Transforming Hospitality: Technology and the Power of Data

As part of the Travel Technology Investment Trends 2024 research, we surveyed 1,200 technology leaders from across the travel industry, including hospitality leaders. The research benchmarks how hospitality leaders are making strategic bets on digital transformation. 

In this episode, we sit down with Maria Taylor, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Partnerships, and Commercial Operations for Hospitality, Amadeus, and Martin Cowen, Contributing Editor to delve into how hospitality leaders are planning their investments for the future. 

Tune in to this episode to explore: 

• Following the shift to online booking tools in the late '90s, approximately 60% to 65% of hotel room sales are now conducted online, allowing sales teams to focus on high-value tasks that drive revenue. 
• Hotels worldwide are facing significant labor challenges, with 67% reporting staff shortages. 
• 85% of hoteliers believe that personalization can deliver incremental revenue and a much better guest experience. 

What can we expect in this next exciting chapter of our industry? Tune in to find out. 

To stay up to date on the latest news from Amadeus, and to catch the next episodes in our series, check out the resource center on our website or follow us on Spotify or Apple podcasts.  

To stay up to date on the latest news from Amadeus, and to catch the next episodes in our series, check out the Resource section on our website or follow us on Spotify or Apple podcasts.

Transcript

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(upbeat music)

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- Good morning, good

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...afternoon, or good evening.

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Whatever time of day it is,
welcome to the latest Travel

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...Technology Investment
Trends podcast from Amadeus.

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And my name is Martin Cowan.

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I'm a contributing editor for
Amadeus, and I'm the host of today's

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...podcast, in which we're gonna
be talking about hospitality.

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We're gonna be focusing on the current

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...state of play in the hotel
technology landscape.

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We're gonna be referencing
some of the findings

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...from the Amadeus research
into their technology spend.

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We're gonna be explaining
the connection between

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...these tech spend decisions
and today's guest expectations.

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And we're gonna throw in some real

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...world and personal experiences as well.

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So let me introduce my

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...guest on today's podcast.

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It's Maria Taylor, who is, and let me
get this right, she is Senior Vice President

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...of Marketing, Partnerships and Commercial
Operations for Hospitality for Amadeus.

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Hi, Maria.

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- Hi, Martin.

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Great to join you on the podcast today.

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- Yeah, just briefly, so what does
the Vice President of Marketing,

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Partnerships and Commercial Operations
for Hospitality do on a day-to-day basis?

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- So having four, and

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...we will add ESG as well.

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So I also have sustainability.

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ESG, apologies.

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You need a new business card.

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- It just didn't fit on

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...the business card.

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I moved into this role

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...in January this year,

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and I actually, I'm Australian, you can
probably tell from my accent, but I spent

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...the last 16 years in Singapore and I moved
to Madrid earlier this year to adopt this role.

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So it's a really exciting
role because it has

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...lots of differences
across the organization.

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So I work across the whole of our

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...hospitality organization
and all our products.

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- Great, so perfect person to

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...talk about technology investment.

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Absolutely.

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Spending trends then.

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Okay, so let's get going.

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So there's a lot

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...going on in hospitality.

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There's a lot going on in technology.

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There's a lot going on

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...in hospitality technology.

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And I'm assuming anybody listening in

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...to this has heard
about AI, generative AI.

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Arguably, it's the most transformative

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...technology of our lifetime.

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But I don't know, there's been
a shift recently that I've noticed

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...looking at the hospitality
technology space from the outside.

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There seems to have

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...been a shift recently.

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And that's the realization
that artificial intelligence

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...is only as good as
the data that it can feed on,

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which is good news, but it's no
news to the hotel industry because

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...the hotel industry knows that you
need good data for more than just AI.

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Data, as we know, is relevant at

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...every touch point for every hotel.

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So anything that we talk about in

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...this podcast is gonna
have a data angle.

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So what we'll do is we'll
look at the issues and

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...the issues and the bigger
picture themes and trends

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and apply data to that as well.

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So let's start off with
probably the most important

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...part of the hospitality
industry, which is the guest.

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Without the guests, there's

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...no hospitality industry.

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So Maria, can I just ask,

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what guest trends is Amadeus
seeing when it comes to

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...how and what guests are
expecting from their hotel provider?

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We're looking in terms
of the search, shop, book

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...and pay experience before
they get to the property.

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We're looking at
the on-property experience, both

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...ways in which both of those
processes can be personalized.

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So what are the challenges
that hoteliers are facing and

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...what are the solutions you
think are out there in the market?

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- So Martin, in the recent research
we did, 85% of hoteliers feels that

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...personalization could deliver incremental
revenue and a much better guest experience.

