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Over the years, I have experienced a great many editions of the FITUR trade fair and have some wonderful and proud memories of this event, which showcases the best of our country to the world. However, this year's is as exciting as any I can recall. With the arrival of 2022, Spanish hotels are stepping up to the plate for another transformative 12 months. The plans have been drafted, the budgets have been assigned; now is the time to put it all into practice.

While some challenges remain – such as uncertainty over energy and supply costs, labour shortages or the possibility of short-term travel restrictions – Spanish hotels are increasingly well-prepared to ‘do more with less’.

We see more and more hotels leaning on affordable and easy-to-use online commerce technology to automate manual processes, streamline operations and design better business strategies, whilst taking advantage of the opportunities it offers to effectively sell, market and grow their business.

Hotel commerce technology also empowers accommodation providers to drive direct bookings and monetise every stage of the guest journey. At the same time, it offers guests the smooth, seamless and personalised experience they now expect, thus avoiding bad reviews, and creating both returning customers and brand advocates.

The ‘dynamic traveller’ and the rise of hotel commerce technology

Due to these trends, technology is, in many ways, now more important for hotels than ever before. At SiteMinder, we have identified the ‘dynamic traveller’, the new and evolved breed of hotel guest forged by the developments over the past two years, and accustomed to an always-connected world of seemingly endless e-commerce opportunities and fluid communications with retailers and service providers. The dynamic traveller has high expectations, demands value for money, and is digitally-enabled to shop around for the best products and deals.

For their part, the expectations of hoteliers have also evolved, in line with those of their guests. We can observe a welcome change in the way accommodation providers approach technology, away from viewing products disjointly, and taking a more nimble and holistic approach, seeking solutions which allow them to quickly respond to changing circumstances through one easy to use, intuitive and dynamic platform.

Related to this, to an ever greater extent, hoteliers are realising that things like distribution can’t be treated in isolation from payments, to give just one example. Rather, these all need to work together optimally to drive revenue, reduce commissions and ensure a quality guest experience.

A world of opportunities at hoteliers’ fingertips

Over the past two years, hoteliers have had to think about the gaps within their toolkit. As a result of the tendencies described, we are witnessing the ongoing rise of specialist technoloyg that caters for every stage of a guest’s stay, from pre-arrival airport transfers using apps such as Welcome Pickups; to upselling pre- and during the guest journey through apps like Oaky; monitoring and responding to post-stay reviews via software like TrustYou's; and managing personalised email communications with future, present and past guests or contacts though software like Cendyn's.

In an example of the rapid advance of the scope of hotel commerce technology, RevenYou, which won the Innovation category at the 2021 SiteMinder Partner of the Year Awards, has even helped hotels turn car park space into bookable inventory.

At the forefront of the rapid pace of change of the industry we love, at SiteMinder we are constantly evolving and expanding our partner ecosystem, to ensure our hotel customers have access to the best technology and services available.

For example, due to the surge in interest in our metasearch and payments solutions, we recently launched Plug-in Apps, a compilation of booking engine integrations designed to allow hoteliers to create their own stack, comprising best-of-breed applications in digital marketing, remarketing, price comparison, chatbots, loyalty, upselling and reviews, including Spain-headquartered companies The Hotels Network and 123compare.me, and Sojern.

The addition of Plug-in Apps to SiteMinder's platform expands our connected ecosystem to more than 1,350, encompassing distribution channels, property management systems, hotel applications and hotel consultants.

In 2022, hoteliers can use technology to place themselves ahead of the curve

Technology is continuing to prove a crucial ally for hotels striving to grow their revenue whilst providing each guest with a hotel adventure which they will want to repeat and recommend to others. Hotels that get ahead of the curve can position themselves to increase their share of the pie in a growing-yet-transformed market, while those who do not, risk being left behind by new guest preferences and industry trends.

So, as embrace the new year, hoteliers would do well to continue expanding and deepening their use of hotel commerce technology, to satisfy the new breed of tech-savvy guests – and grab the growth, efficiency and monetisation opportunities on offer with both hands.

This article was originally published as "Impulsa experiencia y negocio: 2022, el año de la tecnología en el sector" in TecnoHotel.

About SiteMinder

SiteMinder Limited (ASX:SDR) is the name behind SiteMinder, the world's leading hotel distribution and revenue platform, and Little Hotelier, an all-in-one hotel management software that makes the lives of small accommodation providers easier. The global company is headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangalore, Bangkok, Barcelona, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London, Manila and Mexico City. Through its technology and the largest partner ecosystem in the global hotel industry, SiteMinder generates more than 120 million reservations worth over US$50 billion in revenue for its hotel customers each year. For more information, visit siteminder.com.

Maria Cricchiola
Director of Brand Communications & PR
+61 2 9056 7415
SiteMinder