The Need to Embrace Mobile Technologies

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Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Table of Contents PAGEREF _Toc95430233 \h 2Executive Summary PAGEREF _Toc95430234 \h 31.1 Background of the Study PAGEREF _Toc95430235 \h 41.2 Significance of the Study PAGEREF _Toc95430236 \h 41.3 Aims and Objectives of the Study PAGEREF _Toc95430237 \h 52. Literature review PAGEREF _Toc95430238 \h 62.1 Mobile Technologies PAGEREF _Toc95430239 \h 62.1.1 The Need to Embrace Mobile Technologies PAGEREF _Toc95430240 \h 62.1.2 Slow Integration of Mobile Technologies PAGEREF _Toc95430241 \h 72.1.3 Advantages of Mobile Technologies PAGEREF _Toc95430242 \h 82.2 Social Media PAGEREF _Toc95430243 \h 92.2.1 Role of social media in tourism PAGEREF _Toc95430244 \h 92.2.2 Benefits of Social Media Marketing PAGEREF _Toc95430245 \h 103.0 Case Study PAGEREF _Toc95430246 \h 113.1 Background Information on Sofitel Haikou PAGEREF _Toc95430247 \h 113.2 Use of Mobile Technology by Sofitel Haikou PAGEREF _Toc95430248 \h 133.3. Use of Social Media Marketing by Sofitel Haikou PAGEREF _Toc95430249 \h 183. 4 Recommendations PAGEREF _Toc95430250 \h 224.0 Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc95430251 \h 235. 0. References PAGEREF _Toc95430252 \h 25
Executive Summary
Mobile technology and social media have dramatically changed the way companies and businesses interact with their stakeholders. This new trend has revolutionized business operations on every front. This paper seeks to demonstrate the relationship between the tourism and hospitality industry and how they have embraced technological advancements. It will also explore how the industry has embraced mobile technology and social media in marketing. It uses a case study of Sofitel Haikou hotel in China to illustrate the penetration of these technologies and the challenges they face. The findings show that the Sofitel Haikou brand has a limited social media presence in China and beyond. This is because it is managed under a global company (Sofitel owned by Accor) which have centralized their social media engagement for all its hotel chains. The findings show that some companies and businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry have not embraced these technologies and have a limited social media presence. The recommendation is for Sofitel Haikou to create and manage its own social media accounts and manage them. It will reap greatly from the benefits of owning and running a social media account, such as authentic and personal relationships with customers, better feedback, and increased brand visibility. It is also recommended that the company reaches beyond Chinese social media sites and creates new accounts with western social networking sites with a global audience like Twitter and Facebook.
1.1 Background of the Study
The 21st century has been critical in the advancement of technology. The use of mobile phones and access to the internet has revolutionized the way people communicate and interact (Swamy, 2020, p. 41). In a world where businesses are experiencing stiff competition because of globalization, they must become innovative. Mobile technologies and social media have been used to drive sales in the tourism and hospitality industry. Embracing technology is critical in allowing businesses to remain ahead of their competitors. Mobile devices, with their functionality, allow mass users, which has created a new business platform, hence necessitating companies, including the tourism and hotel industry, to give special technology attention. Technologies have been developed for the industry to provide new services and enhance the existing services over the years. The development in mobile technology has impacted the tourism and hospitality industry positively. Currently, hotels are integrating the technology in almost all business processes, providing a new approach to handling guests (Tomislav and Stifanich, 2020. P. 455).
1.2 Significance of the Study
The growth of mobile technologies and social media marketing has expanded the tourism industry. Travel agents and hotels have realized the essence of engaging their clients on social media. Gone are days when businesses would wait for clients to reach out to them. In this technological era, businesses have the tools to engage their clients from all over the world. Mobile technologies like apps have gained widespread acceptance, with more organizations creating them and shifting some of their operations online (Law et al., 2018, p. 627). Similarly, the popularity of social media has allowed businesses to connect with their clients. Social media marketing provides a cost-effective way of reaching out to clients. In order to examine how mobile technology and social media marketing have impacted the tourism and hospitality industry, the researcher narrowed it down to Sofitel Haikou, a luxury hotel in China. The hotel was chosen because of its international reputation as a provider of high-quality services because of technology. Sofitel Haikou will be used as a case study to recommend the importance of using technology to improve operations in the industry.