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Specifically, hotels are keen
to offer to the customers what

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...the customer wants without
the customers having to ask for it.

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So customers are expecting hotels or
hotel brands that they've stayed in before to

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...know them, know what their preferences
are, and then to deliver on those preferences.

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Now, hotels also need to
ensure that any communication,

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any marketing that they do to
the customers is personalized.

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You know, how often we hear
from our customers saying that

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...the marketing they receive
from hotels is not relevant to them.

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Martin, I'm sure you've got that
email that tells you about the great

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...Sunday brunch when you're staying
there from Monday to Friday in a hotel.

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Data underpins all of that.

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In our integrated booking
suite, so that's our iHotelier

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...product that's got a CRM
with web solutions and media

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thrown into it, that goes through the whole
personalization stage from dreaming about where you're

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...going to stay to selecting your hotel, to
booking it, to when you stay, and then to post-stay.

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It covers the whole journey, but there is, you
were talking about data, there's a phenomenal

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...amount of data points under there that hotels
need to use and need technology to use successfully.

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On the marketing side

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...and personalization side,

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I've got a really good example with

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...one of our customers, Trans Hotel Bali.

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If you don't know this hotel,
it's a luxurious five-star hotel

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...located in Bali, which is one of
my favorite places in the world.

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And they did a personalized

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...digital media strategy.

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So, we worked with them with their CRM,

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with their booking engine,

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with really targeted campaign.

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And what it led to was a 40%
increase in ADR over the prior year, and

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...a significant boost to direct bookings
coming via their websites, the OTA.

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But that's not possible without having

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...that right data that they can leverage.

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- I mean, it's interesting

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...that you talked about

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the Upstar Luxury Hotel in Bali.

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One thing about personalization
that I've always found quite

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...interesting is that the extent to
which different types of guests

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have a different expectation
on the degree to which their stay

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...will be personalized based on
the type of hotel they stayed in.

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I was recently at WTM.

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I stayed at the Ibis, very functional.

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I had no expectation of

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...a personalized experience.

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It was very functional for me.

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So, is there a way in which, does Amadeus
have different personalization tools for different

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...hotels depending on, as I said, what degree
of personalization the guests are expecting?

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- Yeah, absolutely.

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And you're right.

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In an economy hotel, there's

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...still personalization requirements.

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If you go and stay at that Ibis that

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...you stayed at for
WTM, I know Ibis well.

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I worked with the core

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...hotels for over 20 years.

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You still expect them to remember
you, remember your preferences, whether

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...that be a queen bed or twin bed,
whether that be a low floor or a high floor.

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They know all your details.

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So, every time you go there, you

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...are not having to complete anything.

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So, economy hotels, mid-scale hotels,

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there's basic requirements
that a customer wants.

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When you go more upscale, and

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...particularly when you get to luxury,

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the expectation is for

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...a seriously personalized service,

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that you know that customer.

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If you're paying thousands of euros,

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thousands of dollars
a night for a hotel room,

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which is not uncommon these days, you

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...want that stay to be
completely personalized.

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I have a personal example of

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...that, actually in South Africa.

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Arrived at the hotel and you get picked up from
the landing strip, you get driven to the hotel, and you

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...have the ranger who's gonna take you out, you know,
looking for animals throughout the week, pick you up.

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Just talk to you generally

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...about how your stay was.

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Where have you been

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...in South Africa so far?

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So, chatted away to them,

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got to check-in, checked in.

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By the time we got to our room,

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in our room was a bottle of wine.

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And we had talked to the guy
on the way in about going to

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...the vineyard of Hamilton Russell,
and how we loved this wine.

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The hotel had that wine
in the room, in the 10

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...minutes it took to check
in and get to the room.

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They also had in the room, you know,

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food and drink that
were our favorite chips,

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our favorite beverages.

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Pre-arrival, they had

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...researched online.

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They'd got information

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...from different interviews

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that I'd done, and it was

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...a completely personalized experience.

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- And that sort of almost leads onto
another question that I was going to ask

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...about how data can impact on
the operational delivery of the personalization,

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requirements.

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I mean, I have examples around,

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you know, pillow menus, for example.

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How does housekeeping
know that the couple in room

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...27 want one super hard
and one medium hard pillow?

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How does data make that
on-site delivery of those

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...personalization requirements
efficient and effective?

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- So for a hotel to offer

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...true personalization,

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and to offer it at scale, remember

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...hotels might have a thousand rooms.

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So they've got a thousand different

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...personalization requirements.

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They need workflow management tools.

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They need CRM with customer data.

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You know, at Armadais,

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we call it service optimization.

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So that's about having all the details stored in
your CRM, you know, then it flows into the PMS

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...system, and then starts automatically triggering to
your workflow management personalization requests.

