3 Travel Tech Revelations From the HITEC Conference
Skift Take
At the big hotel-technology gathering, all roads still lead to Covid. Hoteliers have an even bigger staffing problem than many realize, booking data points to wary consumers, and the most-desired technologies are those that let us go back out into the world without engaging the people in it much.
Travel Tech Briefing
Editor’s Note: Exclusive reporting on technology’s impact on the travel industry, delivered every Thursday. The briefing will guide executives as they decide if their companies should “build, buy, or partner” to stay ahead.Seemingly the whole travel technology industry descended on Orlando this week for the 50th annual Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference, or HITEC. After wandering through roughly 350 exhibitors, interviewing newsmakers and sitting in on panel sessions, here are some issues people raised that may be less appreciated than they need to be. They are familiar issues, but with new twists or insights.
Hotel Labor Shortages Are Even Bigger Than Most People RealizeLabor Department data say the hospitality industry is down by just 315,000 line-level workers since before the pandemic. That's a big drop, but maybe not enough to explain all the distress calls from hoteliers. The real number to think about is 1.7 million, said Mike Blake, chief technology officer at the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
That's how many jobs are open in the hotel industry, Blake told the conference's kickoff forum. It's a stunning number, since the Labor Depart
