Introduction
Technology has emerged as key competitive advantage that different companies have used to remain relevant in the market. This is based on the fact that the current business world in very competitive. Many companies in different industries have embraced technology fully because of the benefits that are attributed to it.
Most notably, there is no industry that can operate without technology today unless they want to write themselves off from business. As far as this paper is concerned, we will look at the role of technology in facilities management more so when it comes to the hospitality industry (Wilkerson, 2003, p. 26).
This is because we all know the important role that technology has played in advancing the hospitality industry for long term sustainability. In this case, technology will continue playing an important role as time goes by because the hospitality industry is always changing based on emerging trends and customer preferences.
For example, different hotels have been embracing information technology in various departments for increased efficiency. Facility management is a very important issue in the hospitality industry and that is why key industry players know its importance.
As far as technology is concerned, it should be known that there is no other industry where we have more apparent differences than the hospitality industry. In this case, it should be known that virtually all employees are people and this therefore reinforces the need for technology with an aim of making work easier and enjoyable.
This means that technology in facility management is a very important issue because it increases productivity (Urry, 2003, p. 36). As a matter of fact, it should be known that there is always a clash and collaboration of technology in the hospitality industry. This arises as the importance of technology increases in facility management.
Background
Technology in facility management is a global issue as much as other people and industry players might try to pursue it on a regional or national perspective. As far as hospitality industry trends are concerned, many players want to quickly increase revenues and customer satisfaction for long term sustainability.
This is based on the fact that there is a lot of competition which therefore requires better invention strategies to remain afloat. For instance, we have seen many hotel chains and other players enter new markets with an aim of increasing their market share around the world.
This means that the hospitality industry has realized that information technology has an important role to play (Blais, 2006, p. 31). As a matter of fact, every industry player wants to explore the role of online information and behavioral tendencies that come about as a result of technology on their business.
As far as a global perspective is concerned, companies in the hospitality industry are facing a highly competitive environment because of different changing industry trends. This has therefore seen many leading industry players embrace technology throughout the world when it comes to facility management.
Technology in facility management will continue to revive the industry as a whole and promote growth that has always been desired by many industry players. This paper will therefore explore the changing role of technology in facility management from a global perspective.
The global hospitality industry is therefore realizing that technology has an important role to play based on different issues that arise as they deal with customers every now and then (Wilkerson, 2003, p. 66).
As much as there might be other challenges that the global hospitality industry is facing, technology remains a key growth issue to different managers.
Discussion
It should be know that it is very hard to stay on top of the current technological needs of the hospitality industry and that is why information technology professionals have been left with a lot of work to do. This means that it is very hard to keep abreast with various global trends that are always changing every now and then when looked at from a technology point of view.
In this case, it is quite obvious that there are different technological trends that managers need to be wary of as time goes by lest they be left irrelevant. Technology is being integrated in every aspect of hospitality management thereby making it an important aspect (Cooper, 2005, p. 19).
This means that there is no industry player who can be able to do without technology and facility management. Different industries are changing in relation to emerging technological trends and the hospitality industry has not been left behind.
What inspired change
There are different aspects that have inspired change in the hospitality industry as time goes by. On the other hand, it should be known that technologists and many hospitality industry players have different personalities. As much as this is a fact, both are important to successful hotel technology decisions that are critical for long term sustainability.
As the importance of technology increases in facility management so does conflicts that might arise due to conflicting interests (Urry, 2003, p. 42). This might be between people who are responsible for technology and the hospitality organizations.
The hospitality industry needs technologists and technology to grow which implies that they will be better together through effective collaboration. Key achievements in the industry can be made by embracing technology which is necessary for long term sustainability.
There are different aspects that have inspired changes in the hospitality industry more so as far as the use of technology is concerned. This means that there are certain drivers that have been behind these changes.
The use of technology in facility management has been necessitated by different aspects from entertaining guests to monitoring employees. All these emerging trends have made it necessary to use technology as time goes by.
For instance, planning menus to serving customers needs to be done with technology for efficiency and long term sustainability. In this case, it can be said that technology has drastically changed the way the hospitality industry works in many ways. The need for growth has been cited as one of the driver forces behind these changes (Gladwell, 2000, p. 19).
Many industry players want to grow their business which has been made relevant with technology that has to be integrated in different areas. Over the last decade, the hospitality industry has been on a growth path which has been as a result of embracing technology. This is because other industries that are related with hospitality have used it for their own good.