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So last time you stayed at

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...the hotel, you wanted a pillow menu.

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That's stored in your profile.

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It goes through to
the service optimization

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...system, and that pillow is in your room

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when housekeeping makes up the room,

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they have that pillow
in your room for arrival.

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Or it might be, I don't

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...know, a fruit basket.

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Every time you stay, you're a regular

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...guest, they give you a fruit basket.

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A really good example I've
personally had of that is the first

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...time I stayed in a hotel,
and this wasn't a luxury hotel.

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This was a business mid-scale hotel.

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They gave me a fruit basket.

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I went back there a few
weeks later, and they

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...gave me a fruit basket that
was half grapes, half fruit.

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The previous time, the only

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...thing I'd eaten was grapes.

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This time, they gave me more grapes.

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I went back the third
time, second time I

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...ate all the grapes,
didn't eat any of the fruit.

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Went back the third time,

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I had a basket of grapes.

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Now, that's true personalization,

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and that's between using

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...your staff and your technology.

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Now, your staff have to see, hear, know what
you're doing, what you like in a hotel, and then they have

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...to record it, and they record it into their guest
profile system, their CRM, guest management solution.

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- Yeah, it's interesting that you

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...talked about staff and technology.

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I mean, there is the argument,
which I think, to be fair, is less prevalent

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...these days, about technology destroying
the human element of the hospitality

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industry, and it seems, from what
you're saying, that technology, when

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...used correctly, can actually enhance
the on-property guest experience.

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I'm also just thinking

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...in terms of staffing.

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00:11:48,761 --> 00:11:50,743
I know that there's a staff

239
00:11:50,748 --> 00:11:52,440
...shortages and issues.

240
00:11:52,441 --> 00:11:55,734
All hoteliers at all price
points in all markets, all

241
00:11:55,739 --> 00:11:59,160
...geographies, are finding
it difficult to attract staff.

242
00:11:59,161 --> 00:12:03,705
So, is there a connection between using
technology and empowering staff, using technology to

243
00:12:03,710 --> 00:12:08,161
...give staff more room for personal growth,
or is, or dare you say it, is technology a cost?

244
00:12:16,770 --> 00:12:19,038
Can technology be used

245
00:12:19,043 --> 00:12:22,040
...to help reduce staff costs?

246
00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:24,000
- So, a bit of both.

247
00:12:24,001 --> 00:12:25,660
Technology can certainly be

248
00:12:25,665 --> 00:12:27,760
...used to help reduce staff costs,

249
00:12:28,610 --> 00:12:30,460
but these days, it's not so

250
00:12:30,465 --> 00:12:32,800
...much about reducing staff costs.

251
00:12:32,801 --> 00:12:34,584
It's just there's staff

252
00:12:34,589 --> 00:12:37,000
...shortages all over the world.

253
00:12:37,001 --> 00:12:39,640
There's challenges getting staff, yeah?

254
00:12:39,641 --> 00:12:44,062
There was a report released recently by
the American Hotel and Lodging Association, AHLA,

255
00:12:44,067 --> 00:12:48,641
and they showed that 67% of US hotels
surveyed said they're experiencing staffing shortages.

256
00:12:52,601 --> 00:12:57,096
Yeah, I've come out of Asia, and you
think countries like China or Vietnam

257
00:12:57,101 --> 00:13:01,601
...or Indonesia don't have, those
countries also all have staffing shortages.

258
00:13:04,601 --> 00:13:08,147
So, we're asked about
what we can do to help with

259
00:13:08,152 --> 00:13:12,200
...this all the time, and there's
a few interesting things.

260
00:13:12,201 --> 00:13:16,565
One of the things we're finding is that a lot of
hotels where they've got either multiple hotels in

261
00:13:16,570 --> 00:13:21,201
...the city or an owner has multiple hotels in the city,
they're now clustering something like housekeeping.

262
00:13:25,001 --> 00:13:29,496
So, instead of having three or four different
sets of housekeeping people, they have one set, so

263
00:13:29,501 --> 00:13:34,001
...they get a bit more flexibility across the hotels,
but for that, they need a housekeeping system

264
00:13:37,401 --> 00:13:41,896
that then looks at those
four hotels virtually as one

265
00:13:41,901 --> 00:13:46,401
...hotel, so they can allocate
Maria into the Ibis today

266
00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:51,798
and tomorrow into the Marriott
and maybe this afternoon into

267
00:13:51,803 --> 00:13:56,480
...the independent hotels, and
outsourced housekeeping also uses it.

268
00:13:58,161 --> 00:14:02,230
So, this clustering
ability with housekeeping

269
00:14:02,235 --> 00:14:05,600
...is really important for the staffing.

