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participate in their programs.
Source: Phoenix Marketing International. Identity problem for some of the hotel industry’s biggest fre-
quent guest programs: Members cannot correctly identify all of the hotel brands within. Retrieved June
24, 2004, from http://www.hotel-online.com.
OVERVIEW OF THE LODGING INDUSTRY
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Technological Issues
The challenge of keeping up with the fast pace of technology is difficult and expensive.
•
Third-party wholesalers. Hotel room availability and pricing information can
be seen by potential guests on thousands of Web sites, as hotels sell inventory
to wholesalers. Determining the number of rooms to assign to third parties and
the price these wholesalers will be charged has become an increasingly complex
challenge.
•
Interactive reservation systems. Guests can now use the Internet to make reser-
vations directly with a hotel.
•
Guestroom innovations. Multiple telephone lines, Internet access, interactive
opportunities for ordering room service, and guestroom check-out are exam-
ples of amenities that guests increasingly desire but that are expensive to install
and implement.
•
Data mining. The technology of data mining allows marketing and sales per-
sonnel to find new ways to use guest-related data.