| | 8 HOSPITALITY BUSINESS REVIEWAUG - SEPT -2023WHY TECHNOLOGY IS SIGNIFICANT IN HOSPITALITY?By Mark Braver, Director of Operations, Partner, The Fifty/50 Group Have you ever considered why we are surrounded by so much technology in hospitality? Ostensibly these efficiencies help us achieve results faster, but at what cost? I should say right now that I am a fan of technology that enhances our ability to perform and, in our company, we utilize many tech platforms. But it's also worth exploring the balance between a surface understanding of some hospitality processes and deeper knowledge. Technology in the hospitality space allows us to perform tasks faster and more efficiently. What once was done by hand and pencil for hours may now be done in a nanosecond utilizing an algorithm that thinks for us. And therein lies the rub. If these efficiencies will never become obsolete, then why take the time to learn and understand deeply the process and reasoning behind the solution? Let's take the process of making a reservation at a restaurant as an example. In the pencil and paper days, a guest would generally call the restaurant on the telephone, a reservationist, host or manager would answer the call, page through the reservation book, and record the guest reservation on the appropriate day and time - always in pencil in case changes needed to be made to the reservation later. They would gladly answer questions and gain a personal understanding of this guest's needs or special accommodations. They would also pick up on verbal cues like nervousness about dining at a fancy restaurant or questions about the menu. These notes would be recorded on paper and passed along to their server at the time of seating. Today we may never speak to a guest until they walk in our front door, an online reservation with a name, and maybe a few notes, is all that we share with our guests at that point. Is one of these processes better than the other? One allows us a deep understanding of our guests but requires a paid employee to sit by the phone all day and wait for the phone to Mark BraverIN MY OPINION
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