270
00:14:06,525 --> 00:14:09,920
Another area is sales.

271
00:14:09,921 --> 00:14:13,019
So, Martin, you won't
believe it, but it is very

272
00:14:13,024 --> 00:14:16,000
...hard, very, very hard
to get good salespeople,

273
00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:18,142
and it's very hard to

274
00:14:18,147 --> 00:14:19,320
...keep good salespeople.

275
00:14:19,321 --> 00:14:23,520
They're hard to find,
and hotels are trying to

276
00:14:23,525 --> 00:14:27,640
...work out how to best
utilize the salespeople.

277
00:14:27,641 --> 00:14:32,136
It's really not even so much about cost-saving,
it's about once you've got a good person,

278
00:14:32,141 --> 00:14:36,641
you want to make sure that they are focused
on things that are gonna make the most money.

279
00:14:38,881 --> 00:14:43,346
So, years ago, we sort of moved
sales out of a lot of the individual room

280
00:14:43,351 --> 00:14:47,881
...sales, 'cause we went to online
booking tools, you know, in the late '90s.

281
00:14:48,441 --> 00:14:53,113
So, now probably 60, 65% of
hotel room sales are done via online,

282
00:14:53,118 --> 00:14:57,441
whether that be a hotel's
website or whether that be an OTA.

283
00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:01,740
But a big part of the business

284
00:15:01,745 --> 00:15:03,640
...is meeting rooms as well.

285
00:15:04,590 --> 00:15:09,193
Many hotels have significant
meeting room space, and, you know,

286
00:15:09,198 --> 00:15:13,590
up until now, meeting rooms
have been a very manual booking.

287
00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:17,004
I don't know if you've ever tried to

288
00:15:17,009 --> 00:15:19,680
...book a meeting room
for 40 or 50 people.

289
00:15:19,681 --> 00:15:21,908
You go out to three hotels, you ask

290
00:15:21,913 --> 00:15:24,400
...for a quote, goes to the salespeople.

291
00:15:24,450 --> 00:15:26,843
It probably takes 48 hours to 72

292
00:15:26,848 --> 00:15:29,320
...hours to get the response back.

293
00:15:29,321 --> 00:15:30,232
Then you've got to

294
00:15:30,237 --> 00:15:31,560
...review the three quotes.

295
00:15:31,561 --> 00:15:32,682
Then you've got to go

296
00:15:32,687 --> 00:15:34,080
...back to the salesperson.

297
00:15:34,081 --> 00:15:35,003
Then the salesperson

298
00:15:35,008 --> 00:15:36,120
...has to confirm to you.

299
00:15:36,121 --> 00:15:39,311
The whole process,
both from the booker and

300
00:15:39,316 --> 00:15:43,600
...the hotel, is labor-intensive,
waste of time, inefficient.

301
00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:48,028
So, what we've just
released is what we call Delphi

302
00:15:48,033 --> 00:15:51,640
...Direct, and we think it's
a real game-changer for hotels.

303
00:15:52,790 --> 00:15:54,906
The majority of meetings in hotels all

304
00:15:54,911 --> 00:15:57,200
...over the world are for simple meetings.

305
00:15:57,201 --> 00:15:58,640
They're less than 100 people.

306
00:15:58,641 --> 00:15:59,696
They're for training

307
00:15:59,701 --> 00:16:01,080
...sessions, team meetings,

308
00:16:02,030 --> 00:16:04,412
getting their employees together now

309
00:16:04,417 --> 00:16:07,400
...that there's so much
of a remote workforce.

310
00:16:07,401 --> 00:16:09,080
And they just want basic requirements.

311
00:16:09,081 --> 00:16:13,386
They want a meeting room, and
they want what we call a day-delicate

312
00:16:13,391 --> 00:16:18,081
...package, yeah, morning tea, lunch,
afternoon tea, projector and a screen.

313
00:16:19,561 --> 00:16:24,088
So, now an organizer or a PA,
whoever's booking a meeting, can just go

314
00:16:24,093 --> 00:16:28,561
...online, look for a meeting room,
just like they look for a hotel room

315
00:16:29,246 --> 00:16:33,998
now on an OTA, and they can book
it, confirm it in the space for a couple

316
00:16:34,003 --> 00:16:38,246
...of minutes, saving both the hotel
and the customer a lot of time.

317
00:16:40,820 --> 00:16:43,240
It will be a real game-changer.

318
00:16:43,241 --> 00:16:46,329
Within a few years,
I think all meetings

319
00:16:46,334 --> 00:16:49,880
...except the large ones
will be booked that way.

320
00:16:49,881 --> 00:16:53,269
- It's an argument around
technology can boost, is

321
00:16:53,274 --> 00:16:56,800
...more about cost efficiency
rather than cost savings.

