Key areas of digital strategy for travel/hospitality companies worldwide 2020

The increasing speed of technological innovation in all industries has been a catalyst for the digitalization of the hospitality industry. In 2020, executives in the global travel and hospitality industry were surveyed on the areas of digital strategy that they would be focusing on most over the next 12 months. The majority of respondents, 43 percent, stated that they would be focusing most on digital analytics. Meanwhile, only 23 percent of respondents stated that they would be focusing on machine learning/artificial intelligence.

What new technologies do hotel guests want?

As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many travelers have become more aware of the need to avoid health risks when traveling. In 2020, the share of travelers who believe accommodations will need to use the latest technologies to make travelers feel safe was 63 percent. During that same year, a poll was conducted to determine the global share of hotel guests who would use an app to open the door of their hotel room. The results indicated that a large majority of respondents, 73 percent, would prefer to use an app to open the door of their room.

How many hospitality companies are looking to digitalize?

In 2020, the share of travel and hospitality companies with an individual or team directly responsible for digital transformation worldwide varied considerably. When surveyed, approximately 27 percent of respondents that were executives in the global travel and hospitality stated that their organization had a cross-functional team for digital transformation, while 16 percent of respondents stated that they either had a third-party partner, such as a consultant or agency, or no one responsible for digital transformation.