The hospitality industry has grown leaps and bounds in the last few years. The transition from providing a mere hotel stay to providing a seamless experience with the topmost quality is evident in the hotel sector. New trends in the hospitality industry keep popping up as hotels are trying to enhance the experience of their customers. In markets where year-on-year growth is expected to be exponential, tapping on these hot new trends will be the key to maximize revenues.

Here Are the Latest Trends in the Hospitality Industry

1. Embracing Google, Amazon, and TripAdvisor

According to reports by trading economics, annual disposable income is increasing every consecutive year. Since disposable income is increasing, it is obvious that the number of travelers is bound to increase in the coming years.

Moreover, services are already homogeneous. So advertising at a lower price is the only key to increase hotel bookings. As a matter of fact, Google’s travel ads have an amazing conversion rate and help hotels to drive local business. Thus, Google, retail giant Amazon, and the review site TripAdvisor has been developing new products that help in expanding their reach in the travel sector. Google’s hotel finder and Amazon Travel are gaining a lot of buzz in the media and are slated to be extremely popular among travelers in the coming seasons. TripAdvisor has two products – TripConnect and Instant Booking, both of which allow users to book rooms on their website itself.

These new online products will push hotels to spend more on online advertising and hotels need to watch out for updates on these products.

2. Adopting Mobile Technology

A large number of consumers use their tablets or smartphones for hospitality/hotels bookings.

However, it is time to take mobile technology a step further with the help of hotel management software and adopt it in other aspects of the hotel’s functioning. For example, Starwood Hotels and resorts have introduced keyless entry into the rooms through mobile devices. Hotel guests simply need to register their mobile devices and they will receive their room number and other details on their smartphones themselves. All it takes is one simple hotel mobile app and guests can enter their rooms without a key.

That’s not all, more hotels are likely to allow mobile check-ins and point of sale payments through mobile devices.

3. Targeting tech-savvy guests on social media

From Wi-Fi in rooms and lobbies to touch screens in suites, hotels have upgraded themselves to attract tech-savvy guests. But in order to reach out to them, hotels need to adopt social media to its fullest. From gorgeous food shots on Instagram to trending hashtags on Twitter, hotels need to step up their game to stand out on social media platforms. Additionally, social media will help to build brand reputation and improve communication between hotels and guests. Tech-savvy guests tend to share their hospitality/hotel experience on social media and thus help in enriching customer service experiences through social media.

Furthermore, hotels that will brand themselves distinctively will be able to attract the young generation of customers. Hotels can achieve this by developing unique mobile applications to meet consumer demands.

4. Integration of Cloud Solutions

Investing in cloud technology that integrates different hotel operations and increases profits will be the norm for hotels of all sizes. Cloud technologies improve operational efficiencies especially if the hotel owns multiple properties. It gives them the freedom to oversee multiple properties from one location. It automates mundane tasks and thus staff can focus more on improving customer experience. Cloud-based hotel management software with CRM system, POS system & PMS allow hoteliers to focus on their main responsibility i.e. guest relations.

Some of the benefits of using cloud-based hotel software include,

• Enhances Data Security

With rising cyber-attacks and strict regulations on privacy policies, it has become essential to protect guest information even more. The cloud-based system undergoes frequent security updates to protect against cyber-attack and reduce liability risk.

Every system employs its own set of security rules. Some of which include two-factor authentication for an added level of user verification, automatic removal of guest credit card data after 14 days, and more. In short, hoteliers can be assured that their data and that of their guests will remain safe.

• Increases Return on Investment

In layman’s terms, cloud-based hotel software helps cut costs for properties which results in more revenue.

When it comes to installing on-premise software, hoteliers have to bear the extra cost of license and hardware. It’s not the case with cloud-based. Instead, it is sold as a service that enables clients to customize tools and features as needed. Thus, it allows for seamless integration with other third-party apps, which ultimately saves money and effort.

In fact, if the software is done right, you can cut IT costs in half. It removes the traditional expenses. For instance, the cost of server purchase and maintenance, assorted software to support the main system, and more.

• Ability to Adapt to Changes

One of the advantages of using cloud-based software is that it can easily integrate with future trends. Thus, it has the ability to adapt and enables growth.

The hospitality industry is continuously evolving and requires flexibility. Scalable and robust software allows for easy handling of changes made across multiple properties at once.

5. Focus on Health and Wellbeing

When it comes to product and service offerings, hotels have to keep reinventing themselves to stay relevant. Since travelers these days are more health-conscious, it is essential to address their new lifestyle choices by offering new products and services in the hotel. This could be in the form of vegan food, hot yoga sessions, all natural toiletries, etc. There is a growing market for travelers who are embracing these healthy lifestyle choices and by catering to them, hotels can earn higher revenues.

Irrespective of the size of the hotels, hoteliers can make small changes to embrace this lifestyle change. For example, they can start by introducing yoga mats, vending machines with vegetarian options, vegan milk options for breakfast, etc.

The Bottom Line

For hotels to stay relevant, these trends will provide a clear perspective. From technological changes to product differentiation, there are many aspects hotels can work on. You can also view an infographic about more technology trends for hoteliers.

Dhruv Patel

Dhruv Patel currently works as a content & adwords manager for SoftwareSuggest. India’s largest business software discovery & recommendation platform. Follow him on Twitter @dhruvp2014.