322
00:16:56,801 --> 00:17:01,274
So, you get the most out of the teams that you
have by utilizing the technology available to optimize

323
00:17:01,279 --> 00:17:05,801
...their working day while hopefully making their
working day easier because they know exactly what it is

324
00:17:10,730 --> 00:17:12,480
that they've got to do.

325
00:17:12,481 --> 00:17:16,551
We cannot not talk about
sustainability, particularly as I did

326
00:17:16,556 --> 00:17:20,760
...miss it off your job responsibilities
earlier on in the podcast.

327
00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,510
What did the Travel
Technology Investment

328
00:17:23,515 --> 00:17:26,800
...Trends Survey for hoteliers
say about sustainability?

329
00:17:26,801 --> 00:17:29,049
And where is technology playing into

330
00:17:29,054 --> 00:17:32,120
...the sustainability demands
that hoteliers have?

331
00:17:32,121 --> 00:17:36,710
And again, we're looking at those
sustainability demands from the guest,

332
00:17:36,715 --> 00:17:41,121
but increasingly there's also
sustainability demands from regulators.

333
00:17:42,401 --> 00:17:46,989
OTAs are increasingly asking hoteliers
to provide sustainable information

334
00:17:46,994 --> 00:17:51,401
...so that the OTAs can surface that
information during the booking flow.

335
00:17:51,601 --> 00:17:53,642
There's a whole gamut of connections

336
00:17:53,647 --> 00:17:55,920
...between technology and sustainability.

337
00:17:55,921 --> 00:17:57,709
So, just maybe sort of top

338
00:17:57,714 --> 00:17:59,920
...line, where's Amadeus on this?

339
00:17:59,921 --> 00:18:01,389
- So, firstly, where's

340
00:18:01,394 --> 00:18:02,800
...the industry on it?

341
00:18:02,801 --> 00:18:06,979
So, 87% of respondents confirm
that sustainability objectives are

342
00:18:06,984 --> 00:18:11,801
...important or very important driver of
technology investment at their hotel.

343
00:18:13,990 --> 00:18:17,798
However, what hotels want to do around

344
00:18:17,803 --> 00:18:22,720
...technology and
sustainability is still unclear.

345
00:18:22,721 --> 00:18:27,152
So, the most important request we are receiving
from hotels and from the industry bodies, such as we're

346
00:18:27,157 --> 00:18:31,721
...a partner with World Hospitality, World Sustainable
Hospitality Alliance, and that's around accessibility.

347
00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:41,617
So, WSHA, they have, all the big

348
00:18:41,622 --> 00:18:44,240
...brands are represented there.

349
00:18:44,241 --> 00:18:46,920
The OTAs are represented there.

350
00:18:46,921 --> 00:18:48,764
It's come together as a really good

351
00:18:48,769 --> 00:18:51,040
...alliance, bringing
the industry together.

352
00:18:51,041 --> 00:18:53,996
The two main things to tackle through

353
00:18:54,001 --> 00:18:57,280
...technology is right now, accessibility.

354
00:18:57,281 --> 00:19:01,093
And the other one is getting some

355
00:19:01,098 --> 00:19:05,840
...sort of generic sustainability ratings.

356
00:19:05,841 --> 00:19:07,523
It doesn't matter where you

357
00:19:07,528 --> 00:19:09,840
...go, it's a different rating system.

358
00:19:09,841 --> 00:19:14,448
And so, trying to come across
as an industry and find somehow

359
00:19:14,453 --> 00:19:18,841
...where we can benchmark all
the different rating systems so

360
00:19:19,642 --> 00:19:23,881
that the customer knows
that they're legitimate, not just

361
00:19:23,886 --> 00:19:28,642
...the hotel having said, yes,
we're a five-star sustainable hotel.

362
00:19:30,290 --> 00:19:34,810
Accessibility, though, I think will be
the first thing that we tackle and the first thing

363
00:19:34,815 --> 00:19:39,290
...the industry wants tackling because there's
a lot of legislation coming out around that.

364
00:19:40,961 --> 00:19:45,544
Yeah, in Europe, in the US in particular,
from next year, there's quite a bit

365
00:19:45,549 --> 00:19:49,961
...of legislation, both as an employer
and as a company around accessibility.

366
00:19:51,801 --> 00:19:56,228
So, you'd think it's quite easy,
but what we're looking to do is

367
00:19:56,233 --> 00:20:00,801
...how can we display better
accessibility features to the travelers?

368
00:20:00,841 --> 00:20:03,677
And then how can we
better display a traveler's

369
00:20:03,682 --> 00:20:06,760
...accessibility needs back
to hotels and to airlines?

