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Information Technology (IT) in Hotels: A Full Catalogue

Article in SSRN Electronic Journal · January 2015

DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.2771059

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Jacques Bulchand-Gidumal & Santiago Melián-González IT in hotels: A full catalogue
TIDES, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Information Technologies (IT) in hotels: A full catalogue

Jacques Bulchand-Gidumal & Santiago Melián-González

University Institute of Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development (TIDES)
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
[email protected]

Document version: December, 2015

Abstract
Currently, there are a vast number of IT applications that hotels can use. The goal of this
manuscript is to present a classified catalogue of the IT that hotels have at their disposal to
automate their tasks, maximize the productivity of their employees, improve the service they
deliver to guests, streamline their commercialization and marketing processes, and increase
revenue. In the literature, we can find several catalogues of IT in hotels, but in most cases they
are presented in manuscripts in which the goal was a different one, and thus the catalogue had a
purely instrumental use. This article is instead focused on presenting a full catalogue of the IT
applications that are available to hoteliers, including for each a short description and the issues
to consider in the implementation process. We expect that this catalogue can be of use to hotel
managers and to researchers in the area.
Keywords: Information technology, hotels, technology trends, information systems

1 Introduction
Currently, IT is present in every area of society, at an individual level and at an organizational
level. The tourism industry has not been unaware of this trend. Specifically, hotels have been
among the businesses in which IT has been deployed to a greater extent, to such a point that
some authors state that IT is causing a revolution in the hotel industry (Piccoli, 2008) and that
IT is the greatest force of change in the industry (DiPietro and Wang, 2010). It is quite easy to
check that IT is present in every task performed in hotels. While sometimes IT has a merely
instrumental and supportive presence (for example, when checking in at the front desk or when
booking a table for dinner at one of the hotel restaurants), in other cases IT plays a more central
role in the process (for example, during a self-service check-in at a kiosk).
One of the shortcomings that both hotel managers and researchers interested in tourism
technology find is that, given the wide range of options available and the number of
developments in the area, it is almost impossible to systematically consider all the opportunities.
This article attempts to remedy this deficiency by presenting all existing technologies and future
trends that should be taken into account by hotel managers. We hope this catalogue can also
serve as a guide to researchers in the area of digital tourism. Coinciding with the point of view
of DiPietro and Wang (2010), we do not understand this article as a shopping list from which to
choose technologies to implement, but as a starting point to decide which technologies are
suitable for a specific hotel, and a point on which to base the analysis of the contribution of each
technology to organizational performance and its alignment with corporate strategy.

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Since this article is about IT in hotels, we should clarify what we mean exactly by IT. In this
article, we do not intend IT to refer just to the set of hardware, software, and communications
amounting to a technological application. The concept of IT used in this paper is closer to the
definition of information system, which includes not only the technological components
mentioned above but also business processes. In addition, to carry out a successful
implementation of any of the IT mentioned in this article, it is also necessary to have a third
basic element in any information system: the people responsible for using the system and who
will benefit from its use. Normally the system must be adapted to these people and their way of
working, and they should be properly trained. At the same time, there will also be some changes
in their way of working in order to adapt to the system. We will not go into these issues since
we they have been sufficiently addressed in the literature in the field of information systems.
Having described the concept of IT, the rest of the paper is organized as follows. First, we
present the available classifications of IT in the hospitality field. Subsequently, we describe the
methodology used to systematically locate all available technologies in this field. Finally, we
present the results obtained, the catalogue of IT for hotels by functional area, and the
technological trends to be considered, ending with some conclusions and suggestions for future
research.

2 Possible classifications of IT
In order to present a list of information technologies that can be used in a hotel, it is possible to
use different classifications. In this section we will run through the different types of
classifications that can be found in the literature.
The most common way to analyze IT in hotels it taking into account how they can improve the
activity of the hotel. Thus, in the literature we find, on the one hand, contributions dealing with
the internal point of view, such as improving customer service and increasing their satisfaction
(Sweat and Hibbard, 1999; Siguaw et al., 2000; Ip et al., 2011; Cobanoglu et al., 2011),
improving operations (Bacheldor, 1999; Ip et al., 2011), differentiating (Cobanoglu et al., 2011)
and increasing revenues, and reducing costs, usually by improving workers’ productivity (Huo,
1998; Siguaw et al., 2000; Ip et al., 2011). On the other hand, many articles focus on the use of
IT in external management, studying the change in distribution caused by IT and in the
decision-making process of the tourist. In our view, based on an analysis of the literature cited
above, it is possible to establish a number of ways in which technologies contribute to
organizational performance of hotels. They are the following:
 Increased worker productivity. Technologies that support the work of the employee,
allowing them to be more productive or freeing them from having to perform certain
tasks because the client is able to self-manage their need (e.g., a self-service check-in).
As a secondary effect, by reducing the workload of staff, they help improve hotel
services. Finally, IT could also reduce the number of workers.
 Improved quality of service. This situation can occur both in processes in which workers
are present hotel and in processes in which self-service mechanisms are used. Based on
service quality literature, if a process is attended by a hotel worker, the improved
quality can be achieved in three ways: by improving customer interactions, by
improving the physical environment, and by improving service outcomes. On the other

