Using interfaces to access the multitudes of information housed within a hotel s property management system (PMS), technology vendors have on their hands a literal treasure trove of first-party training data for machine learning applications. Any primary data extraction must nevertheless be focused around specific use cases that must be tested and verified before deploying in a live environment. Thus far, we ve seen lots of discussion around what s possible in the abstract for machine learning, but outside of perhaps chatbots and algorithmic rate optimization recommendations, many of the purported use cases are not practical for the here and now.
The rapidly changing hospitality tech stack for hotel groups/brands develops the need for different skill sets inside corporate IT teams. While still managing legacy platforms, vast new areas of expertise are being created around managing SaaS, data storage & security, API connectivity, payment gateways, and more. However, the problem is that these new skill sets are also in high demand by other industries. Young tech professionals just dream about a cool job at global tech companies that provide a rapid career path, rich benefits and salaries, and exciting new technical skills.
Recently, there have been a lot of buzz and heated discussions about the impact and role of generative AI like ChatGPT in the hospitality industry and travel in general. From bold predictions that ChatGPT will revolutionize the industry and liberate the industry from the yoke of the OTAs to expert statements that it will lead to complete overhaul of the hotel tech stack and help solve labor shortages in hospitality.
When it comes to hotel tech, we may all agree that PMSs are at the top of the food chain. It s semantically already in the name itself: a PMS is the SYSTEM used to MANAGE your PROPERTY. This gives the software connotations of centrality in operations. However, a new wave of leaner systems is rising: PMSs are becoming "hubs" rather than all-in-one solutions, using open APIs to allow users to plug in other software and tools as needed. These systems are less about "managing the property," and more about integrating third-party software.
share this viewpoint
SHIFT + DEL! Do we need a massive reset?
From the days of holidex, Fidelio v6 and Micros 2700 we have for the last 30 years been adding technology upon technology in hospitality. In my last classes with my students (online), one reoccurring question was always, why is there not one solution that can do everything . Once we discussed this more (language requirements, local fiscal reporting, support, etc…), the students got the complexity of using software and systems to run businesses. But moving forward, future managers are going to want their hospitality software to behave more like WhatsApp, Instagram or Snapchat. Download, install and work. No training or massive configuration to be done.