The ‘Palau de Congressos’ venue in Palma (Mallorca-Islas Baleares) has hosted this year’s meeting on technological innovation of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), a congress that focuses on the technological development of the travel industry and in which attendees have discussed Artificial Intelligence, network security, mobile applications, room control, wi-fi services or cloud computing. The organizers also proposed a training program that, on this occasion, placed special emphasis on “data analysis, price dynamics, technology for employees, IoT, the General Data Protection Regulations in force since May 2018, as well as guest interaction and loyalty“.
In this scenario to address the disruptive changes in the business and technology world over the next 5 years, the CEO and co-founder of our brand Dingus and corporate Hitt Group was invited to participate in the panel ‘Different Voices’ moderated by Klaus Kohlmayr, (Chief Evangelist Ideas). Jaume Monserrat addressed issues such as the movement of data to the cloud and innovations such as open APIs.
In his opinion, “we agree that the adoption of cloud computing is being rapid in industries, and that of tourism is no exception. In fact, spending on it is expected to grow six times faster than IT investment in 2020. Large companies have already developed software-as-a-service strategies for adopting new systems, or are trying to move most of their business systems to the cloud”.
As for the API concept, Monserrat believes that “it has come to favour and facilitate the modernisation processes themselves, providing standardisation and security. Bet on products that incorporate a clear API strategy will mean increasing levels of operational agility and take advantage of new capabilities to promote innovative business solutions. In my opinion, said the businessman, bet on open innovation is an element towards business competitiveness“.
Transferring to the debate forum what has to do with the central reservations, Jaume Monserrat defended them as “one of the most important and significant information systems for the tourism industry. Its relevance lies, among other things, in the change in profile experienced by tourists, who travel more, decide at the last minute, and make multiple changes thanks to Internet access that provides immediate supply. The general environments of the activity have changed, they are more complex, dynamic and changing, with much more pressure from the competition derived from globalization. So, in addition to having a good product, it is necessary to design and execute a good marketing and positioning strategy, to optimize occupancy results. As a supplier – concluded the CEO of dingus – I believe that the CRS offer guarantees of reliability in real time, assuring the quality of the product. And if we add to this its cloud-based operation, we will have a product that is absolutely strategic and scalable in terms of managing operating costs “.
This Roc&Doc event panel focused on the increased complexity of distribution channels, the ‘battle’ for the online and offline customer, and the acceleration of the technology innovation curve, among other aspects. In addition to Dingus, representatives from Sandos Hotels, CitizenM, Duetto, HotelBeds, Destinia, Logitravel and TravelgateX participated.