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hand, if the process is a self-service one, quality is based on the type of service that has
been automated and the conditions under which such services are delivered without the
self-service technology.
 Improved commercialization and marketing. Technologies aimed at improving
marketing and sales processes and at improving knowledge about the customer
(Customer Relation Management systems, CRM), which then also helps improve
satisfaction by better matching offers to their wishes.
 Income generation. Technologies that increase hotel revenue by selling or renting the
guest specific products or services: computer equipment, wireless connectivity, etc.
 Internal management (reduced operating costs). Technologies for front- and back-
office, restaurant, and room management, associated with booking and check-in
(Chathoth, 2007; Ham et al., 2005).
 No-impact - supporting technologies. Hardware, communications, etc.
A second way to classify IT in hotels is to take into account the functional area it affects. This
is the perspective that we have adopted in this article. In this case, we analyze the key functional
areas of the hotel and the IT that can be used in each of these areas. This type of classification
was used with some variations, for example, in Molina Ruiz et al. (2011), in which IT was
classified as internal or external, and internal technologies were further classified as hardware or
software. This is also the method used by O’Connor (2004). In our case, we will slightly adjust
the functional areas; we will group the areas of the hotel into rooms, back office (grouping all
areas of administration), food and beverage, and marketing and sales. Additionally, we have
included two other categories: IT systems for customers and management of IT infrastructure.
Finally, we have also included a reference to the management of additional hotel services. In
detail, the areas are:
 Rooms. In this area will include both the duties of the hotel front office (i.e., reception,
concierge, check-in and check-out, etc.) and the management of hotel rooms.
 Back office or administration. We have included within this block a number of areas
that usually appear separately, but in order to analyze the technologies used in them we
understand that they can be grouped together: accounting, personnel, purchasing,
engineering, and management.
 Food and beverages. This area includes IT and IS such as recipe management, cost
control, tables, point-of-sale (PoS), etc.
 Marketing and sales. We classify technologies in this field depending on whether they
are oriented to customer management, marketing, or sales.
 IT systems for clients. We include in this area management technologies that are used
by the guest directly to complement their stay.
 IT infrastructure. Management of the IT infrastructure of the hotel, mainly hardware
and communications.
 Additional hotel services. Golf, spa, etc.
A third perspective that also appears in the literature and that we consider should be taken into
account is the type of hotel under consideration (Siguaw et al., 2000). The type of customer that
is the target audience of the hotel (e.g., low-cost, economic, average price, high-end, or luxury),
the complexity of operations (e.g., number of rooms), whether the hotel is independent or

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affiliated with a chain, and the lodging type (e.g., convention hotel, sun-and-beach hotel, rural
hotel, motel) will have an influence on the IT to be considered. More specifically, Siguaw et al.
(2000) found that high-end hotels focused on technologies that improve customer service more
than economy and budget hotels do, and the higher the level of the hotel, the more technologies
were available to the customer. This coincides with the data found by Bulchand-Gidumal et al.
(2011) when analyzing the type of WiFi offered by hotels. Siguaw et al. (2000) also found that
price-oriented hotels were not leading the process of adoption of technologies that improve
employee productivity. Instead, the ones that implemented these technologies most were luxury
hotels. Such hotels also led the implementation of technologies aimed at increasing revenue.
Finally, they detected that, in general, hotels affiliated with a chain were ahead of independent
ones in technology implementation. The results obtained by Ruiz-Molina et al. (2011) were very
similar, with five-star hotels leading the implementation of technologies that offer added value,
while traditional technologies saw relatively similar use in all the hotels they studied.
Interestingly in this case, the data indicated that the three-star hotels had more technologies than
four-star hotels, a fact justified by the need to differentiate since there were more three-star
hotels in the areas they studied.
A fourth perspective analyzes the type of task that IT automates. In order to develop a list of IT
available to hotels, and since IT supports or replaces the tasks of employees, it is necessary to
take into account that these tasks can be classified into two major groups: routine and non-
routine tasks (Autor, Levy, and Murnane, 2003). Routine tasks follow rules in their execution,
while the latter tasks require more intervention by workers due to the need to adapt to the
circumstances. Traditionally, technology has been aimed at the automation of routine tasks.
Thus, most of the technology in use in hotels aims to automate this type of tasks. Therefore,
knowing how an organizational process works means knowing how the technology to
implement it works, at least in what refers to the automation of routine tasks. Clearly, the
potential of a technology is much greater than to automate this type of task, since usually a
range of possibilities that did not exist when the process was developed manually will arise.
Elaborating on this point, Singh and Kasavana (2005) suggest that it is important to distinguish
between applications that are central to the hotel business and those that, being critical, are
really commodities. For example, they mention, among others, centralized reservation systems
(CRS), property management systems (PMS), recipe systems, and payroll and human resources
information systems as examples of mission-critical systems that are also routine systems with
little value contribution, at least in their basic form of task automation.
The literature has also used other classifications of IT in the hospitality industry. For example,
and in order to classify research in the area, O‘Connor and Murphy (2004), classified the
technologies into three main groups: distribution-oriented, focused on pricing, and focused on
customer relationship.

3 Methodology
In order to create a catalogue of IT that can be used in hotels, the authors conducted a review of
articles found in academic and professional journals devoted to technology, tourism, and IT and
tourism. They also been revised and constantly monitored the articles published on this topic in
the most important digital media and in the press, both in Spanish and in English. Combining

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academic, professional, and dissemination sources at the sectorial level and at the general level
guarantees the presence of all existing technologies.
As for academic journals, publications related to the binomial of IT and tourist accommodations
from the following databases were analyzed:
 ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com)
 Emerald Management eJournals (http://www.emeraldinsight.com)
 Sage Journals (http://online.sagepub.com)
 Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.com/)
In addition to the generic search, a specific search was also made by functional area and by
specific technologies, in case these searches could lead to the location of other items of interest.
The search in these databases was performed during 2014 and 2015 (February 2014, November
2014, and March 2015). Since our interest was to examine IT available to hoteliers, papers were
analyzed with the objective of identifying in them references to technologies available to hotels.
In total, more than 300 articles were analyzed, eight of which contained extensive catalogues of
technologies, while the rest referred to one or two technologies used in any of the hotel services.
Meanwhile, at the level of publications for the professional sector, more than 1,000 articles
published in various magazines and blogs in the sector were analyzed. This led to identifying
some technologies that had not yet been referenced in scientific papers due to their relative
novelty.
Finally, to ensure that no relevant technologies were left behind, the list of IT used as a
departure point for this manuscript was presented to the CIOs of two hotel chains and to the
manager of a company dedicated to the development IT applications for hotels. These three
people validated the listing and suggested some changes to the names of some of the
technologies and to the allocation of technologies to functional areas.