370
00:20:06,761 --> 00:20:11,256
So, right now, electronically,
whether it be an OTA or whether it

371
00:20:11,261 --> 00:20:15,761
...be a GDS system, there's really
one code that says accessibility.

372
00:20:16,841 --> 00:20:19,919
Does that mean it's
for hearing impaired,

373
00:20:19,924 --> 00:20:23,520
sight impaired, wheelchair,
what does that mean?

374
00:20:23,521 --> 00:20:25,739
So, the person with accessibility needs

375
00:20:25,744 --> 00:20:28,480
...arrives at the airport
or arrives at the hotel

376
00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:32,059
and it's only then that the hotel or

377
00:20:32,064 --> 00:20:35,160
...airline knows what the needs are.

378
00:20:35,161 --> 00:20:39,150
So, trying to get that in
advance to the hotels and to

379
00:20:39,155 --> 00:20:43,440
...the airlines and to the airports,
that will be a big help.

380
00:20:43,441 --> 00:20:47,675
And trying to get to the end
traveler so that they've got a true

381
00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:52,441
...knowledge and understanding of
what is available for them at the hotels.

382
00:20:54,721 --> 00:20:56,127
Right now, hotels will

383
00:20:56,132 --> 00:20:57,800
...have an accessible room.

384
00:20:58,700 --> 00:20:59,680
What does that mean?

385
00:20:59,681 --> 00:21:04,410
Does it mean it has a shower that's
fitted out or does it mean it's for visually

386
00:21:04,415 --> 00:21:08,681
...impaired, it's set up right, or for
hearing impaired, it's set up right?

387
00:21:10,345 --> 00:21:12,105
That's almost impossible

388
00:21:12,110 --> 00:21:13,360
...to come across.

389
00:21:13,361 --> 00:21:15,440
So, it's a hard area to tackle.

390
00:21:15,441 --> 00:21:19,990
In an electronic booking environment,
it's not as simple as it seems 'cause there's

391
00:21:19,995 --> 00:21:24,441
...very many different accessibility needs,
but we need to tackle it as an industry.

392
00:21:25,721 --> 00:21:27,617
- An enabler of the industry's

393
00:21:27,622 --> 00:21:29,080
...ability to tackle it.

394
00:21:29,081 --> 00:21:33,413
I don't think technology in and of itself is
the answer to this, but technology by surfacing

395
00:21:33,418 --> 00:21:38,081
...the information in the right way to the customer
at the right time, at the same time as making sure

396
00:21:40,650 --> 00:21:43,477
that what has been promised is actually

397
00:21:43,482 --> 00:21:47,040
...delivered on site is all
to do with technology.

398
00:21:47,041 --> 00:21:51,683
And it would be impossible to get
anywhere near the legislative and regulatory

399
00:21:51,688 --> 00:21:56,041
...requirements without having a very
sort of robust tech strategy in place.

400
00:21:58,081 --> 00:21:59,125
So, we've talked,

401
00:21:59,130 --> 00:22:00,920
bounced around quite a bit.

402
00:22:00,921 --> 00:22:02,960
We've talked about personalization.

403
00:22:02,961 --> 00:22:03,911
We've talked about

404
00:22:03,916 --> 00:22:05,720
...accessibility, a bit about data.

405
00:22:05,721 --> 00:22:10,006
So, if we were to try and sort of sum it up in
terms of what is sort of like the number one

406
00:22:10,011 --> 00:22:14,721
...priority for hoteliers from what you've seen on
the streets, what the mood music is in the industry,

407
00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:18,480
what the research says.

408
00:22:18,481 --> 00:22:22,949
I mean, is it possible to just try
and synthesize or amalgamate it

409
00:22:22,954 --> 00:22:27,360
...all into one sort of killer conclusion
that people can take away?

410
00:22:27,361 --> 00:22:31,833
- Martin, it's actually not hard to synthesize
because according to our research and according to

411
00:22:31,838 --> 00:22:36,361
...all conversations we have with hoteliers, whether
that be small hotels to large enterprise chains,

412
00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:46,791
hoteliers feel that data fragmentation,
inefficiency of data, data integrity are

413
00:22:46,796 --> 00:22:51,240
...the top of their list when thinking about
most pressing needs with technology.

414
00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:59,215
But a hotel can have anything up to 40
different systems across their hotels that

415
00:22:59,220 --> 00:23:03,720
...with different data sources that are
not integrated, they can't pull it together.

