"How ICT change hotel room reservation services"

Info-communication Technologies

 In this era of the information age, enterprises are loosely connected, distributed, such that it is a mobile organization. This significant change in the economy and society enables everything in an organization to be connected to anywhere at anytime. As communication is vital in every organization, new technologies would play an important role in this vast changing economy that shapes the organization towards its globalization goal.
As a organization gets bigger, the flow of information in and out of the organization is vital for its growth. Technologies such as computers are introduced, which brings automation. Automation brings speed, high effectiveness and accuracy. Moreover, new technologies also make communications among businesses or businesses to consumers much easier, faster, cheaper, all in all, more effective. These improvement factors play a significant role in maintaining the growth of the business in an organization.

Old hotel operations

In the past, hotels  operations that requires communicating with customers are restricted to face to face, and through the telephone line.  Enquires, bookings, reservations, payments are all restricted to the  customer’s physical presence of being there at the hotel, or through the telephone line. With such restriction,  implications rises for both the hotel business and its customers. Hotel’s advertisement might be restricted to billboards, papers, radios, local televisions. Promoting would be difficult as customers of hotelss are mostly from other countries. Therefore, information such as address and contact numbers, room rates, room availability and promotions of the hotel  would be not able to reach out to potential customers around the world, which would affect its business. Thus, we can say that restriction of information causes restriction to its sales  for hotels businesses.

New hotel operations

With the effectiveness of ICT nowadays, hotel businesses are highly dependent on ICT for its growth. Nowadays, almost every hotel has a website that provides the information that customers need to know. It also creates a portal for customers to even check for room availability, do online bookings, and do payments at real time, all in that website online. This world wide website opens the door to many business opportunities for the hotel, sending out its information to potential customers all around the world, connecting them, anywhere and anytime,  to the hotel at just a click of an button on their computer or smartphone. After that button is clicked, bookings and payment information from the customer would be transmitted instantly to the hotel’s e-booking system to perform the required reservations in the computer system. This is so much more effective than the old operation method where customers would have to turn up or call the hotel to ask for availability, then wait for the front desk personnel to process the booking, then do payment if required. Such hassles can be easily avoided with the effectiveness of the new technologies of communication.

Moreover  with such effectiveness, hotel operations nowadays are expanding its e-business to other travel booking websites.  Apart from its own website, information and e-bookings are available and can be done, respectively, on theses 3^rd party websites which is a trend for customers to visit nowadays to search for accommodation for their travel.  The hotel’s e-booking system would liaise with the 3^rd party travel website, performing the same duties as the hotel’s own booking website. More 3^rd party travel websites linked to hotel with the new technologies of the ICT era, equals more connectivity around the world and  greater effectiveness  for information flow between hotel and customers, equals more business opportunities, equals more sales, equals business growth.

ICT in place

Info-Communication Technology (ICT) makes it easy for travelers to find information about flights, hotels, hostels, and tour packages on the Internet. Travel agents such as agoda.com, zuji.com, hotels.com, etc, make it easy for the traveler to compare the many prices that are available for hotels. Planning a trip has never been simpler.

Let’s take a look at the user-friendly Zuji.com.

If a traveller wants to reserve a room at a hotel, all he/she needs to do is to enter the destination and the desired accommodation. (as shown below)

Zuji.com will then generate a list hotels for you to choose from.

It also shows reviews from TripAdvisor.com, a popular website that provides recommendations & reviews for hotels, resorts, travel packages, etc.


You can also book your flight and tour packages at Zuji:

Advantages of ICT

With access to the internet via the computer or smartphone, consumers can spend more time browsing online for the best deal possible. If consumers want to make some changes to their booking, they can do so anytime so long as there is internet access. It is also easy for consumers to cancel their reservation on-the-go. In the past, travellers would have to book their hotel rooms months in advance. Nowadays, some of today’s travelers choose make their booking at the last minute. ICT has changed the way consumers shop for hotel rooms.

Adverse Effects

There is an increasing number of scammers and frauds on the internet. It can be Therefore, it is important to take precaution when visiting travel or hotel booking websites. Before sending any credit card, payment or personal information, it is best to verify whether the company is legitimate/reliable. One way to do that, is for the traveler to make sure that he/she is using the secured booking forms / payment system that is on the same address of the the company he/she is booking through. (e.g. http://www.marriott.com/) A reputable company will never redirect a person to another site to place his/her booking. (e.g. http://www.malliott.com/) Scam sites are really sly in this manner, so travelers ought to be careful!

Hotels who are heavily reliant on ICT will have to implement a good and reliable security system in order to protect the privacy of its potential customers. This would further incur costs for the hotel. 

Conclusion

With ICT, hotel businesses is far more sustainable. Hotels are able to reach out to anyone in the world easily. This allows businesses to expand. Communication has become more convenient. Transactions are simplified and there's a lower need for a middleman.

Although ICT provides businesses with speed and efficiency, its limitations and disadvantages should not be disregarded. Therefore, companies will have to ensure not to overly invest and be over reliant on ICT. 

Thank you.