The hospitality industry is realizing the increasing importance of adding mobility and wireless technologies to its business processes, according to a recent survey commissioned by Motorola Inc.’s Enterprise Mobility Solutions unit.
The survey found that 82% of respondents said that mobility was becoming more important to their businesses to help drive revenue and improve the customer experience. About 60 percent of hospitality decision makers said wireless technology is a competitive advantage and helps with consistent service. Along with increased productivity and driving revenue, the majority of the 468 global respondents said wireless technologies also reduce operating costs. The survey was sent to decision-makers in the bar, restaurant, hotel and resort industries, Motorola said.
“Hospitality IT decision makers have made it clear that mobility is no longer an option but a necessity to survive in an increasingly competitive market,” said Frank Riso, senior director of retail, Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions. “And with seven in ten decision makers viewing mobility as a downtime conversion tool – Motorola’s hospitality barometer indicates that the mobilization of key applications enables organizations to save or recover a daily average of 44 minutes per employee.”
More than half of the people who responded to the survey said that in the next five years, wireless ordering and reservation technologies will have the greatest impact on the hospitality industry. Implementing a mobility strategy improved customer satisfaction, said nearly half of survey respondents. About 27% said a mobile strategy increased per-guest average spend and 25% said it improved inventory accuracy.
Motorola conducted the survey with e-Rewards, a “by-invitation-only” online research panel. The survey was designed to provide a benchmark measurement of the overall perception and usage of mobile and wireless technology solutions across the hospitality industry.