Beating the technology bug

 I recently attended a presentation in Dubai by renowned UK tabloid editor Kelvin MacKenzie, editor of The Sun newspaper from 1981-1994 and often cited as the paper’s most successful editor.

MacKenzie used his speech to address some of the issues he believed to be having the largest impact on the world of journalism today.

He highlighted technology, and specifically the online world, as a major game changer in the world of journalism, especially when it came to newspapers — which in markets like the UK have suffered decreased sales since the internet emerged and in some cases, are struggling to survive.

The ins and outs of the dynamics of the newspaper market are not relevant here, but what did strike me as being directly applicable to the hotel industry was MacKenzie’s final piece of advice to newspaper editors trying to retain their readers in a society that revolves around the internet.

He said there needed to be an “umbilical cord” linking the editor to his readers.

Surely, the same analogy could be applied to the modern-day hotelier and his guests?

After all, it’s likely the two professions have shared similar reactions to the continual developments in technology.

In many aspects, the evolution offers our industries a range of opportunities and puts new tools literally at our fingertips. News stories can be posted online as they break and travellers can book a hotel room in a matter of minutes and a number of clicks.

But in other ways, it has changed the traditional, tried-and-tested ways in which the two businesses operate. News now pops into a journalist’s inbox; whatever happened to seeking out a source — a real person — and calling the story into the newsroom? And once that story appears on the web, it can never be exclusive, so where has that personal touch gone?

And in the hotel business, if bookings are made independently, how can hoteliers be sure their future guest has booked the right package for his demands? And if the guest hasn’t made the right choice, how does the GM deal with the complaint that will inevitably surface on the internet?

This is where Mackenzie’s “umbilical cord” comes in. However far technology develops, the hotelier still has a duty to deliver a personal service to their guest.

So if a guest has booked online, why not make a telephone call to check that he is looking forward to his stay? And when he leaves — log straight onto TripAdvisor.