New technologies are therefore transforming the restaurant and hotel business in various ways. In fact, the need to reshape the industry has brought about these necessary changes. The hospitality industry and more so when it comes to facility management was inspired by the need to enhance customer experience.
Many industry players want to be sustainable by any means possible and that is why they have been forced to use technology to increase customer loyalty to their brands (Gladwell, 2000, p. 76). The need to increase profits and shareholder value has also been behind these changes in technology.
Efficiency is increased with technology and many companies have seen the need to bring in the best technology that they can for sustainability. Other hospitality industry players have been encouraged to use technology by looking at how their competitors are progressing. This means that they learn form each other based on what competitors are doing.
There is always something that drives people to do something as time goes by. In this case, technology has proved to reign in on costs and that is why it has become necessary in facility management thereby being embraced by different industry players.
This has been on a long term basis because technology has reduced manpower in different departments. It should be known that the hospitality industry thrives on the quality of services that are offered which has been enhanced by technology.
Facility management cannot be easy without technology and that is why there has been a desire by everybody in the industry to use technology. This means that there is no restaurant or hotel owner around the world who can ignore technology and be successful in any way.
In fact, technology has rendered crucial help in facility management thereby enhancing growth and competitiveness (Hamel, 2002, p. 45). As a matter of fact, it should be known that the benefits of technology in facility management far outweigh the costs in a broad way.
The most popular technology facilities revolve around accounting in hospitality management which has been a synergy in one way or the other.
Drivers for change
There are various factors that have enhanced changes in the way facilities are managed in the hospitality industry. This means that such aspects have been very instrumental in driving and bringing about changes that are being witnessed in the industry as a whole.
The most notable driver for change in the way facilities are managed has been different efforts to control and change employees. In this case, the hospitality industry has been striving to be ahead of others as far as quality services are concerned thereby necessitating these changes.
It should be known that there are various shifting demographics that have made it necessary for certain changes to be initiated for long term sustainability (Lew, 2008, p. 56).
For instance, there is a new way by which workers are hired and fired which is a practice that has been emulated across the board by different industry players.
The changing ways of life have also been responsible for changes that have been seen around in the hospitality industry in relation to how facilities are managed. This means that the demand for a more sustainable development in tourism has been a driver for change in one way or the other.
Many people assume that tourism and the hospitality industry as a whole are clean and non-polluting but this is not the case. As a matter of fact, there has been increasing pressure for the industry to be environmentally sustainable thereby creating the need for change in the way facilities are managed in the hospitality industry (Cooper, 2005, p. 73).
The need to manage organizational change has been an important issue in the hospitality industry which has brought about various changes. This means that various hospitality industry players want to manage change in the best way possible to enhance sustainability.
It should be known that different players in the hospitality industry have diverse and distinct organizational structures. As much as this is expected in any industry, the need to be above others as far as growth and a big market share is concerned have been responsible for change in the way facilities are managed in the hospitality industry.
In this case, technology has been identified as a key growth driver in the market thereby being embraced by all players in the industry (Theobald, 1998, p. 59). Different industry stakeholders have always wanted to manage impacts and steer their companies to new growth levels which can only be enhanced by using technology effectively.
This means that technology has been identified as the most effective way of increasing benefit flows that will increase returns that are desired by all stakeholders. Linkages in the current business world have been enhanced by technology which implies that every industry should make it the core of its operations.
Why topic is important
The role of technology in facility management is a very important topic that all stakeholders in the hospitality industry are supposed to consider if they want to be relevant in the ever competitive market and business world.
This is an important topic for facilities to consider because of their intention to manage growth. Quality hospitality services cannot be guaranteed unless technology is embraced fully.
In this case, customers are well informed on what they want and any slight mistake can be costly. Because customers are always informed on what is going on in the market, they will always demand better services (Hamel, 2002, p. 134). This means that the main aim of the hospitality industry is to provide quality services which should be enhanced by the best technology available.
The hospitality industry is unique because it thrives on good and quality services which explain why technology will continue being an important aspect and factor for long term sustainability. Service innovation has been rapidly changing in the industry because of accelerations in technology which is an important aspect.
