When you boil it down, hospitality is about providing memorable moments for any occasion, from a simple night out with family and friends to weddings, birthdays or a day at Royal Ascot.

 

And, as technology has become ever more pervasive in our daily lives, it has become increasingly important for organisations in the hospitality industry to understand the role that technology can play in helping to create those experiences.

 

I know that a section of readers switch off when technology and business are mentioned in the same sentence but, believe me, now is NOT the time to switch off. The overwhelming acceptance of the Internet has changed our perspectives forever and technology is no longer mysterious or out of reach.

 

I recently wrote a document entitled Manifesto: technology – its role in the hospitality supply chain. I did this because I felt it was important to demonstrate in simple terms how it is crucial for hospitality businesses to understand what technology is out there and how it can help to achieve goals throughout your business.

 

Because of the rate of change and complexity of technology, the winners will be not only the ones that understand technology and its application but how to deploy it!

 

For instance, in terms of deployment, the importance of outsourcing is becoming increasingly clear. It provides economies of scale, speed to market and flexibility as the technology changes while enabling you to keep pace with a market that demands innovation.

 

As the supply chain changes, you need to recognise it and be able to react to it. As a result, more innovative business practices are appearing and this is where you need to focus and leave the specialist to stoke the fires and keep the lights on.

 

Intelligent application of technology can also derive a multitude of benefits such as understanding and enforcing purchasing discipline, transparency of pricing, managing financial exposure and having rapid access to vital information in which to steer your business through an ever changing landscape.

 

I believe the notion of having your "business at your fingertips" is a reality and that the days of costly, risky and unwieldy large scale projects and implementations are rapidly disappearing. In the long term, we are heading towards a future where you will be seeking instant feedback from your customers on their experience, which in turn will lead to alteration of the menu or recipe, which in turn will feed your procurement and pricing modules, which will in turn generate the orders and start the process for fulfilment and push right back through the supply chain.

 

But there is a word of caution here. At all times you must remember that the key to getting the most out technology is learning how to combine technology with people. Technology will provide the framework from which your business aspirations can be enabled and achieved, but it must be combined with the right people.

 

As Bill Gates said: "Automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify efficiency. Automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency."