Hotel & Tourism
SMARTreport #32
2016 Winter Edition
35
THE TWO WAYS
OF CONSIDERING
TECHNOLOGY
Technology – especially in the
hospitality sector – is a double-
sided coin. The purchase of new
guest-facing technologies is
considered by many as a cost,
and by others as an investment.
One has a “total cost of
ownership”, the other has a
“return on investment”.
While in many cases, the first
scenario is true, purchasing
new low-power lighting,
HVAC systems, HMS, in-
room automation and control
systems, TVs, etc., is a cost and
each element has to be weighed
up with regard to its overall
importance in the success of
the business. Then there are
cases when technology can be
purchased as an investment
through which extra revenue can
be driven. Today, the television
can again be considered in
this way: not like in the past,
with Pay per View, but by
using the screen as a powerful
promotional tool and a way of
interacting with the guest. This
will increasingly be a strategy
employed by major hotel chains,
and will become democratised
as the years pass. Being among
the first to deploy new systems
puts a hotel at the forefront in
this respect. The following pages
examine this and other ways to
differentiate and increase profits
and/or RevPAR.
© Jumeirah
INNOVATIONS
&
TECHNOLOGIES
Jumeirah at Etihad Towers
LED Flat Screen TV