Benefits to the hospitality and tourism industries
There are many benefits of the role of technology in facility management to the hospitality and tourism industries. As far as the global tourism industry is concerned, information has been its lifeline which means that the topic has helped the industry to grow as a whole. The industry has been able to cut on costs and thereby maintain a good growth momentum that has ended up attracting more investors.
This means that the main benefit of technology can only be seen in enhanced profitability. Technology has helped tourism in a great way by increasing connectivity throughout the world (Quinion, 2005, p. 129).
Therefore, it is easy to manage facilities because customers can check in anywhere as a result of free flow of information. The world of technology will continue affecting tourism immensely and positively as time goes by which should be embraced and encouraged by all stakeholders.
The hospitality and tourism industry should be smart enough to use the benefits of technology to support different activities. As much as it might be affected by the technological revolution it is always for the good of the industry. Technology has helped the industry as a whole to achieve several strategic benefits and thereby remain relevant.
The industry has been able to share emerging trends around the world because of technology in facility management which is a good development (Theobald, 1998, p. 99). Different companies in the industry have been able to increase their strategic competitiveness as a result of using technology. This means that the role of technology has increased healthy competition thereby enhancing quality.
In the long run, many customers have been satisfied with the services that they are being offered. Responsible hospitality has been seen around the world in recent years thanks to the good role that hospitality has played.
Importance to future tourism managers
The role of technology in facility management is an important topic that will continue playing a big role in future global hospitality trends. This means that it will continue being an important issue to future tourism managers.
Future tourism managers should know that technology will be important in adopting a strategic perspective that is necessary for growth. This means that technology will be a familiar part of the business environment that any business will not afford to do without.
In fact, technology will be very important for the day to day operations of the business (Quinion, 2005, p. 71). Future tourism managers will always be on the lookout for new technologies that will be able to give their organizations a more strategic competitive advantage than competitors.
This is because technology will play an important role in enhancing competition. Customers around the world have been embracing technology very fast meaning that no future manager can ignore this aspect.
There is an increasing demand for tourism and hospitality services which implies that managers are supposed to identify future and current management challenges to remain competitive (Singh, 2008, p. 145).
This is a very important topic to future managers because they are supposed to take advantage of new and emerging technologies. Nobody can stop technology and future managers who continue being rigid will find it hard doing business. Proper revolution of tourism and the hospitality industry as a whole requires strategic tourism management and marketing that should always embrace technology.
Increasing technology will play a critical role in the competitiveness of tourism in future which should be noted by managers. Future developments in tourism require synergistic interactions which should be given enough recognition by future managers. Management and ticketing systems require technology for easy management which should be focus of future tourism managers.
Conclusion
As earlier noted, technology will continue playing an important role in tourism and the hospitality industry as a whole. This means that all stakeholders should not stand in the way of technology because doing this is not sustainable in the current competitive business world where everything matters (Blais, 2006, p. 80).
Technology is always changing and evolving which means that managers should be on the lookout on what is new to give them a strategic and competitive advantage. Future tourism management should be adaptable to changes that occur in different areas because of the need to be ahead of others.
This means that the role of ICT in tourism can never and will never be underestimated by any player in the industry as time goes by. New technologies will be important in site management and monitoring because these are important aspects in hospitality. In fact, future managers will always use technology to enhance their distribution channels for a wider market share.
This implies that future tourism managers will need to be knowledgeable in various issues that affect hospitality to be relevant more so when it comes to the role of technology.
Reference List
Blais, S. (2006). Business Analysis: Best Practices for Success. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Cooper, C. (2005). Tourism: Principles and Practice. Harlow: Pearson Education.
Gladwell, M. (2000).The Tipping Point. New York: Little Brown.
Hamel, G. (2002). Leading the Revolution. New York: Penguin Books.
Lew, A. (2008). Long Tail Tourism: New geographies for marketing niche tourism products. New York: Harper.
Quinion, M. (2005).Dark Tourism. Santa Fe: Sunstone Press.
Singh, K. (2008). Issues in Tourism Industry: Fundamental of Tourism and Travel. Delhi: Isha Books.
Theobald, W. (1998). Global Tourism. Oxford: Butterworth–Heinemann.
Urry, J. (2003). Social Networks, Travel and Talk. New York: Routledge.
Wilkerson, C. (2003). Travel and Tourism: An Overlooked Industry in the U.S. and Tenth District. Texas: Texas State University press.