After studying hospitality, I learned there are many things that affect the industry. One aspect that stands out in my mind is how important it is to leverage technology for the hotel that one works at, and how technology affects the hospitality industry. Technology includes not only the use of innovative equipment to assure that a hotel operates efficiently and provides optimal customer service, but also technology in the way of social media. The course has demonstrated that social media is an important tool for leveraging success in the hospitality industry. Examples of commonly used tools in this arena include Facebook and Twitter. Using social media, hotels can change operations and conduct business. Social media can increase visibility in the industry and enhance creative strategies and methods that the hotel uses to promote its visibility within the industry.
Social media can be used to help promote special events, to help promote rates that a hotel wants to make more visible or to promote other important elements of a hotel’s operations. Further, social media is an important tool for simply improving a hotel’s overall visibility an improving guest traffic specific to the hotel. This is important in a modern era where more and more individuals are looking to technology to provide them with the answers they need about travel, destinations and convenient accommodations. I have learned that much of a hotel’s reputation and services will be available to customers online, so it is worthwhile for a hotel to engage customers and work on building relationships with customers in non-traditional ways, including via the use of the internet and technology. Apart from traditional social media, hotels can do so via forums, blogging and other unique methods to attract more guests to their lobbies and special events.
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I have also learned that the hospitality industry is one that is increasingly diverse. Much of the public expresses an interest in doing business with hotels that advertise their efforts toward sustainability and helping the environment. There are also many ways that hotels like the Marriott can contribute to greater sustainability. This can come in the way of working toward improved waste reduction, looking at installing energy-saving devices including HVAC equipment, encouraging and educating guests to help with sustainability by reusing towels or limiting waste when appropriate, and looking into energy sustaining equipment. This may include the use of biodegradable supplies including tabletops and the use of air quality systems and water purification systems.
While at first this may seem like a costly investment, in the long-term the investment in sustainability will result in more guests and a greater investment of guests that are interested in a sustainable lifestyle and Green hotels. There are many ways that a hotel can be modified to improve its environmentally friendly efforts. For example even ceiling fans without hotels and refrigerators can be modified so they operating in a way that helps with recycling. Also key to this is the management’s responsibility to meet with executives, stakeholders and staff to establish sustainability goals, and to assure that these goals are met. Guests can be part of the sustainability measures, if the hotel sets goals and encourages guests to become engaged in the sustainability movement.
To help with this, the hotel can advertise its efforts toward sustainability, and contribute to local environmental drives. To go a step further will involve establishing an education center, or to provide pamphlets and other educational materials to guests and others so that the public at large recognizes the efforts the hotel is putting forward toward sustainability. This is the waves of the future in hospitality, as more and more businesses and consumers recognize how vital it is for businesses regardless of their industry to work toward supporting the environment and consumer interest in this field.
