Technology and modernization are two things that continue to evolve and change drastically as time progresses. New technologies have allowed for life-changing and time-saving applications to be created and improved.

The travel industry has significantly benefited from new technologies like mobile technology, augmented reality, and data analytics among numerous others. These new applications and processes have fundamentally changed the way travel companies run and the way in which customers travel and interact with agencies.

Today less than 15% of travelers rely on travel agencies to plan and prepare for travel due to the improvements within the industry. Many travel agencies have begun to see and experience a decline with a number of clients due to the refusal to modernize at the same pace as other companies in the same field. By refusing these technological advances, travel agencies have put themselves at a disadvantage and will become obsolete.

How have new technologies aided companies and consumers in the Travel Industry?

Data Analytics

Data analytics may not seem to directly affect consumers, but analysis processes are critical for suppliers to understand how efficient their advertising and selling processes are. The analysis of data allows suppliers to evaluate their multiple methods of selling, advertising, use of in-person communication, and internet operations to examine the effectiveness and relation of these processes to sales. Without data analytics, companies would not be able to target weak or useless spots within their companies, would suffer economically, and miss crucial areas where they could turn a profit.

Targeted Advertising

Do you ever wonder why an advertisement will pop up on your web browser right after you searched or spoke about a similar topic? Advertisers have used technology to increase their knowledge on how to target customers and have been very successful. Targeted advertising has allowed advertisers within travel companies to target specific groups of people within their target market. Before advertisers would make educated guesses as to who their target markets were and would mail out advertisements to those individuals. With the use of cookies and other data trackers travel companies have the ability to find their target markets and target them effectively. This data creates an easier and less expensive way for travel companies to find their ideal clients.

Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality

Augmented Reality has allowed companies to bring their lodging to life. Interested customers can now view and experience their potential lodging at the touch of button while being hundreds of miles away in the comfort of their own home. Sellers can give virtual tours of stays and of the beautiful views that are waiting just outside the front door. This allows customers to fully explore housing options and offers sellers a more efficient and effective way to market their lodging.

Mobile Devices/Technology

As technology improves and new generations are born in the digital age, using and understanding technology is fundamental to living in this world. Despite the overuse of cellphones, without them, life would prove to be more difficult and human interaction necessary for almost all tasks to be completed. Mobile devices have allowed the population to carry out daily tasks with ease and in a timely manner.

Travel before the internet and technology proved to be frustrating and almost impossible without guidance from a travel agency. Today a travel excursion can be planned and booked within minutes which has greatly aided the travel industry. Not only can a flight, hotel, or car rental be booked in a matter of minutes, but smartphones have the ability to guide us through our travels as well. With a few touches on a screen, you can look up the best pizza in town, secret hiking trails, and the fastest way to get to the amusement park. Mobile devices are a complete game changer to the travel industry because almost everything needed to travel can be done using a phone.

IoT Smart Hotels

In this new digital age, there is less and less need for in-person interaction. Instead of calling up the front desk of your hotel to ask for assistance adjusting the thermostat, walking outside of your room to slide a Do Not Disturb sign on your door, or even standing up to turn off the lights, now you can do this all from an electronic device.

Hotels have begun to increase the use of technology especially in relation to customer use and have been able to save a lot of money because of it. Customers are now able to use their own phone to check in to their stays from miles away and once they arrive can pick up their keys right away. Having this type of technology available to customers allows employees to focus on more important tasks.

Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning

The future of technology and the world we live in will heavily rely on computer science and its uses for artificial intelligence and machine learning. Artificial intelligence and machine learning both refer to machines being able to complete tasks that previously required human intelligence and then those machines being able to learn from experiences and mistakes without the need of humans to adjust programming.

Google uses artificial intelligence and machine learning with many of its applications. Google Photos is a great example. For those of you familiar with Google Photos we know that as soon as you take a photo on your cell phone the image will download to the app and will be saved on the cloud to prevent you from running out of storage on your device. When entering the Google Photos app there are many features that it offers including automatic photo albums. These albums were not created by the individual, but the app itself. The multiple albums may include “people & pets”, “places”, “things”, and “animations”. These albums have been created with artificial intelligence and computer science programs that use specific algorithms sort your pictures so that you do not have to.

Artificial Intelligence has just begun to reach the hospitality market and Hilton Hotels is one of the first large chains to work on the creation and incorporation of robots for customer service. IBM and Hilton have teamed up together to create a robot that will be able to provide customer service and will help hotel owners save money. This type of technology will soon become essential for the hospitality industry to make the largest possible profit.

How are Siesta Cloud and Siesta Solution using technology to advance and change the travel industry?

Siesta Cloud and Siesta Solution have been working to help businesses in the travel industry incorporate technology into their companies to help save money, reach new clients, understand their customers better, and create more efficient businesses. Both Siesta Cloud and Siesta Solution use computer programing to assist companies with the creation of portals, bookings, management, administration, and numerous other necessities.

One way that Siesta Cloud works to improve companies communication within themselves and with other partners, as well as customers, is through the creation of customized portals. These portals allow customers to have more control over their bookings, stays, and activities without the need for their clients to wait in queues on the phone. These portals combine bookings with payment gates and back-office administration allowing the complicated interactions between portals, agents, and clients, to become much simpler and more efficient.

Siesta Solution focuses on many parts of the process from bookings to stays, but one crucial feature it focuses on is the accessibility for users. Siesta solution has created an app for mobile devices that allows hotel and property owners to manage their bookings and reservations. Always needing to return to the office to complete work or check up on sales can be a challenge due to our very busy personal lives. With this feature by Siesta Solution owners can access and change their business and administrative needs from wherever they are.

Both Siesta Cloud and Siesta Solution use technology to aid business owners and customers in creating travel plans without the stress and chaos that complicated and outdated booking websites have.