Vaibhav Doda, Director of Digital, India and South Asia, Accor

The travel and hospitality sector is witnessing a notable rebound in the post-pandemic era. Leading organisations in the industry are harnessing new-age solutions powered by artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), blockchain and internet of things (IoT) to enhance guest experience while staying ahead of the competition. Industry leaders share their views on the key technological trends, their digital initiatives, challenges and the future outlook…

What are the key digital trends transforming the travel and hospitality industry? What are the factors driving this shift?

  • Mobile apps and accessibility: The proliferation of smartphones and mobile apps has given travellers the ability to access information, book services and manage their travel itineraries on the go. Factors driving this trend include the increased dependency on mobile devices for travel-related tasks and the development of user-friendly travel apps.
  • Personalisation: Hospitality companies are leveraging data analytics and AI to personalise experiences for customers, offering tailored recommendations, promotions and services. Factors driving this trend include the desire to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as the availability of customer data.
  • Data security and privacy: As digital transactions and data collection increase, there is a growing focus on ensuring data security and respecting user privacy in the travel industry. Factors driving this trend include regulatory changes, data breaches and the importance of building trust with customers.

What are the main use cases of technologies such as AI, cloud and AR/VR in the sector? How are you leveraging these solutions?

AI in hospitality

  • Chatbots and virtual assistants: AI-po­wered chatbots and virtual assistants can handle customer enquiries, reservations and requests
  • Voice assistants: Voice-activated AI de­vi­ces in hotel rooms can control room amenities and provide information, enhancing the overall guest experience.
  • Language translation: AI apps can provide real-time translation of website con­tent, menus and other texts in different languages, leaving only 20 per cent of the work to be done manually for so­meone to proofread the content.

AR/VR in hospitality

  • Virtual tours: VR can provide virtual hotel tours, allowing potential guests to explore rooms, amenities and facilities before booking.
  • Training and onboarding: AR/VR can be used for training staff in a realistic vi­rtual environment, simulating real-wor­ld scenarios.
  • Event planning: AR can help event planners visualise and customise event spaces, making it easier to plan conferences, weddings and other events.

The advantages of solutions depend on the specific needs of the hotel. Currently, we are in the process of implementing the following in our hotels:

  • Data-driven decision-making: Imple­menting AI and cloud solutions to collect and analyse data for informed decision-ma­king.
  • Enhanced customer experiences: Using AI for chatbots and personalisation, and employ AR/VR for immersive customer experiences.
  • Operational efficiency: Implementing AI for process automation and predictive maintenance, and cloud computing for scalable infrastructure.
  • Training and simulation: Utilising AR/VR for employee training and simulations.

The aim is to assess the unique requi­re­ments of our organisation and leverage the­se technologies to meet specific goals, wh­e­ther it is improving efficiency, enhan­c­ing cu­s­tomer experiences or driving innovation.

“As business grows, solutions need to be scaled up as well. Ensuring that new-age solutions can handle increased loads is essential.” Vaibhav Doda

What are some of the challenges faced while deploying new-age solutions? How can these be addressed?

  • Integration with legacy systems: Many organisations have existing legacy systems that need to coexist with new-age solutions. This can be challenging becau­se they may be incompatible. To address this, organisations must invest in middleware or application programming inter­fa­ces to bridge the gap and gradually pha­se out legacy systems when feasible.
  • Scalability: As business grows, solutions need to be scaled up as well. Ensuring that new-age solutions can handle incr­eased loads is essential. Implement cloud-based or containerised solutions that can easily be scaled up or down as needed.
  • Talent and skills gap: Finding and retaining the right talent with the skills to manage and maintain new-age soluti­ons can be challenging. Investing in trai­ning and development for existing staff and actively recruiting the necessary expertise can help address this issue.
  • User adoption: Users may not adopt new-age solutions as quickly as anticipated. User training, feedback mechanisms and solutions that meet the needs of end-users can help improve adoption rates.