Serving hospitality at the Edge - gaining competitive advantage and customer loyalty in a digital-first world

With the pandemic now in its second year, almost every sector across the globe is still trying to overcome the challenges left in its long wake. Hospitality in particular has been one of the hardest hit, with many businesses unable to trade for large parts of the 12+ months, if at all. Reports of the hotel landscape were especially sobering, with Statistica revealing that Europe saw the most dramatic effects of the virus, with occupancy rates of just 13.3% in May 2020.

In their quest to continue to trade and serve customers, hospitality businesses did as much as they could to pivot operations online. Many were able to make positive progress, particularly those who were already advanced in their digital transformation pre-pandemic. But while restaurants adopted online ordering and entertainment venues streamed their services, huge swathes of the industry remained largely dormant, leaving many digital advancements relatively untested. The hard work really begins now as consumers are allowed to move freely once more and the sector is able to get a sense of the “new normal.”