Consumers and businesses at odds over future of mobile technology in hospitality

While business leaders rated social media interaction during and after the experience as the most important use for mobiles in the future, just 13 per cent of consumers said they would use their mobile to interact with a hospitality outlet over social media.

Additionally, while speeding up service delivery and payments were the lowest prioritised uses of mobile technology for business leaders, over a third of consumers said they would use their smartphones for ordering (31 per cent) and payment (30 per cent).

Both businesses (73 per cent) and consumers (33 per cent) agreed that mobile booking and reservations will be important in the future,  but consumers (35 per cent) put receiving vouchers and special offers as the biggest priority when it comes to mobile technology.

“While social media is an important channel for dealing with customer service issues, it seems that it’s not something where hospitality businesses can join the conversation at the table,” said Matthew Cox of the Hospitality Division at Omnico Group.

“Consumers are more concerned with how technology can improve their actual experience and getting great deals, while business leaders were ranking these bottom of their priorities for investment.

“While priorities differ, it’s clear that smartphones have an important role to play in delivering loyalty schemes and speeding up payment at the point of sale.”