1.3 Aims and Objectives of the Study
The study demonstrates how mobile technology and social media marketing are essential to the tourism and hospitality industry. The research focuses on Sofitel Haikou as a case study with the following objectives:
* To demonstrate the relationship between the tourism and hospitality industry and technological advancements
* To explore how the industry has embraced mobile technology and social media marketing
* To outline some of the challenges facing the industry and how to address the issues
* To make recommendations on what needs to be done to enhance the use of the technologies
2. Literature review
2.1 Mobile Technologies
2.1.1 The Need to Embrace Mobile Technologies
Mobile Technology has changed the way individuals and businesses operate in the modern world. The number of mobile devices has increased globally, which has allowed more people to access the internet at their convenience. Individuals can undertake a range of activities regardless of their location in the world. The combination of mobility and Internet access has allowed businesses to improve their services to users. In a competitive world, businesses are working hard to keep their clients while increasing their customer base. Businesses have to embrace technology, including mobile phones, to improve operations (Carlsson, Carlsson and Walden, 2005, p. 109). The failure to embrace mobile technology means that businesses are bound to remain behind and lose their competitive edge. Mobile devices have penetrated every part of the globe and have become crucial for businesses in the hospitality industry. Hotels are implementing mobile apps that handle the entire cycle, including searching, checking in, payment, and exiting the hotel room.
Most luxury hotels have started using smartphone applications to enable greater access and convenience for their clients (Han et al., 2021, pg. 1). The shift to mobile technologies has received a warm reception in the hospitality industry as it works towards implementing new technologies. For instance, clients can access instant messages and communicate with hotels from any part of the world. The need to care for clients before, during, and after their stay has prompted hotels to include app features that facilitate customer support. Indeed, mobile technologies have transformed hotel users from passive recipients of services to co-creators of a technology-driven environment. Hotels also shift beyond their provision of services when clients stay in their facilities. With mobile technology, they can interact with the client during the entire cycle, creating a lasting relationship that enables the same clients to come for more services.
2.1.2 Slow Integration of Mobile Technologies
While mobile technology is promising to transform the way hotels offer services, the adoption is still nascent. The full-scale adoption of mobile technology in hotels is a relatively recent concept (tom Dieck, Jung, Kim and Moon, 2017, pg. 5). Generally, there is a lack of knowledge on what the technology can do to create value for the industry. Luxury hotels offer a range of complicated services and are at the same time expected to offer personalized services to their clients. The customers have high expectations, and given the money, they pay to access them. Consequently, it should be at the forefront to provide innovative solutions. Mobile technology is one critical innovation that promises to improve services. Embracing technology is essential in allowing luxury hotels to remain at the top in the hospitality industry.
While the integration of the technology has been slow, clients use mobile technologies on a large scale. Data indicates that mobile technologies have played a major role in the tourism and hospitality industry. Kumari (2020) conducted research demonstrating that mobile technology is a key driver to the ways people travel and make reservations. The researcher indicates that 85% of international travelers use a mobile device while on their trip. 75% of them would prefer to utilize their mobile phone app to book and engage in other related activities. The ease at which mobile technologies allow individuals to book hotels has led to an increase in travelers using the technology. Kumari (2020) further observes that 70% of the last-minute reservations are done via mobile phones. Individuals who cannot make decisions about bookings will often turn to mobile phones to gather information and hence decide on the most viable places.
2.1.3 Advantages of Mobile Technologies
So far, various mobile technologies have been employed in the tourism and hospitality industry. Firstly, technology has facilitated the automation of industries. Self-services have become common, especially for luxury hotels and travel companies. Nowadays, hotel guests and tourists want to undertake simple tasks using their mobile phones instead of human interactions (Lau, 2020). In hotels, check-ins and check-outs can be automated to ensure that clients do not waste time waiting for hotel attendants to perform such functions for them. Additionally, guests can make basic requests from their mobile phones and save time otherwise wasted with passing the requests via humans. For travelers, booking their destinations and rooms using mobile phones provides convenience and flexibility (Tomislav and Stifanich, 2020, pg. 460). The move saves time and allows tourists to access a wide range of survives without necessarily visiting physical offices.
