Digitalization, sustainability, and cost savings define the ITH Innovation SUMMIT 2022

The sessions held at the NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding brought together major representatives from the tourism sector and were marked by various discussions and roundtables debating the latest trends of significant current relevance in the sector.

The in-person event organized by the Hotel Technology Institute (ITH) gathered top professionals from the hotel sector in two sessions that highlighted high-level speakers emphasizing the importance of human value and technological innovation, as well as the push towards sustainability without losing sight of the economic situation.

The opening of this edition was led by Javier García Cuenca, President of the Hotel Technology Institute (ITH), and Jorge Marichal, President of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT).

Javier García Cuenca, President of the Hotel Technology Institute.

Javier García Cuenca emphasized the continued commitment to quality tourism through value competition and offering clients a unique experience and lifestyle. He also highlighted the sector’s investment in digitalization and sustainability, which provides added value. 

On the other hand, Jorge Marichal emphasized the hotel sector’s adaptability and the work done to emerge from the pandemic while maintaining hope for a swift recovery.

Throughout the sessions, significant emphasis was placed on current issues concerning the hotel sector, giving particular importance to human resources as a fundamental element, in line with the severe staff shortages faced by the sector. There was also great concern about the economic outlook for the end of this year and the next.

As the event indicates, the main focus of the discussion panels was on technology. New trends in the sector were addressed, but digitalization of companies was particularly valued, especially accelerated by the pandemic.

Transformation and Digital Security.

Although technology is the basic tool to integrate more processes and be more competitive, when we talk about digitalization, we are referring to strategies, cost control, sustainability, and internal process improvement. Therefore, having a well-defined strategy is crucial in digital transformation: understanding our current position and knowing what we can improve to achieve the set goals.

One of the major concerns for the hotel sector today, especially for small and medium chains, is how to approach digitalization in an environment where a drop in demand is anticipated within a few months. Thus, the process must be conducted correctly, as otherwise, we will only waste the invested resources. It is not necessary to make a huge investment in technology; the key is to have a clearly defined strategy and proceed along the right path.

Tomeu Enseñat, Iberostar Group; Sebastià Vidal, CEI Europe; Xavier López, EISI SOFT; and Juan Carlos Cavero, moderator.

In this area, Xavier López, CEO of EISI SOFT, pointed out that currently there are two types of companies; those that advanced at a very good pace a few years ago and now only need to readapt their strategy to the new reality, and “those that had nothing and have made significant progress in the last two years very quickly, but following trends rather than truly evaluated needs.”

He also highlighted that in implementing digital transformation strategies, it is essential not to overlook human resources. It is crucial to study how staff will adapt to this transformation, identify potential digital gaps, and propose solutions for them.

On his part, Sebastià Vidal, Director of Tourism at CEI Europe, emphasized the relevance of digitalization in the pursuit of sustainability. Technology is a tool that helps us eliminate paper, as information can be shared between departments, resulting in increased efficiency. He also specified that “by improving internal processes through digitalization, it helps reduce material losses, such as food.”

Tomeu Enseñat, Information Security Director at Iberostar Group, highlighted the importance of cybersecurity in the digitalization process: “We cannot offer digital products if we have not considered security to provide that trust to clients.” As we operate in a digital environment, we are susceptible to being attacked by cybercriminals, he stated, and if cybercrime were a country, it would be the third-largest global economy by GDP.