4 Results: Catalogue of IT in hotels

In this section, we present the listing of technologies available for each of the functional areas of
a hotel. In the next section we will refer to some technological trends that should be considered
by hoteliers.

4.1 Rooms
In this section, we present technology aimed at front-office and housekeeping functions. Before
we delve into each of these two subareas, we will mention the property management system
(PMS), which is the main system that defines room management in a hotel. As we discuss
below, sometimes the PMS performs many of the functions that will later be described in the
two mentioned subareas.
 Property management system: PMSs are responsible for the coordination of all
operations carried out in hotel reception, marketing and sales, room management,
accounting, payroll, management reservations, food and beverage, and other areas
(O‘Connor, 2004). That is, the main function of the PMS is to act as a hub between the
different information systems of the hotel. It is a centralized database of all the

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transactions that take place within the establishment and also of those outside the hotel
that have an impact on it.
Additionally, depending on the size and complexity of the hotel, apart from
coordinating
CRS operations,Yield
the PMS will directly perform some of the mentioned
functions, or there will be specific systems for these functions. Figure 1 shows these
two options. In case A, the PMS acts as a coordinator CRS between different
Yield existing
information systems in the hotel. In case B, the PMS is directly responsible for
performing thePMS functions. Depending on the manufacturer of the PMS, these functions
will be integrated into the PMS or just coordinated by the PMS. It is also likely that the
situation is an intermediate case between the two
Back options presented;
office PMS some functions
F&B will
be part of PMS, while others will be external to it. In either case, some of the functions,
Ancillary Front Ancillary
Back especially
office those related to CRS,
F&Bwill never be integrated into the PMS. Housekeeping
systems
systems office
In general, in smaller hotels, the PMS has more built-in functions, thus being closer to
option B. In turn, in larger and more complex hotels or in hotel chains, the PMS is
Front
closer office
to option A. Housekeeping

Option A. PMS as a hub Option B. PMS as an information system

4.1.1 Front office

Although we have indicated that it is common that many of the functions that will be mentioned
here are part of PMSs, we have preferred to treat them individually for the sake of exposition. In
any case, we understand that what matters is the functionality itself and not the fact that it is a
standalone information system or a subsystem of another information system.
We think it is important to notice that both for the systems we will discuss below and for the
other systems that we will discuss in the rest of this article, whatever their configuration is, the
systems are connected to each other, sharing information and giving the impression, at least
virtually, that they are a single system.
Front-office systems consist of different technologies ranging from computer applications to
electronic devices to support human work and to support customers in the process of achieving
self-service. Therefore, they are designed to support the operations of direct customer service,
with features such as individual and group billing, customer management, check-in and check-
out, etc. These are the systems that we can find in this area.
 Reception. The systems in this area support the tasks performed by the reception,
oriented mainly to control the state of the hotel on the one hand, and to provide
information and solve guests’ needs on the other.
In the first case, the goal is to control check-ins, check-outs, room status, reservations,
etc. Much of this information is the basis for the other departments of the hotel that
receive the information directly in their information systems or as a paper listing
prepared by the reception. Typically these systems already incorporate visual modes
that allow users to know the status of the rooms in the hotel at a glance.
In the second case, one of the main tasks of the receptionist is to meet the demands of
customers in terms of information and services. The reception is the central point at

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which these claims are received, processed, and sent, if necessary, to the appropriate
department.
 Concierge. The concierge support system is aimed at providing information on
activities and attractions that may be of interest to the customer: restaurants, excursions,
other tourist services, ways to get to a certain point, etc. In this area, we believe it is
interesting to highlight the research by Adler and Gordon (2013), who found that,
contrary to what one might think (because much of the information provided by
concierges is widely available on the Internet), the reality is that hotel guests still prefer
that this information be offered to them in person by the concierge. The concierge uses
the technology to provide the most current and relevant information.
 Check-in (assisted or self-service). The check-in is the process by which the arrival of a
customer at a hotel for the first time during a stay is registered. Therefore, it is the time
at which the guest is assigned a specific room and provided access to it. This type of
system takes care of check-in both for individuals and for groups.
Traditionally, information systems have helped in the process of automating tasks,
performing the same work that was done without technology. However, in recent times
self-service check-in systems have started to become popular. In this system, the tourist
checks in without any operator intervention by using a kiosk or similar system that
delivers the room card.
 Online check-in. As an additional step to a self-service check-in at a kiosk, auto check-
in online systems facilitate that the guest can check-in prior to the arrival to the hotel.
Thus, there may be two scenarios: in the first one, the hotel room doors are equipped
with some kind of technology that allows guests to open them directly (for example,
using their mobile phone or with a numerical key pad); in this case, provided it is within
the time specified by the hotel, once the check-in is done, the guest can go directly to
the room. In the second scenario, when the rooms are not enabled for this process or
when it is necessary for the client to physically stop by the front desk for security
purposes, this process is very fast and the guests just have to be identified, without
filling out documents or a room having to be assigned.
These types of systems are particularly interesting when they provide the customer with
a virtual plan of the hotel in which the exact location and possible views from every
room are available, allowing the guest to choose the room that best fits their desires,
similar to what is done when choosing a seat at a concert or sporting event.
 Mobile check-in. The mobile check-in within the hotel allows the check-in process
assisted by the receptionist to take place in a more comfortable and enjoyable
environment for the client, instead of having to stand at a reception desk. The use of
tablets allows the receptionist to sit comfortably with the customer to explain the
features of the hotel and to carry out the check-in process.
An extension of this behavior are systems that allow check-in to take place outside the
hotel, usually by a receptionist who accompanies a client or group of clients from the
airport to the hotel, completing the check-in process during the trip. In this case, some
specific hardware is usually necessary (e.g., key encoders, documentation scanners,
etc.) to develop the process adequately (O’Connor, 2004).

