Hospitality Technology

In the hospitality industry, it is no longer a question of whether to computerize, but which system will give the most benefits and is the most cost effective. The use of computerization in the hospitality has changed greatly over the past twenty years. The start of cheaper personal computers in the early 1980s initiated an outburst in the use of information technology that has continued till today. Truly integrated hotel information systems and Internet-based reservations systems, will have a major effect on how hospitality organizations carry out their business and perhaps even on the structure of the hospitality industry itself. (Zurburg, Brey, and Wilborn 15)The role of technology in hospitality businesses and its operations have become even more multifaceted. Different types of hardware and software are used, and it can be tricky even to begin to understand the collection of technical terms that one can come across.

Computing isn't just about personal computers any more; it's also about networking, connectivity, and communication.

English: The relationship between Information Scie...

Society for the Management of Information Systems ...

Interior of a capsule hotel in Osaka, Japan

Integrating this connectivity creates one of the biggest challenges for the future. The velocity of change is also very quick, and thus it can be extremely hard to keep up-to-date on what's occurring in the area. Knowledge of both the capabilities of information systems and the benefits that can be gained by utilizing them is essential for every hospitality industry administrator. (Zurburg, Brey, and Wilborn 22)The companies that successfully use information systems will be the ones with the most enhanced customer service, whether those clients are internal (e.g. employees, shareholders) or external (e.g. guests). The pace, with which information is collected, stored, manipulated, and shifted is such that today most travelers expect that the hotel rooms they rent would permit them to be as productive as they are at workplaces or at home.

Technology affects how an institution...