If you could know what was going to happen to your business before it actually happens, wouldn’t you jump on that opportunity? Luckily for the hotel industry, predictive analytics is becoming a reality and the industry is heading in a more data-focused direction. As more hotels adopt AI and machine learning technology, through well-managed data, predictive analytics will soon come naturally with the help of advanced business analytics tools. In the hotel industry, and its sister airline industry, that day is coming closer and closer.
Artificial intelligence is not a new term to most industries today. Thanks to advanced technological solutions, AI has almost become the norm in a lot of hospitality tools. For instance, chatbots have become quite prevalent on many hotel websites and booking platforms. According to this article, chatbots are often the preferred method of communication by hotel guests and the AI-powered tool allows hotels to enhance their guests’ experiences and improve their operations within the hotel. One main facet of artificial intelligence, that is particularly expressed in the recent publication by PWC, is automation. The paper defines automation as “the replacement of repetitive manual and cognitive tasks by machines” and a crucial factor towards the advancement of AI. In the hospitality industry, automation is already a common practice among booking platforms, F&B operations, and housekeeping in hotels, as mentioned here.
In previous Data Snaps, we’ve discussed finding the right balance between AI technology and human interactions to maximize your hotel’s success.This article confirms the idea of combining both resources since “what machines do well is tactical; what humans do well is strategic.” In fact,
AI technology is impacting the industry so much that it is changing the types of jobs in hospitality and the hiring practices of hospitality companies. With more automation and machine learning, jobs that require easily automated tasks are disappearing as more roles are appearing that require more technological skillsets. In this article from leading hospitality school Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, the writer encourages educating current students and future industry leaders on the new kinds of technology and how to use the tools to their advantage to advance their careers.
Now that we’ve got a handle on AI, we can jump into what’s next to come: predictive analytics. According to this article, hotels are relying more on data analytics to learn where business is coming from and how to capture more revenue. Now with these new analytics tools, hotels are able to identify and win new business by learning key information about prospective clients. Gone are the days of cold calling and email contact lists to find new business! Predictive analytics is already in use within the airline industry, as mentioned in this article. FlightAware, the world’s largest flight tracking data platform, has recently deployed their technology at Frankfurt Airport to optimize the airport’s operations through the company’s predicted runway arrival times and flight statuses. Isn’t it exciting to know that eventually we’ll be able to apply predictive analytics to even more platforms in the hospitality industry?