Tourism Summit on Digitalisation & Hospitality
On 23 September, 400 leisure experts gathered in the main hall of the Maaspoort in Venlo. This year, Limburg hosted the Tourism Summit. The theme was digitalisation & hospitality, which ties in well with CELTH’s Conscious Destination Agenda, especially with the theme of human capital.
We have been in the digital transition for years, and the end is far from in sight. Indeed, developments are accelerating. As always with changes, there is a small group of frontrunners, a large middle group, and the so-called laggards. In the plenary part of the summit, two companies from the first group spoke: a hotel chain and a large family campsite. It was an interesting talk in which ‘lessons learned’ were shared with the audience. What stayed with me: above all, don’t try to do it yourself. Call in experts. Also, consider start-ups that have no experience in the sector but know exactly how to build an excellent customer experience. Because digitalisation is not your metier, you are probably good at entrepreneurship and making people feel welcome. A funny and telling anecdote was about trying, as you are used to in the hospitality sector, to build a rapport with the digital ‘nerds’ by offering them a free mibo including bitterballs. This totally failed because nobody had the time or inclination to socialise; they just wanted to program with their headphones on full blast. Different DNA.
It was also interesting to hear that both companies had carefully considered whether digitalisation should take place in front of or behind the scenes. Postillion Hotels opted to deploy digitalisation exclusively at the ‘back end’. After all, the human touch in guest contact is paramount for director Erik-Jan Ginjaar. Camping De Leistert has deployed digitalisation both in front of and behind the scenes, but completely tailored to the wishes of the target group. In the restaurant, there is a robot that returns the used crockery to the kitchen, sings ‘long may they live’, and runs a polonaise. That will put a lot of smiles on the faces of young and old alike. Angelique Joosten of Camping De Leistert also mentioned the smart fire alarms that send a message when the battery is low. These can be replaced in a very targeted way, saving work and ensuring guests are not disturbed while sleeping. These are accessible examples of how digitalisation can work for you in practice.
It was not mentioned in so many words, but such digital innovations have a direct impact on staff deployment. In these times where labour is scarce, it is wise as an entrepreneur to think about which digital technologies can make a difference to your business, always keeping in mind that the guest experience remains optimal.
Simone Romijn
Theme Manager Human Capital CELTH
Coördinator HZ Kenniscentrum Kusttoerisme
Photo: Laurens Eggen