When can we connect?
In an age where information from a mobile phone can be delivered within seconds to the other side of the world, it shouldn’t be so hard for technology experts to make their system work with others. Technology, after all, is what
they do best.
But such is the reality for providers of hotel systems and applications, who’ve spent years perfecting their own product but lack the time and resources to make that product accessible to the masses.
It’s almost as though the concepts of instant data transfers and globalisation apply to every industry but hotels, which has long suffered from a fragmentation that has hindered technological innovation – or simply technological
adoption, for that matter – in spite of housing some of the most valuable consumer data on the planet.
Today, the biggest constraint for providers of hotel management systems (more commonly known as property management systems or simply PMSs) is time – specifically, time spent on making their product work with others rather than
time spent on the product, itself.
As Mats Persson, director of one leading provider,
Sirvoy, says:
"We like to focus on what we're good at, and we're good at providing our customers with a first-rate, innovative PMS solution. Time spent developing connections and integrations with other software means less productivity
in the more crucial areas of internal development."
For others who have focused their efforts on product enhancements, the choice has come at the cost of falling behind the competition and becoming irrelevant in a hyperconnected world.
But it’s a sacrifice many PMS providers have had to make, as investing time and resources into both their product and connectivity is no longer a viable option if they want to scale.
