The Future of Hospitality and Leisure: What 2022 Might Hold

The leisure and hospitality industry is one that has undergone a lot of transformation in recent years. Technology has played a big role in this, with new innovations and releases impacting the way we enjoy our downtime. In this blog post, we take a look at the future of hospitality and leisure – what 2022 might hold. We explore how technology will continue to shape this industry, and what new trends and changes we can expect to see.

One of the most notable trends in hospitality and leisure is the growth of experiential travel. This is where people are travelling to experience new cultures and lifestyles, rather than just visit tourist destinations. Technology has played a big role in this trend, with platforms like Airbnb making it easier for people to find unique accommodation options all over the world.

We can also expect to see more technological advancements in the world of leisure and hospitality. For example, virtual reality is set to become a big trend over the next few years. This technology has already been used in the gaming and entertainment industries, but it’s now starting to be adopted by the travel industry as well.

Interactivity on social media and streaming

It's difficult to dispute the significant role of social media. It has brought companies closer to their customers. Customers are smarter than ever; they do more research and read online reviews before making purchases. For the hospitality and leisure industry, this is a good thing because customers are more likely to post about their great experiences.

One challenge for companies though, is that people now expect more social interaction than ever before. They want to be able to share photos and videos of their experiences online as soon as possible. This puts pressure on businesses to provide excellent connectivity to power the myriad of streaming or internet-enabled devices.

Online booking, back-office and customer support

Booking online via websites and apps has become the standard, opening leisure and hospitality companies to a worldwide audience while also driving significant growth in e-commerce sales. Reservations and custom requests can all be made with a single click. The move to digital has fueled inter-brand rivalry and the need for hotel content showcasing facilities, new features, and specific room kinds. For businesses that want to stay ahead of the competition, optimising the user experience on both desktop and mobile is critical.

This has increased pressure on back-office business processes to keep up with demand while also automating as much as feasible.

Seamlessly integrated online experiences

Many hospitality and leisure brands are multi-functional, with a variety of different facets. Previously, these may have been separated out on purpose-built systems with specific functionality, but technology has enabled the integration of these systems to provide a holistic and centralised user experience. From mobile check-in to online bookings and digital concierge services, this seamless connectivity has taken user experience to a whole new level.

Guest experience personalisation

In today's competitive environment, where we are relentlessly hawked to and advertised to, consumers' expectations are higher than ever. And this comes down to one thing — data.

One of the most exciting opportunities for hospitality and leisure companies is the ability to personalise guest experiences. This can be done through a variety of means, such as using customer data to provide personalised recommendations or using AI-enabled chatbots to get to know guests on a more individual level. This will help businesses create unique and memorable experiences.

Augmented reality and Virtual Reality in hospitality

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are technologies that are starting to gain traction in the hospitality industry. They offer businesses a way to create unique experiences for their guests, that go beyond just what is possible in the physical world. For example, virtual reality may be utilised to create virtual tours of hotels or resorts, allowing customers a different view of what to expect from the trip. From initial research and pre-booking through to in-room entertainment while staying at the hotel itself.

What does the future hold?

Technology is going to play a big role in these changes, so it's important for businesses to embrace new innovations and stay ahead of the curve. Technology is always evolving meaning the hospitality and leisure industry needs to be prepared for what 2022 might hold.

In a world where technology is influencing human experiences, we at Siemlus believe that combining exquisite design with cutting-edge technology allows companies to make living well an easy pleasure by removing friction.

We believe that improving the lives of everyone is best served by using technology to improve people's daily lives in wonderful and encouraging ways. We're inquisitive by nature, and we have a natural ability to think of better ways to do things.