416
00:23:08,340 --> 00:23:12,868
So, our goal in hotel technology is
to become the end-to-end partner

417
00:23:12,873 --> 00:23:17,340
...for the hospitality industry, solving
the industry-wide problems of

418
00:23:20,739 --> 00:23:25,135
data silos, costly infrastructures
caused by this fragmentation of

419
00:23:25,140 --> 00:23:29,739
...so many technologies, and then
using our business intelligence suites

420
00:23:32,360 --> 00:23:35,214
with the most comprehensive set

421
00:23:35,219 --> 00:23:39,000
...of data to pull all this data together.

422
00:23:39,001 --> 00:23:43,584
I guess our key differentiator when
we look at the industry is just the sheer

423
00:23:43,589 --> 00:23:48,001
...breadth and depth of our products
and the extensive on-the-book historical

424
00:23:51,325 --> 00:23:53,809
and forward-looking data that we have

425
00:23:53,814 --> 00:23:56,640
...from over five and
a half million rooms,

426
00:23:57,090 --> 00:23:59,507
800 million reservations, which

427
00:23:59,512 --> 00:24:02,480
...are updated and refreshed every day.

428
00:24:02,481 --> 00:24:05,116
So, what we can help the industry

429
00:24:05,121 --> 00:24:08,240
...with is really bringing data together

430
00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:11,463
and helping them to then

431
00:24:11,468 --> 00:24:14,160
...use that data effectively,

432
00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:18,741
whether it be for what we talked about
with personalization, whether it be with

433
00:24:18,746 --> 00:24:23,560
...sustainability, whether it be with making
better business decisions, being more productive.

434
00:24:26,041 --> 00:24:28,585
At the heart of anything a hotelier

435
00:24:28,590 --> 00:24:30,920
...wants to do, data is the core.

436
00:24:31,820 --> 00:24:35,040
- I mean, that's really useful.

437
00:24:35,041 --> 00:24:37,162
And it does sort of
chime with what I've

438
00:24:37,167 --> 00:24:39,760
...been sort of, again, from
the outside looking in,

439
00:24:39,910 --> 00:24:41,360
what I've been picking up.

440
00:24:41,361 --> 00:24:45,797
And it looks as if what AI and generative AI has done is
it almost appears to have re-emphasized the importance

441
00:24:45,802 --> 00:24:50,361
...of data integrity, all the issues that the industry was
talking about 10 years ago when it was all about big data,

442
00:24:58,081 --> 00:25:00,479
veracity, the volume of the data,

443
00:25:00,484 --> 00:25:03,760
the accuracy of it,
the way it is surfaced.

444
00:25:03,761 --> 00:25:08,255
And it seems as if Amadeus has got
a real handle on that because basically

445
00:25:08,260 --> 00:25:12,640
...you say AI is based on data, but
almost all technology is based on data.

446
00:25:12,641 --> 00:25:17,195
So I think it's gonna be really interesting
to watch how the data element of

447
00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:21,641
...the AI conversation is gonna progress
over the next year, the next decade.

448
00:25:24,281 --> 00:25:25,038
I think we're in for

449
00:25:25,043 --> 00:25:25,920
...a very exciting time.

450
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:29,629
And is there anything on
the horizon at Amadeus, just

451
00:25:29,634 --> 00:25:32,920
...maybe some sort of left field
thinking that's happening?

452
00:25:32,921 --> 00:25:34,880
It might be nice to sign off with.

453
00:25:34,881 --> 00:25:37,440
So you were talking about AI.

454
00:25:37,441 --> 00:25:40,521
So we're really looking a lot because

455
00:25:40,526 --> 00:25:43,360
...we have such a great data layer.

456
00:25:44,210 --> 00:25:46,095
We're now really looking at

457
00:25:46,100 --> 00:25:48,760
...where is the best investment for AI?

458
00:25:48,761 --> 00:25:50,412
Where is the best need

459
00:25:50,417 --> 00:25:52,600
...of the hoteliers around AI?

460
00:25:52,601 --> 00:25:57,157
So we've launched recently on our BI tools, an assistant
where instead of trolling through a whole pile of data

461
00:25:57,162 --> 00:26:01,601
...within the tool, your hotel can ask, can you tell me
what's our biggest demand day in the next three months?

462
00:26:09,521 --> 00:26:12,118
And it can reply, Martin, your

463
00:26:12,123 --> 00:26:15,680
...biggest demand day is the 27th of June.

464
00:26:15,681 --> 00:26:20,147
One of the things that I'm excited
about, and it's just an interesting thing,

465
00:26:20,152 --> 00:26:24,681
is I'm excited about using data and
using data for the 13th of February, 2029.

466
00:26:28,681 --> 00:26:31,056
Now I might have
the day off a bit, but I'll

467
00:26:31,061 --> 00:26:33,440
...tell you why I'm
interested about that date.

468
00:26:33,441 --> 00:26:35,934
One of the busiest travel times

469
00:26:35,939 --> 00:26:38,760
...in the world is Chinese New Year.