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 Alarm. Automated systems that record the time that the client wishes to be woken up
and carry out the process in the requested schedule. Years ago, this type of systems was
seen as very beneficial to the customer (Reid and Sandler, 1992), whereas today they
are almost disappearing, as it is something that the guests can easily manage with their
own devices (i.e., mobile phones).
 Vending machines. Systems that control the vending machines: adequate stock of
products and the purchase of products with the room card.
 Resort customer card. Systems that manage the cards that are delivered to customers so
they can make consumption in all existing points of sale in the hotel: restaurants, bars,
activities, utilities, shops, vending machines, etc. Published studies (e.g., Morosan,
2012) have analyzed the possibility of using biometrics (e.g., fingerprint, voice, or iris
scan recognition) in this area, finding that there is a willingness to use these
technologies whenever they demonstrate greater utility than traditional card-based
systems. As will be shown later in this article, wearable technologies (i.e., bracelets)
could probably be a consensus solution, since they would be something that the host is
always carrying and has fewer disadvantages regarding the use of personal data.
 Night Audit. Systems responsible for posting the room charge to each guest’s account
and cross-checking the accounts at the end of the day. These systems are increasingly
automated (O’Connor, 2004), limiting the manual part to reviewing that the process has
worked correctly.
 Check-out, assisted or self-service. In this process, the guest check-out is performed.
These systems are responsible for generating the final invoice, checking the pending
expenditures, and recording the remaining balance payments. In large hotels, check-out
is often automated, thus customers receive an invoice in their room the morning they
leave the hotel, and if they agree, they just have to confirm the invoice dialing a phone
number, avoiding having to queue at the reception. It is also possible to do the check-
out process with the television of the room.
 Touch screens, information kiosks. Interactive systems in which users use touch screens
and information kiosks to carry out self-service operations that would be done at the
reception: requesting information, booking services, check-in or check-out, etc. In this
regard, Tung and Tan (1998) show a classification of such devices based on their
capabilities and the transaction information (structured or semistructured) that they
provide. Regarding this type of self-service device, there has always been some debate
about the extent to which they are used by customers and the factors that facilitate or
inhibit their use (Oh and Yeong, 2009).
 Luggage. Although it is a function usually controlled manually (e.g., tag a piece of
luggage, assign it to a room, and deliver it), RFID tags are helping streamline the
process and making it more secure (Ozturk and Hancer, 2014). Thus, when the suitcase
is given to the staff, they apply an RFID tag and the guest is given a code so that he/she
will be able to know at all times where the suitcase is; at the same time, the hotel can
also locate it and prevent theft or loss.
 Lost objects. Systems to log all the objects lost in a hotel resort in order to facilitate
their return to the right client.

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4.1.2 Housekeeping and rooms

This section describes the technologies that are designed to automate housekeeping or can be
used by the guest in the room.

4.1.2.1 Housekeeping
 Housekeeping. Systems to support the management of all operations related to the
cleaning and preparing of rooms: assignment of rooms to cleaners, control of the status
of each room, and service times control, among others. Historically considered one of
the areas that have the most influence on customer loyalty, housekeeping is a critical
factor in the industry (Kandampully and Suhartanto, 2000).
 Client presence in the room. Systems designed to detect whether the client is present in
the room before entering to clean it, fill the minibar, correct minor faults, etc. Years
ago, when physical keys were used in hotels, the system was based on whether the key
was in the appropriate box at the reception desk. Today it is typical that the customer
has to place a sign on the door lock. But nowadays there are systems that can have
simple detection mechanisms (e.g., whether the customer has placed the key in the
docking station) or more complex models in which the guest digitally indicates his or
her presence and willingness for someone to enter the room.
 Maintenance order. Systems meant to reflect all the maintenance needs there may be in
a room: bulbs, locks, toilets, paint, etc. The system communicates with the room
availability system (marking, if needed, a room as unavailable if the problem is severe)
and the maintenance management system. Since this is an area in which outsourcing is
common, the system must also manage this process.
 Minibar. Applications and systems that allow keeping track of the purchases a guest has
made in the minibar. These systems also include automated models for detecting
minibar consumption, aimed at both billing and refilling. In the simplest cases, the
employee can see from outside the room if the minibar has been opened, thereby not
entering rooms in which the minibar has not been opened.
Some authors suggest that IT has led to a revival of minibars, which in many
establishments were eliminated or left empty. Since IT facilitates the detection of use,
billing, and refill, costs are reduced and revenue is increased (Freed, 2009), making the
service more profitable.
Currently, the trends are targeted towards minibars with dynamic pricing and capable of
promoting cross-selling. For example, customers who purchase a movie can get a
discount on minibar items while watching the film (Too, 2010).
 Theft management (pilfering). Sometimes hotel guests take some of the objects in the
room with them. While in some cases there is some doubt about whether this behavior
is acceptable (e.g., with bathroom accessories), in others it is obvious that this is a
robbery (e.g., towels, TV remote; Fukukawa, 2002; Harris and Reynolds, 2004). In
addition, there are services that hoteliers would be interested in launching if they could
easily ensure that robbery would not happen. Theft management systems are based on
RFID tags or similar devices that enable easy verification of whether all objects that
should be in the room are still there when the guest checks out.

