Big Data: The Door to Hotel Management of the Future!
Big Data: The Door to Hotel Management of the Future!
Bytes, Petabytes, Zetabytes...??? Will it be a new language? Actually, yes – around 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are generated every day. And what do we do with it?!
We, hoteliers, are good at talking about overbookings , stay-overs , average room rate , reviews ... Tell us about the art of welcoming customers and we'll give you a talk! But when we come across some technological concepts we can sometimes feel lost in translation. This is the case of Big Data , which fortunately someone invented to process all this information by and for us.
And if Big Data gives us all this information, why not use it to improve our service, exceed our guests' expectations and increase our hotels' revenue? Using Big Data tools, we can analyze the entire travel cycle of tourists , from the moment the desire to travel sets in until the moment the homesickness hits, and thus enhance our capabilities.
Social networks have changed the way we communicate. A friend posts some fantastic photos from his latest vacation and we're filled with envy. We start dreaming about our next trip, we research destinations, hotels, attractions, prices and packages... What if someone tells us that all this information is stored (somewhere) and that we can collect it, process it (very important!) , and use it to direct our communication to those looking for products similar to ours? Why not use that information to turn on flashing lights around our hotel? We can and should do so, channeling our marketing budget more efficiently to those who are effectively our potential customers.
Nowadays selling rooms is not enough, it is above all necessary to sell experiences . And if, while tourists dream, they give us all the clues about their desires and expectations, why not let Big Data process this data and give us all the information we need to prepare our offer?
The day has arrived and the client carries a world of expectations... It's a difficult job for us to live up to them! Because, the higher the expectations, the greater the risk of disappointment and frustration, which is why relying on the information available to monitor and satisfy your needs is essential. Devices that identify the customer's location, the mandatory registration on the Wi-Fi system platform, the geographic identification of the photographs they publish on social networks – all of them sources of data and vehicles for dissemination and promotion . In fact, a very important source of data that is so often overlooked is the hotel's internal management system . Many use the PMS just to manage reservations and invoicing, without the idea that all the information about customers is in this precious tool. Why not explore it?
A good Big Data tool can give us, easily and with just one click, cancellation forecasts so we can manage and monetize sales, average length of stay by nationality so we can channel our promotions, or simply tell us how how each tourist behaves, according to their origin or distribution channel, thus helping to define the marketing strategy. And believe me, the “I think…” regarding our clients is almost always wrong.
More and more people feel the need to share what they eat, what they feel, where they are.... Share to remember later. They share impressions, photos and videos, show the world their experiences and end up awakening in others the desire to do the same . In this sense, Big Data , as an evolution of Business Intelligence, also allows us to access tools that tell us exactly what is being said about our hotel, the praise and criticism, how often, allowing us to even make a quick and effective comparison with the competition's image. By having access to trends, preferences, weather forecasts, with two or three clicks and, in real time, we are able to understand how to captivate our customers and provide them with an unforgettable vacation.
We are good at what we do. Let me even say that we are really good at what we do, we are very proud of our profession and we work hard every day to exceed the demands of our clients. So, why not let Big Data make our daily lives easier, with ready answers to the questions we constantly ask? Let's leave some of the boring work that consumes us so much time and resources and instead dedicate ourselves to what we know how to do best, and that no machine will ever be able to do for us: welcoming customers with cordiality, hospitality, concern and affection, lots of affection!
Technology has arrived to help us. Let us take advantage of the tools to be even better, more informed and attentive. Our client deserves it and so do we!