Secondly, mobile applications can enhance the user experience. They allow users to interact with businesses more closely. Tourists and guests have a lot to say about their experiences with a particular destination or hotel. Online reviews are a powerful way for clients to air their appreciation, grievances, and recommendations (Dwivedi et al., 2021). Travel agents and hotels can use the reviews to improve their services. The reviews also warn other clients about businesses that offer poor quality services while demonstrating those that have better services. Because of the reduced human interactions, the tourism and hospitality industry can save on costs. Tourists and guests have access to more information because of mobile technologies. Hotels have created intuitive mobile websites and QR codes. Mobile-friendly websites allow users to access information on their phones without necessarily shifting to their personal computers and tablets. Some hotels offer QR codes where tourists and travelers can scan to access all the information. Such access to information empowers users to make appropriate decisions and drives clients to the facilities.
2.2 Social Media
Social media has been one of the most disruptive technologies in the 21st century. It has revolutionized how people interact, market, communicate and use the internet. Social networking has become one of the most common digital activities. It has left a trail of behemoth social media networking companies in its wake, namely Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Weibo, and Tiktok. Each of these companies has hundreds of millions of market cap. The majority of social media users are younger people below 30 years. They have several of these apps and have compelled businesses and companies to revisit their marketing strategies.
2.2.1 Role of social media in tourism
Brand visibility on social media is increasingly becoming an important feature of a company's online presence. It is an area where companies and businesses are investing a lot of resources to create a bigger following and reach more people. As companies and businesses target the younger generations, i.e., millennials and Generation Z, they are forced to adapt their marketing strategies to accommodate them. The younger generation spends most of their time onlineCITATION Zen14 \p 2 \l 1033 (Zeng & Gerritsen, 2014, p. 2). Companies and businesses have invested heavily in this area to push sales. It also birthed a new advertising phenomenon, influencer marketing on social media. User-generated content is one of the best ways to capture attention and increase visibility towards prospective customersCITATION Kao17 \p 1 \l 1033 (Kaosiri, Fiol, Moliner, & Rodríguez-Artola, 2017, p. 1). Companies and especially tourist attraction sites and destinations pay and or host influencers on their premises on a promise that he/she will take pictures and share them on their social media platform. Tourism is more connected to visual experience, and videos and photos are the best ways to market the product.
Previously, traditional media had a unidirectional system of sending messages to prospective customers and clients. However, the feedback system was complicated, and often the companies had to invest in surveying to collect information about their servicesCITATION Fin17 \p 446 \l 1033 (Finne & Grönroos, 2017, p. 446). It was a long and tedious process. Social media gave companies a new platform to communicate with their clients. It is the new avenue for customer service. Customers and prospective clients could air their grievances, ask questions and give feedback to their customers in a more engaging manner and environment.
2.2.2 Benefits of Social Media Marketing
Brand visibility is an important metric in marketing. It helps determine the depth of marketing tools and how they translate to brand recognition. As people see the brand, they trust it more and associate it with authenticity. Thus, companies invest a lot of resources to curate the online presence of their products and help that they are viewed by more people and associated with quality and authenticity CITATION Tob19 \l 1033 (Cox, 2019). However, this goal remains elusive for many brands because of the information overload to the prospective customer from other brands.
Customers easily relay feedback to the companies and or businesses online. Customers can always find the official social media handles of the business and or company and relay their feedback. That information helps the company make adjustments that match the customer's needs, preferences, and views CITATION Tob19 \l 1033 (Cox, 2019). This has been one of the most important uses of social media for companies to communicate privately or publicly about their products. It fosters a healthy relationship with customers and shows that the company is approachable and trustworthy. Companies and businesses are dedicating massive resources to this area, including building bots to interact with customers and offer them assistance. They can also outsource the customer experience services to professionals in this area or hire employees to specifically communicate with customers through their social media platforms.
Marketing is expensive. Traditional marketing platforms were mostly confined to a certain geographic region, i.e., tv or radio coverage in a country. Billboards and other communication mediums were also subject to different laws and other limiting elements, which meant scalability was expensive and ineffective. Social media transcends geographical and physical boundaries. It helps companies market to individuals beyond their borders without the limiting legal framework pertinent to each country. For example, Dubai has promoted itself as a business hub and tourism center to the rest of the world. It mainly uses social media and organic content created by other individ...