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4.1.2.2 Use by the guest in the room

These technologies try to replicate the technologies that guests already have in their homes as
closely as possible (Beldona and Cobanoglu, 2007) or to make the guests feel at home and as
comfortable as possible. These technologies are very costly to the hotel, and their value to the
customer and their impact on performance have not always been clear. For example, while the
study by Ham et al. (2005) found no relationship between these technologies and organizational
performance, Cobanoglu et al. (2011) found that they are critical to increase customer
satisfaction. Meanwhile, providers of such IT contend that they help increase sales (Ronson,
2012).
In any case, we think it is important to highlight the fact that hotels tend to be relatively slow in
the process of implementing IT in the rooms, as they prioritize technologies that improve
productivity or performance (Siguaw et al., 2000), perhaps understanding that IT in rooms is not
that important in developing strategies nor in making high-level decisions (Law and
Jogaratman, 2005).
 Locks. Door-opening systems. Systems in this area range from basic systems based on
magnetic cards to systems based on RFID chips (which, among other things, allow
users to replace the classic card with a bracelet or other object with the chip), to systems
based on the use of a smartphone (for example by the light of the flash or a sound
made), smart watch, numeric code, biometric variable, etc. To the extent that these
systems do not require collecting a physical item at the reception desk, they further
facilitate the self-service check-in process, allowing it to be fully automated.
 SmartTV. TVs that also allow guests to access the Internet directly from a TV, book and
buy products and services, access an interactive map of the hotel, or check out, among
other options.
 Tablets or other IT devices in the room. Much like the concept of SmartTV, in this case
what is offered to the guest is to have mobile devices such as tablets, laptops, game
consoles, etc. Today, it is a trend with very low impact (Jung et al., 2014), thus it will
be necessary to analyze whether it evolves.
 TV channel management. Systems designed to manage the channels broadcast by the
television circuit of the hotel to be seen by guests in their rooms. These systems are
becoming obsolete and being replaced by more modern systems based on on-demand
content distribution, SmartTVs, etc. However, they are still often used. Their main
feature is a set of channels that are offered free of charge to the customer (Bilgihan,
2012).
 Video on demand. Systems that allow guests to access movies and other content on
demand from their SmartTVs. In this case, the hotel acts as a video club. These on
demand content have to be paid for typically (Bilgihan, 2012).
 Music. From the piped music systems typical in hotels a few years ago, to more
complex systems that combine music provided by the property with the possibility that
customers can play their own music by connecting their own music sources, these
technologies are a current trend in high-end hotels (Bilgihan, 2012), and are in the
process of generalization (Jung et al., 2014).

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 Environment technology. Technologies that allow guests to customize their room via
switches in the room or an application on their smartphone. They can customize climate
variables (temperature and humidity), lighting, colors, and even smells. The most
advanced systems in this area even allow users to set variables of the bed (e.g., the
firmness of the mattress). CRM systems can allow these values to be recorded for future
visits.
An important variable in these systems is the integration process, so that all the
configurable parameters of the room (i.e., temperature, lighting, audio and video, etc.)
can be controlled from a single point, providing a better customer experience and at the
same time making more efficient use of energy resources (Howe, 2010). Hotel
managers expect this trend to become common in coming years (Jung et al., 2014).
 Safebox. Systems that have not changed much since they started being installed, being
based on a security code to open and close the box. There are also other systems based
on biometric variables of the user (Nasoz, 2011). Today, systems that can be opened
from the user’s device (e.g., from a smartphone) are beginning to be implemented and
include a power supply inside the box to allow customers to charge their devices (e.g.,
laptops) while they are in the safe.

4.2 Management (back office)

As indicated previously, we have grouped in the back-office area a number of functions that
normally have their own identity in the organizational chart of a typical hotel. However, due to
the type of tasks they perform, being less oriented to direct contact with the customer and more
oriented to the operation of the hotel management, we understand that they are areas in which
information systems are more oriented to supporting the functions than to developing new
services or improving customer service. All this without prejudice, of course, that proper and
efficient management of hotel services will result ultimately in customer satisfaction.

4.2.1 Personnel
 Payroll. Information systems for the calculation of staff payroll.
 Personnel management. Information systems to support the tasks of personnel
management: recruitment, hiring, performance evaluation, assignments, career
development, training, etc.
 Knowledge management and training. Systems for knowledge sharing and cooperation
among hotel workers through intranets, as well as tools and virtual learning platforms,
communities, and audio and video applications for the training of workers (Li et al.,
2012).

4.2.2 Accounting
 Hotel accounting. Systems for management of hotel accounting. In these systems, as in
most back-office systems described in this section, some authors have found that the
uses are generally unsophisticated and oriented toward basic automation (Ramli, 2013).
However, as the possibilities offered by IT are realized, incorporating key performance
indicators for the hotel, the connection between the use of IT and organizational
performance becomes clearer.

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 Guest accounting. Systems for accounting guests’ consumption during their stay at the
hotel and preparation of the final bill. The system receives information from all points
where consumption takes place in the hotel.

4.2.3 Purchase management

 Inventory. Inventory management in the warehouse.
 E-procurement. Purchases of goods and services through the Internet (Kothari et al.,
2005) in order to digitize the entire supply chain to automate the buying cycle (Hearn
and Gibbons, 2001) in the management process of the supply chain (SCM).

4.2.4 Engineering
 Energy management systems (EMSs; air conditioning, water, electricity, etc.).
Applications to manage energy consumption on the premises of the hotel, as well as
analysis and suggestions for improvement and optimization. It should be noted that
energy management has become an issue that affects not only on the income statement
(Rock, 2010) but also customer interest; hotels that are more energy efficient are more
attractive to customers even to the point of a willingness to pay more (Camanelli and
Rizzo, 2008).
 Maintenance. Systems to manage maintenance of hotel rooms and common areas,
getting information mainly from the maintenance order systems handled by
housekeeping and reflecting the actions taken in each case.
 Pools. Automated or semi-automated systems to manage the control of the swimming
pools: water temperature, health parameters, etc. Also systems to help in the process of
detecting possible drownings in the swimming pool, and even monitor access to the
pool at times when it is closed due to the lack of a lifeguard. These systems could, for
example, be based on thermal-imaging systems (Wong et al., 2011).
 Gardens. Management of irrigation schedules, water consumption, species planted,
plans for interventions in the gardens, specific cares, etc.

