The digital transformation of the hotel guest experience will be a major competitive advantage for hoteliers in 2018, according to a new report from Sabre Corporation in cooperation with Altimeter, a leading research firm. The Sabre Hospitality Solutions report found that digital transformation can be challenging for hoteliers and outlines how brands can use it to improve the guest experience.

As consumers become increasingly connected, their expectations, preferences and behaviours evolve. The result is a more informed and empowered consumer base, and a higher standard for guest experience. Travel brands must assess how connected consumerism is changing and how the customer journey can be reimagined for an evolving, mobile, real-time world. From augmented and virtual reality to artificial intelligence and machine learning, the landscape is changing.

Successful modern brands are agile and continually experimenting with their technology. They intuitively cater to the on-demand nature of customer expectations and preferences in the design of products, services, and user experiences. Whether it’s on mobile, desktop, in-app or on the Web, technologies are designed with experiences in mind.

Modern technology enables meaningful experiences at scale, adding major value for the traveller, and in turn, the hotel. To stay relevant, travel brands must place guests at the centre of all innovation and transformation strategies, leveraging technology to enable meaningful experiences at scale.