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‘Hospitality
Debate: What More Can Big Data Unlock?’ featured a range of expert
insights into the power of data to improve guest experiences within the Middle
East’s hospitality sector. Moderated by Paul Clifford, Group Editor –
Hospitality & Design at ITP Media Group, the session saw Chris Hartley, CEO
of Global Hotel Alliance; Tommy Lai, Chief Executive Officer at General Hotel
Management Pte Ltd; Sandeep Walia, Chief Operations Officer – Middle East at
Marriott; and Nicolas Huss, CEO of Hotelbeds, take to the ATM Global Stage to
share their views.
Commenting on
advancements in the hospitality sector’s data capabilities over the past
decade, General Hotel Management Pte Ltd’s Lai said: “It used to be you’d need
a lot of people for analysis, but now, you can collect data and AI will
decipher it for you. Big data and AI are evening the playing field between
small groups and larger brands.”
Speaking on the
importance of interpretation, Marriott’s Walia said: “This technology can help
guests to narrow down the hotels they would like to stay in,” noting that big
data – when used in combination with AI – can help to identify the best options
for customers. “But ultimately, guests have to connect with us to make the
booking, so the balance between AI and the human touch is equally important and
can’t be forgotten.”
Reiterating the
importance of quality over quantity, Global Hotel Alliance’s Hartley said:
“Acquiring data is one thing but that isn’t ‘big data’. It’s what you do with
the data that’s critical. We’ve known for years, for example, that credit card
companies have a huge amount of data on spend – way beyond the hotel. This
tells you a lot more about the customer than they might reveal to you during a
one-off stay.”
Hotelbeds’ Huss agreed but
warned that an ethical approach is essential in order to realise the full
potential of this information. “I think there are several rules,” he said. “The
first is that everything has to be anonymous. The second is that we must ensure
that the data we have adds value to the guest experience. And finally, we must
acknowledge that the way we behave when we’re staying at a hotel doesn’t always
reflect what we do when we leave that environment. We will only thrive if we have
the best data and some form of human care.”
Day
one of ATM 2023 featured 20 sessions across the Global Stage, Travel Tech Stage
and Sustainability Hub. Other highlights from the day included the Technology:
The Enabler of Sustainable Travel session, the
funding of sustainability and Enhancing
the Customer Experience Through AI. The Sustainable Hospitality
Alliance also touched on the importance of protecting the locations,
livelihoods and communities in which hotels are based, in the Achieving
Net Positive Hospitality session.
The 30th
edition of ATM is taking place as part of Arabian Travel Week
(1-10 May 2023), a festival of events dedicated to enabling industry
professionals from all over the world to collaborate and capitalise on market
opportunities through exhibitions, conferences, breakfast briefings, awards,
product launches and networking events.
Those attending ATM
2023 in person can get involved in the conversation online by using the hashtag
#ATMDubai when posting on social media channels.
ATM 2023 is being held
in conjunction with Dubai World Trade Centre, and its strategic partners
include Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) as the Destination
Partner, Emirates as the Official Airline Partner, IHG Hotels & Resorts as the Official Hotel Partner, and Al
Rais Travel as the Official DMC Partner.
The latest ATM news
stories are available at https://hub.wtm.com/category/press/atm-press-releases/.
To register for ATM
2023, please log on to: https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb/enquire.html.
Tags: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Chris Hartley, Global Hotel Alliance, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, Technology, Tommy Lai, General Hotel Management Pte Ltd, Sandeep Walia, Marriott, ATM 2023