470
00:26:38,761 --> 00:26:42,107
There's a huge China
route bound market and

471
00:26:42,112 --> 00:26:45,920
...they travel the two weeks
after Chinese New Year.

472
00:26:45,921 --> 00:26:47,899
Okay, so Chinese New Year

473
00:26:47,904 --> 00:26:50,600
...in 2029 is the 13th of February.

474
00:26:50,601 --> 00:26:52,304
Another huge travel market

475
00:26:52,309 --> 00:26:54,280
...is the Muslim travel market.

476
00:26:54,281 --> 00:26:55,221
They travel the two

477
00:26:55,226 --> 00:26:56,320
...weeks after Ramadan.

478
00:26:57,270 --> 00:26:59,687
Okay, so they have the fasting month

479
00:26:59,692 --> 00:27:02,720
...and then two weeks
of travel after Ramadan.

480
00:27:02,721 --> 00:27:05,400
When does Ramadan end in 2029?

481
00:27:05,401 --> 00:27:09,360
It ends on the 13th of February, 2029.

482
00:27:09,361 --> 00:27:13,634
So you have, for the first
time ever, the two biggest

483
00:27:13,639 --> 00:27:17,520
...travel periods coming
together at the same time.

484
00:27:18,420 --> 00:27:22,800
I cannot wait to see what data models
do, and really we'll start looking at

485
00:27:22,805 --> 00:27:27,420
...2029 now, it's five years out, what
data models start to predict for that time.

486
00:27:29,001 --> 00:27:32,866
But I'll tell you now, if you
want to stay in a hotel or book

487
00:27:32,871 --> 00:27:37,240
...an airline over that time, I'd be
looking to book as soon as you can.

488
00:27:37,241 --> 00:27:41,240
- Wow, you heard it here first.

489
00:27:41,241 --> 00:27:43,647
13th of February, 2029, the biggest

490
00:27:43,652 --> 00:27:46,200
...day in the history of travel maybe?

491
00:27:46,201 --> 00:27:47,040
I don't know.

492
00:27:47,041 --> 00:27:48,360
I don't know.

493
00:27:48,361 --> 00:27:49,280
I'll get back to you on that.

494
00:27:49,281 --> 00:27:50,720
I'll see you in five years time.

495
00:27:50,721 --> 00:27:52,840
- We'll look at the data together.

496
00:27:52,841 --> 00:27:53,840
- Yeah, let's do that.

497
00:27:53,841 --> 00:27:56,618
So listen, Maria, I've really enjoyed

498
00:27:56,623 --> 00:27:59,480
...it, but that's not really the point.

499
00:27:59,481 --> 00:28:00,458
I hope people listening

500
00:28:00,463 --> 00:28:01,360
...in have enjoyed it.

501
00:28:01,361 --> 00:28:02,176
We've, as I said, we've

502
00:28:02,181 --> 00:28:03,000
...bounced around a lot.

503
00:28:03,001 --> 00:28:04,120
We could go on.

504
00:28:04,121 --> 00:28:08,616
We haven't gone on to destination marketing
or climate or attribute-based shopping,

505
00:28:08,621 --> 00:28:13,121
which is a whole load of hotel tech stuff
that we haven't touched the sides of yet.

506
00:28:14,481 --> 00:28:17,854
If you're interested, anybody
listening, then don't forget, you

507
00:28:17,859 --> 00:28:20,920
...can go to amadeus.com/insights
where you can download, or

508
00:28:20,921 --> 00:28:24,696
you will be given access to
a holding page from where you can

509
00:28:24,701 --> 00:28:28,480
...download the Hospitality
Technology Investment Trends Report.

510
00:28:28,481 --> 00:28:33,080
And the Hospitality Report is one of a series if
you've got any interest in airlines, business travel, retail,

511
00:28:33,085 --> 00:28:37,481
travel agencies, online travel agencies, the specific
data and research produced for those areas as well.

512
00:28:42,921 --> 00:28:44,300
And on that note, I think

513
00:28:44,305 --> 00:28:45,800
...it's time to say goodbye.

514
00:28:45,801 --> 00:28:46,959
Maria, thank you very much

515
00:28:46,964 --> 00:28:48,440
...for taking the time to join us.

516
00:28:48,441 --> 00:28:49,802
Everybody out there, thank you

517
00:28:49,807 --> 00:28:51,720
...very much for taking
the time to listen.

518
00:28:51,721 --> 00:28:52,539
My name's Martin Cowan

519
00:28:52,544 --> 00:28:53,480
...and I'm saying goodbye.

520
00:28:53,481 --> 00:28:54,681
Goodbye.