Creating Personal Connections Through Technology

By KATERINA GIANNOUKA, PRESIDENT, ASIA PACIFIC, RADISSON HOTEL GROUP

KATERINA GIANNOUKA, PRESIDENT, ASIA PACIFIC, RADISSON HOTEL GROUP

Hospitality always has been - and always will be - a people-first business. The creation of personal bonds between host and guest is at the root of every successful hotel. And yet, the industry is evolving rapidly and technology now permeates into every corner of our operations. How we effectively use new solutions to elevate guest experience will be the key to success in hospitality in the decades to come.

2019 is an important year in the evolution of Radisson Hotel Group, as we position ourselves for this exciting future. As part of our five-year transformation strategy, we are in preparation to launch the initial phase of our unified global platform, EMMA, which could become one of the most important moments in our company’s rich history.

Named after our company motto, “Every Moment Matters”, EMMA will integrate every core aspect of our business, including Central Reservation System (CRS), Property Management Systems (PMS), Sales and Catering (S&C), Point of Sale (POS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Business Intelligence, Loyalty and more.

This offers unprecedented opportunities to drive synergies between our global offices, hotels and departments, while also driving additional cross-selling and revenue-generating opportunities.

But EMMA is much more than just an exercise in efficiency; this new system will improve the experience for every guest. Living in the cloud, EMMA will use advanced guest profiles and big data to personalize every stage of their journey, from the booking process to in-hotel services and post-stay feedback. This will give every hotel a holistic, 360-degree view of its guests, from past stays and purchases to personal preferences and more, allowing them to deliver fully bespoke stays.

Following the recent collaboration between Radisson Rewards and WeHotel, Jin Jiang’s global hotel booking platform, EMMA will also give our combined loyalty base even more opportunities to enjoy exceptional benefits, services and privileges, enhancing the relationship between hotelier and guest even further.

Importantly, EMMA is an augmented and open platform, which will allow us to scale-up our future capabilities in a faster and more cost-efficient manner.

In June, we introduced the all-new RadissonHotels.com, our first multi-brand global website. This mobile-first, user-friendly platform replaces our single-brand sites. It will be complemented by a new Radisson Hotels App, providing a holistic online environment for our customers.

Technology creates opportunities for all businesses to upgrade their operations. In a people-first industry like hospitality however, we need to unlock the potential of new solutions without losing our personal touch. EMMA will bring us closer to our guests and help us to care for them more intuitively, while positioning Radisson Hotel Group as one of the world’s most innovative hotel companies.