality industry, building a critical network foundation is a vital first step toward realizing growth opportunities and competitive advantages in disruptive times.

Data collection, automation and the need for a reimagined IT were discussed in detail at HITEC Orlando 2022; a reimagined IT infrastructure, for example, can facilitate a 360-degree customer view that allows entrepreneurial hoteliers to serve guests better and thus deepen their loyalty.

Rising inflation and the scarcity of staff are forcing a profound rethinking by hotels in terms of what they spend, what systems they have in place and how best to foster efficiencies. Employing robots and AI to undertake more mundane tasks allow hotels to better focus human resources on the guests themselves and less on processes that add little value to the overall experience and can prove burdensome to workers in the course of a busy workday.

Hotels rank increasing employee productivity and reducing tech management costs as being of “high” or “extremely high” priority (a combined 68% for employee productivity; 58% for reducing tech costs).⁴

Guest Experiences: How less contact means more

Today’s hotel guests increasingly expect touchless convenience and smartphone-ready services as part of their room fee. They do not want to talk to hotel staff unless they have a specific need. While today’s technology unlocks new avenues of value and enjoyment, it is also forcing hotels to rethink how they meet, greet, and treat their guests.

At HITEC Orlando 2022, many agreed that business as usual will no longer work. If hotels are going to compete in a tech-focused industry, they must rethink what they use for infrastructure and networks.

“Smart hotel rooms” was one common topic along these lines at the event, a term which is being redefined beyond the increased automation of such things as room service and restocking minibars to an age where room climate is controlled by voice and AI-driven, data-informed personalization allows hospitality leaders to create a richer guest experience – and an opportunity to further distance themselves from the rest of the field. Personalization is emerging in 2022 as a vital differentiator: Eighty-one percent of hospitality consumers now say they are willing to switch loyalty for a more personalized experience.⁵

Hotels are discovering the value of upgrading the television experience in their guest rooms. Today’s hotel In-room entertainment technology should include a Guest Marketing Platform – where traditional TV line-ups, over-the-top (OTT) media service and streaming all play major roles. Such investment further distinguishes aspirant hotels by generating greater personalization and guest loyalty, with difference-making innovations including the ability to “cast” programming from a smartphone to a receptive set. Touch-free check-ins are not only expected in today’s environment, HITEC participants noted, they are embraced as a convenient way for guests to begin their stay quickly and on their own terms. Seventy-four percent of hotels either are adopting or planning to adopt contactless technology for such things as check-in, food ordering, concierge services and more.⁶

Putting it all together

Hotels face a myriad of daunting challenges all at once: satisfying more demanding guests, adapting to more sophisticated technology, protecting data from cyber-savvy criminals, reducing service costs and realizing operational efficiencies, among others.

In this environment, technology is no longer the concern of IT executives alone. It must involve everyone in a hospitality enterprise: from marketing officers to safety directors to operations managers and more. Throughout the four-day HITEC Orlando event, hoteliers discussed how best they can surmount the challenges of this new era.

One such approach is to consider managed solutions offerings that lay more of the operational burden on outside vendors, leaving hotels free to focus on using technological innovation to amaze guests, improve employee satisfaction and enhance bottom-line returns. As hotels seek new opportunities to engage and excite their customers, they do well to begin by examining a strategic partnership which allows them to leverage the technology expertise of others while they focus on the burgeoning business of hospitality itself.

Learn how to make these HITEC takeaways a part of your path forward.

¹ 2020 Trustwave Global Security Report | Trustwave
² https://newsroom.ibm.com/2021-07-28-IBM-Report-Cost-of-a-Data-Breach-Hits-Record-High-During-Pandemic
³ “Lodging Technology Study: Redefining the Guest Experience,” (Hospitality Technology, 2022).
⁴ “Lodging Technology Study: Redefining the Guest Experience,” (Hospitality Technology, 2022).
⁵ https://www.hotelmanagement.net/tech/why-2022-year-convergence-and-reimagining-hospitality
⁶ “Lodging Technology Study: Redefining the Guest Experience,” (Hospitality Technology, 2022).