With 2018 around the corner, Phocuswright and PhocusWire are presenting snapshots of the 12 trends we think will be significant next year across six installments.
Part one kicked off with the The Travel Moment and Customer-Centricity, and for part two, we take a look at Search and Hotel Tech.
This series forms the backbone of the PhocusWire Forecast 2018.
These 12 trends will be summarized in greater detail in a future Phocuswright Innovation report.
In addition, Phocuswright's analysts will take a deep dive on each of
the trends we are showcasing over these next six days in analyses to be published throughout 2018.
Stay tuned!
Search: the elephant in the room
The travel industry - through global distribution systems and passenger service systems - was big on searching back when no one could spell Google.
In the past 15 years, metasearch and fare prediction engines like Hopper have supplanted GDS search. These services have either reduced or perhaps increased the load on GDSs and online travel agencies.
Now that the industry is moving towards direct connect, what is the role of these search services?
Confounding things are the advent of Google’s hotel search and trip planning via Google Home, which provides enormous in-home reach.
How will technology improve the hotel stay?
Technology plays a growing role in people’s lifestyles and how they engage with their surroundings.
Smartphones and watches are ever-present companions. Unlimited entertainment options are instantly available by subscription. Smart speakers answer questions and execute commands.
As consumer reliance on technology increases, their expectations while traveling will grow.
Hoteliers face the daunting challenge of selecting and deploying the technologies that will best suit their guests’ changing needs, while balancing convenience with privacy and security.
New technologies hold the promise of enhancing every aspect of a guest’s hotel stay by improving personalization, service delivery and experiential relevance.