Where is the Hospitality Industry Headed?

Insight from Francisco Perez-Lozao, Senior Vice President, Hospitality Division

I love this question because there is no simple or definitive answer. Yes, we can forecast trends, analyze the global economy for opportunities, and innovate new products to test the market, but the truth of the matter is that no one really knows where the industry will be 5, 10, or 20 years from now. All we can agree on is that the future of hospitality is bright.  According to Smith Travel Research, the number of hotel rooms in the global inventory continues to grow – a full 18% between 2008 and 2018. Digital transformation is enabling hoteliers to better serve their customers, offering experiences and customization like we’ve never seen before.

I’m sure many technology providers would echo my enthusiasm when I say the best is yet to come. In the 26 years I’ve been with Amadeus, the company has never wavered in its commitment to finding new, innovative ways to serve the travel industry. Hospitality is the next logical step in our journey, so we expanded our talent pool and made strategic acquisitions (Newmarket, Itesso, Hotel SystemsPro, TravelClick) to redefine how the industry has operated for decades.

This represents a big responsibility and challenge for an industry that is highly fragmented and lacking a unified guest view. How will we contribute to a better-connected industry? By providing solutions with a modular, open platform that shares a common guest profile across all touchpoints, enabling hoteliers to create unique guest experiences while having a global understanding of their business.

As we move closer to achieving this vision, we’ve shown we can provide significant value to the sector through major deals with InterContinental Hotels Group and Premier Inn, to name a few. With TravelClick now part of the Amadeus family, we’re discovering a whole new world of possibilities, enriched by a broader customer base, an additional team of experts and a much larger services portfolio for the hospitality industry, ranging from IT and Distribution to Media and Business Intelligence.

Now that our combined solutions allow us to cater to hotels of all shapes and sizes, we are well positioned to be the leading provider in hospitality digital transformation. We’ll work to change the landscape by helping businesses increase revenue and deliver powerful guest experiences. To quote TravelClick’s mantra, our objective is “to give more revenue to the hospitality customer.”

I’m not saying it’s going to happen overnight. But we’ve got a team of dedicated, hard-working professionals that believe in making our bold vision a reality. Their passion motivates me as their leader every day. With 2,300+ dedicated Hospitality employees in more than 170 countries, we intend to become a single business unit bigger than the sum of our parts.

Amadeus Hospitality has come a long way and we’re ready to go much further. Will you join us in shaping the future of travel?

Get to know the entire Amadeus Hospitality leadership team on our website.