by Georges Panayotis
Today’s fascination for artificial intelligence leads many to imagine a future where computers would make a major contribution to all the operations in all sectors of day-to-day life. After CAD and CAP, has the time has come for CAH – Computer Aided Hospitality? The development of Revenue management has encouraged modeling behavior, the creation of nearly magical algorithms to optimize revenues. Customer relations, meanwhile, has been entered into the equation of very sophisticated CRM software that is able to send reminders for birthdays, preferences for comforters and colors of bouquet, capable of tailoring offers to fit loyal clients who have been studied from every angle.
As brilliant as they may be, however, software programs can only provide logical and analytical solutions whereas computer marketing would like to replace the practice and common sense of hardened receptionists. Despite thousands of combinations, optimization most often leads to sanitized offers. Global marketing, which nursed itself at the teats of digital, was almost fatal to major groups, like McDonalds, which forgot to re-examine themselves from time to time. “Likes” from fans, often more virtual than real, cannot replace sincere brand loyalty, the recognition of expectations and above all their evolutions. It would be a good idea to better anticipate than to try to make up for mistakes later.
The hotel industry would be wrong to fall into the trap of computerizing and robotizing everything. This activity is not limited to check-in kiosks, key distributors, connected televisions and remote controlled ambiance. There is, fortunately an abyss between the simple satisfaction of a basic need to sleep and the delivery of a memorable experience. After the boom of cheap and economical fast-food, the pendulum has swung back to a quest for flavors, taste freshness and exoticism which have opened the way to a whole series of successful new concepts. Forgetting the first virtues of hospitality, even commercial, that was founded on relationships and human warmth, hoteliers offer an open field to these new players on the sharing economy who make experience their primary argument alongside pricing.
Computers and robots are never just tools, at best marketing gadgets to draw our attention, but they can be neither the motor nor the core of the business whose added-value generally relies on the quality of the men and women who dedicate their time to it. These are the people who must receive the tools needed to enrich their approach toward clientèle, without trying to evade them to gain a few percentage points on the bottom line. Hotel marketing cannot be limited to accumulating “fans” and “followers” and pursuing the best score on opinion websites. It is the responsibility of those working on the field to enliven their concept and feed customer relations with the same passion that made them choose this trade. In order for the industry to continue to progress at a good rate, it must stand on two solid legs: product and service.
