Hotel Technology and the Importance of the IT Manager

The travel business was dampened for many years, especially after the tragic events of September 11^th, 2001. Realizing there was a rejuvenation needed to the travel industry, many travel organizations have taken new innovative approaches to managing business internally in hopes of promoting sales.

In the hotel business, profits waned to some extent but certainly not to the degree of airlines. Even still, to promote growth and revive the hotel industry, many major hotel chains began to innovate their websites, working to streamline promotions, advertising, reservations and bookings.

At the very core of the successes in the hotel industry are the individuals who create the hotel technology platforms and the IT professionals who ensure they work properly when needed. While IT professionals are usually at remote locations in smaller hotels, in larger hotels, such as those with conference rooms and restaurants, the IT professionals are usually required to be on-site.

Onsite IT professionals, at major hotel locations, are a vital part of the hotel staff. While some hotels have been inclined to assign IT duties to the hotel management and other key support staff, it is important to understand the key aspect of education in this particular role. With a background in hospitality management, coupled with an IT education training, your best hotel IT staff will be one in which Information Technology is the primary focus of their career.

Unfortunately, in many hotel chains across the country, the Information Technology staff is rarely one in which IT education or experience has been acquired. While most management staff do carry a bachelor's or master's degree, the overwhelming response seems to indicate that IT was not the focus of the job requirements, although it is a focus of their day-to-day responsibilities.

Even more interesting is the number of hotel chains that fail to promote education or continued certification in IT experience. As a result, many IT hotel managers are reporting they simply are learning the IT processes for their hotel simply by trial and error or hands on experience.

As the hotel business continues to recovery from the travel depression of many years ago, there has been a growing emphasis among many hotels chains to improve technology on-site as well as within the internet marketing campaign. Unfortunately, many hotel managers and IT professionals on-site are lacking the education necessary to bring to fruition these dreams of the corporate level hotel executives. However, with advances in education in both Information Technology as part of the Hospitality education and certification programs, hotels may begin to experience a turnaround in their level of service, and their profits.