4.2.5 Hotel management

 Balanced scorecard (BSC) and business intelligence (BI). Applications to provide
senior hotel management a comprehensive view of the hotel on the basis of the
parameters and variables that management considers necessary. With these applications,
management can analyze the situation of the hotel daily and, if necessary, investigate
the causes that explain the values of the global variables (e.g., occupancy percentage,
rooms with pending repairs, etc.). The development of such applications should help
reduce the problems encountered by Law and Jogaratman (2005), who referred to the
limited use of IT in hotels to make high-level decisions. Specifically, several authors
have found a low rate of use of the balanced scorecard in the hotel sector (McPhail et
al., 2008; Nunes and Machado, 2014), since performance evaluation is carried out with
unstructured and rudimentary models. In this sense, the study of Sainaghi et al. (2013)
illustrates some of the areas in which the BSC must grow and improve to better fit and
be more accepted in the hotel environment, pointing out some areas where IT could
certainly contribute.

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4.3 Food and beverage

 Cost of recipes. Systems that use the prices of ingredients to calculate the detailed cost
of meals and drinks (O’Connor, 2004). On this basis, it is possible to calculate the
selling price to ensure a particular profit. When there is a price change in an ingredient,
is relatively easy to know the impact it will have on the benefits of the area, since the
system has the ingredients and quantities needed for each recipe as well as energy
requirements, preparation time by each type of worker, etc. Using nested systems, a
recipe may, in turn, become part of other recipes (e.g., sauces or dough). This system
also helps in the process of ordering ingredients from providers.
 Stock control. Management and control of food and beverage inventory.
 Point-of-sale (PoS). Systems to manage the PoSs in the hotel. From basic electronic
cash register systems that facilitate the preparation of a customer‘s bill to more complex
integrated systems, such as waiters having a mobile device that collects orders
automatically and distributes them to the cash register and to each cooking area
(appetizers, main dishes, drinks, etc.). They also perform a check on the delivery of the
product at the customer’s table.
 Table management. Systems to control the bookings and assigned tables for customers
with visual interfaces including a floor plan of the restaurant and the capabilities to join
tables, change reservations, generate separate customer invoices, manage waiting lists,
notify waiting customers that their table is ready, etc. These systems also help control
the total service time at tables, waiting times for food or between meals, etc., enabling
subsequent improvements in the areas where deficiencies are found.
 Conferences and events. Control of conference and event development. Therefore, this
system handles room reservations, conference room and sub-room layout, and services
associated with those bookings (e.g., coffee breaks).
 Room service. Systems to manage room service: orders, service, billing, etc.
 Trays in the hallway. Systems that inform staff about the location of used in-room
dining carts and trays that are in the hallway, so that fast and efficient retrieval is
assured (Hotel News Resource, 2009).
 Control of the buffet. Systems to manage the buffet, detecting which trays are empty or
almost empty, which products are the most consumed depending on the time of year
and customer profile, etc. This information helps the kitchen area prepare the food that
is required at all times. They may be based on systems that automatically detect the
status of the trays and the number of people interested in a product (e.g., by weight
scales) or more basic systems in which a camera shows the appearance of the buffet on
a television in the kitchen.

4.4 Marketing and sales

4.4.1 Client management
Customer Relationship Management (CRM). CRM systems are aimed at three types of
tasks: a) integrating the communication with the client; b) achieving maximum
knowledge of the client in order to improve the services provided throughout the
relationship with the hotel; and c) analyzing that knowledge to offer products and

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services on an individual basis and at the appropriate time. This means that from the
knowledge gained, it is possible to tailor the service and anticipate customer needs, also
achieving increased loyalty. CRM systems are based on the fact that all customer
contact is documented: Internet, desk, PoS, global distribution systems (GDS), mobile
channels, etc. Customer behavior is also recorded: when and how they booked, the
services they contracted, loyalty cards they used, etc. This enables defining a customer
profile that can subsequently help adapt products and services to customer desires and
needs.
 Loyalty cards. Conceptually, this is a subsystem of the CRM that manages loyalty cards
(e.g., accreditation of points, consumption of points, customer preferences, etc.) and
provides information to other systems; for example, warning the marketing department
about clients who have not stayed at the hotel for a long time.
 Customer-communication management. As happens with the loyalty cards system, this
system could also be part of the CRM. Customer-communication management systems
enable complete management of all communication with customers: before arrival,
during their stay, and after it. These communications can be used to offer promotions
for upgrades, promote cross-selling, help with activities during the stay, request
evaluation in social networks, and offer discounts on future stays to ensure customer
loyalty.
 Customer surveys. Systems to determine the degree of customer satisfaction with hotel
services, analyzing what issues are most valued by guests and services that cause higher
levels of dissatisfaction. Customer surveys sent via the Internet at the end of the stay,
opinions expressed autonomously on social media, and surveys completed by the guest
during their stay, among others, are used as data sources.

4.4.2 Marketing
 Informative website. Management of hotel website information services: prices,
location, and, in general, the features that guests need to know about before going to the
hotel or during their stay.
 Mobile website. Management of how the website is seen on a mobile device, with a
specific page designed for this type of device, or through a responsive-design website in
which the page adjusts itself to the device on which it is being viewed.
 Virtual tour of the hotel. Systems using visualization techniques for pictures taken with
360 degrees, videos of the installations, and virtual tours allow tourists to access the
facilities of the hotel almost entirely without having to visit.
 Social media management and monitoring. Management and monitoring of hotel
presence on social media such as social networks, blogs, microblogs, evaluations made
by customers, forums, etc., issues all positively related to business performance (Ye et
al., 2009; Xie et al., 2014). Those systems help in the process of monitoring all hotel
reviews posted on different social media as well as in responding to these reviews in a
timely manner. They also allow the hotel to manage the various social networks on
which it has a profile.
 Mobile applications. Development of a mobile application for a hotel or for a hotel
chain. The objective is that customers can book easily from their mobile devices and

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perform tasks such as checking in, accessing the features and services of the hotel,
making reservations, and booking services, among others. Some authors find that,
although it may seem appropriate for hotels to have an application to increase their
visibility and sales, in many cases hotels have just adapted their websites to mobile
devices (Leung et al., 2013), with more than 50% of hotels not having an application
nor the intention to offer one in the near future (Jung et al., 2014).
 Digital Signage. Systems to manage the output of images and through television sets
videos in different areas of the hotel, mainly showing guests information about services,
activities close to the hotel, timetables, offers, etc.

4.4.3 Sales
 Hotel-booking module. Systems connected to the hotel website enabling clients to make
reservations directly through it. Thus the hotel has its own marketing channel, than can
then be used through the hotel website, the chain website, or through similar channels
that connect directly with this reservation system.
 Channel manager. Systems that enable connections to all types of channels: GDS,
travel sites, online travel agencies (OTAs), etc. They are systems that centralize the
management of all hotel sales channels. Thus, the hotel will just have to introduce a
change in the price or availability of a room in one place (the channel manager) that will
then be responsible for replicating this change across all channels in which the hotel
operates. It is necessary to note that in some cases, hotels have more than 100 sales
channels, so the need for this type of product is very high. Sometimes, channel
managers also monitor the prices of the competitors.
 CRS (Computer reservation system or central reservation system). Inventory-
management systems of the hotel’s availability and that of its associated services.
Managers upload room rates and availabilities to this system, from which they will be
sent to different GDS. There will also be information about available rooms, rate terms,
hotel information, etc. In CRS we find modules for booking, profile management, and
group and quota management, in addition to the connection to the PMS and GDS.
 Revenue and yield management. Systems supporting the strategies and tactics of
revenue management and yield management. In this case, IT is essential to implement
such tactics, since they are based on complex mathematical models and it is desirable to
have continually updated information (Salmi and Dornier, 2011), so the help of an IT
system becomes imperative. Authors like Queenan et al. (2011) show that IT systems
have a positive impact on yield-management profitability.

4.5 IT for guests

 Loan or rental of IT (MiFi routers, tablets, ebooks, etc.) devices. The ability to provide
the customer (with or without cost) with technological devices they may need during
their stay at the hotel. MiFi routers, which allow them to have a WiFi network
everywhere they go, iPads or other tablet devices for their use during their stay, ebook
readers, etc. The major drawback of this type of service is the technological
obsolescence, because of which hotels choose to outsource the service in most cases.

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 Geotagged games on the hotel premises. Games developed to take advantage of the
capabilities of smartphones and other geopositioned devices, thus playing a treasure
hunt or the like as part of the entertainment during guests’ stay.
 Technology in public areas (entertainment, games, etc.). Leisure-oriented technology
systems (e.g., game consoles) made available to the customer to be used during their
stay. They will usually be available in the lobby area or in a room or other common area
specifically designed for this purpose.

4.6 IT Infrastructure
As noted in the initial sections of this article, we include in this area a number of systems that
must be properly managed by the hotel. They are basic infrastructure, so they will usually not
provide significant added value by themselves. However, proper operation is essential, since the
rest of the systems will rely on these. Therefore, the systems mentioned in this section are of
great importance, because if they do not work properly none of IT mentioned up to this point
can be properly deployed.

4.6.1 Hardware
 Purchase and maintenance of hardware. Transactions related to the purchase and
maintenance of hardware equipment necessary for the development of hotel operations:
servers, PCs, laptops, tablets, smart phones, self-service kiosks, etc.
 Supporting BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). The BYOD trend is important to the
management of organizations and refers to the fact that employees use their own
technologies (e.g., laptops, smartphones) in the office. Also, it is increasingly common
in hotels for customers to come with their own technology. Thus, the hotel must be
prepared to manage this situation, in which there may be several guest devices in one
room (Edwards, 2010; Yu, 2012). Apart from the aforementioned WiFi, the bandwidth
must be sufficient (Terry, 2011). The hotel must also be prepared to provide chargers
and outlets in the guests’ rooms (Beldona and Cobanoglu, 2007), and in addition it
should efficiently manage the security issues that will be commented on in the next
section.

4.6.2 Communications
 Structured networks. Deployment and maintenance of structured cable networks on the
hotel premises.
 Wireless networks. Deploying and maintaining wireless networks in the hotel and,
where appropriate, billing customers for using them, according to the zone (i.e.,
common rooms, open areas, etc.). These systems must take into account the quality of
service, security zones, separation between the corporate network and customer
restrictions on access to certain websites, among other issues (iBAHN, 2010). It is
necessary to stress the importance of having free WiFi networks for customer
satisfaction (Bulchand-Gidumal et al., 2011), although providing free connections with
low bandwidth and services while charging for more bandwidth and better-quality
service (Terry, 2011) is an accepted behavior. But we must not underestimate the

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possibilities that free WiFi offers to hotels, exploiting the option of redirecting guests to
pages for upselling, cross-selling or reporting on new services or offers.

4.6.3 IT Security
Safety management. In a hotel, customers pass through almost all of the areas, often
with a mobile device in their hands. This customer presence on the premises makes
safety management a key issue, being basic to ensure separation between corporate
networks and client communications, restricting access to data from other clients,
compliance with data protection laws, safeguarding credit card information, etc. Kim et
al. (2013a) found that, in general, the situation was far from ideal: most hotels did not
have a department of ICT management; the IT managers had little or no specific
training in this field; and security measures available in the hotels were extremely basic
(e.g., antivirus and firewall only). Thus, credit card encryption systems, network
monitoring, security plans, and vulnerability and access control systems to the network
were uncommon.

4.7 Additional leisure services

 Spa. Spa management: appointments, billing, services available, rates, etc.
 Golf. Golf course facilities management: availability, rates, reservations, etc.

4.8 Other obsolete technologies

There is another set of technologies that have been present in hotels for years but have now
become obsolete. Among others, business centers, videoconferencing, and fax services are no
longer necessary or useful.

5 Technology trends to be considered

This section includes a number of technology trends that should be taken into account by
hoteliers. They are included in this section because a review of the literature reflects the
potential of the technology but does not evidence its use in hotels. However, we believe that
they are significant enough to take into account.
 Cloud computing. Very briefly, we can state that cloud computing is to provide
computing services through the Internet. Although it is not a technology specifically
applied to the tourism sector, in our view it does have an important role in hotel
management since it allows hotels to have access to many of the previously stated
systems (e.g., PMS, CRS, etc.) without having an IT infrastructure. That is to say, a
computer connected to the Internet is enough for the hotel to access all types of
information systems that allow them to develop their internal management and to place
their updated inventory into different marketing channels. We understand it is an
interesting technology for all hotels, but especially for the smaller ones that do not want
to manage or do not have the capacity to manage a technological infrastructure.
 RFID and other geolocation technologies. These technologies allow hotel management
to track guests to know where they are and what routes they take both inside and outside
the hotel. Although tourist activities outside the hotel may be of interest, we understand

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that in this case privacy and access to personal data issues could arise. But knowing
their movements inside the hotel (always with prior consent) would allow optimizing
and improving management of the infrastructure and amenities, especially in all-
inclusive resorts. In this case, it is possible that the RFID tag or other device can be
attached to a bracelet that is given to the guest to access all-inclusive services, making it
to interpolate patterns of behavior of hotel guests possible from the data collected.
However, RFID technologies, in addition to geolocation, also have a number of other
potential uses in hotels. A complete review of these uses can be found in Ozturk and
Hancer (2014). Among others, they cite inventory management, customization of guest
service, cashless payment, and door opening. Many of these have already been
discussed in the previous sections of this article.
 Big data. Big data systems are designed to manage large amounts of data from different
sources, seeking to find non-obvious behavioral patterns that can help management
(Magnini et al., 2003). For example, and as stated previously, collect data from the
movement of tourists within the hotel to optimize management, service times, and
develop new offers. It is a concept interrelated to data mining.
 Internet of Things. “Internet of Things” refers to the fact that all objects are connected
to Internet, not just computers, laptops, phones, etc. In this case, room refrigerators,
lights, temperature sensors, security systems and door openers can be connected
(Hosteltur, 2014). As a greater number of existing objects in a hotel become connected,
the possibilities for data collection, management, and improvement will increase
significantly.
 Smart destinations. A “smart destination” is defined as a tourist destination with
cutting-edge technology infrastructure that is sustainable and accessible, facilitates the
interaction and integration of visitors with the environment, and increases the quality of
their experience at the destination (Segittur, 2014). As can be seen, the concept refers
more to the destination management as a whole than to the hotels individually
considered. Still, we understand that the deployment of this concept in tourist
destinations in the coming years will have implications for hoteliers, so we believe they
should be aware of it.
 Robotics. Currently, many devices already used in hotels could conceptually be
considered robotic in nature (to name a couple, we can mention the kitchens and
transport activities). But in this case we refer to the humanoid robots that can perform
some of the tasks that until now only humans could do: make beds, serve food to
customers, take breakfasts to rooms, etc.
 Wearable devices. Closely related to the above-mentioned RFID devices, there is
currently an explosion in the existence of technological wearable devices: glasses,
watches, bracelets, etc. Therefore, the first applications of use in hotels are beginning to
appear. Like Google Glass or similar devices, these wearables allow guests to interact
with social networking profiles, pay, access areas of the hotel, etc. For example, hotels
that give the customer a bracelet to open their rooms, pay for consumptions, share their
experiences on social networks, and get personalized service (Tecnohotel, 2014).
 Drones. Drones are aircrafts without a human pilot aboard. Their flight is controlled
either autonomously by onboard computers or by the remote control of a pilot on the

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ground or in another vehicle, and their sizes vary widely, although common drones are
usually less than 0.5 meters long. Initially deployed for military and special operation
applications, today they are used in a small but growing number of civil applications,
including in the area of tourism.

6 Conclusions and future research

In this article we have reviewed the technologies and technological applications that hotel
managers have at their disposal. Many of them are common to almost all hotels, regardless of
their type. Others, meanwhile, make sense only in certain types of hotel. There is also a group of
emerging technologies whose development and deployment will occur predictably in the
coming years. We believe that such a wide and comprehensive catalogue of technologies can
help hotel managers in the process of deciding where to direct investments in the IT area. We
also understand that this article may be useful to researchers because it presents a classification
and description of all existing technologies; thus it can be useful to have a catalogue of this kind
when addressing a scientific study.
In addition to cataloging technologies, in this article, we have also grouped them in accordance
with the literature, taking into account the way in which they can influence organizational
performance: increased worker productivity, improved quality of hotel services, support and
improvement of marketing and commercialization processes, and increased revenue. This
classification may be useful in evaluating specific technology products within each technology,
since it allows readers to analyze whether a technology offered by an IT company satisfies what
hotels need in order to improve.
For future research, we believe it would be necessary to clarify and detail the way in which IT
impacts organizational performance, taking into account issues such as hotel type, clientele,
location, etc., since technologies that are desired by the customers of a hotel may not be
desirable at another hotel. Finally, it would be necessary to test empirically the extent and
manner in which different IT contribute to organizational performance. In doing so, a
methodology to assess the strategic value of particular information technology could be
developed.

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