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The flow of digital transition the challenges of technological solutions for hotels

Abstract

The incorporation of digital technologies in hotels worldwide is moving forward at the same pace as the recovery of the tourism sector itself following the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers have looked at this topic from the perspective of suppliers and consumers, but little research has been carried out on hotels’ internal digitalisation processes and understanding their technological priorities to become more competitive. Atomization of hotel business structure and its characteristics and composition have traditionally hindered data collection. This research addresses this gap through close collaboration with the regional associative structure. The initial hypothesis is that digitization in Andalusian hotels flows at different speeds. The aim of the present study is to establish both the current state and the speed of digital transformation in hotels. To this end, there is an analysis of the degree of implementation of digital technologies in the hotel sector based on a case study of Andalusia (Spain). A mixed method approach is used, combining two focus groups that together contain 14 stakeholders, with 183 technological implementation surveys sent to hotels. This approach allows differentiation between the values of hotels specifically and those of accommodation as a whole, using two blocks of questions: technological solutions and tools; and infrastructures, integrations and data analysis. The results allow the validation of the initial hypothesis and show digital transition at two different speeds. The solutions and tools implemented, the technological priorities of future implementation and the use of digital enablers each display very disparate realities. Accelerating the rhythm of digitalisation is a great challenge for all hotels, whatever their category. The study contributes an original theoretical-practical model, whose method can be applied to other tourist destinations, regardless of their nationality. It enables comparisons and measurements, addressing both the typology of technological tools and solutions, and digitalisation issues.

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The flow of digital transition the challenges of technological solutions for hotels

Author: García López, Ana María; Galindo Pérez de Azpillaga, Luis; Foronda Robles, Concepción
Publisher: Springer Nature
Year: 2025
DOI: 10.1007/s11205-024-03487-5
Source: https://idus.us.es/bitstreams/43f54cf4-af43-4ed8-8fe5-f5f55f614746/download
Vol.:(0123456789)
Social Indica o s Resea ch
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s11205-024-03487-5
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
The Flow o Digi al T ansi ion: The Challenges
o Technological Solu ions o Ho els
AnaMa íaGa cía‑López1,2 · LuisGalindo‑Pé ez‑de‑Azpillaga1,2 ·
ConcepciónFo onda‑Robles1,2
Accep ed: 25 No embe 2024
© The Au ho (s) 2025
Abs ac
The inco po a ion o digi al echnologies in ho els wo ldwide is mo ing o wa d a he
same pace as he eco e y o he ou ism sec o i sel ollowing he COVID-19 pandemic.
Resea che s ha e looked a his opic om he pe spec i e o supplie s and consume s, bu
li le esea ch has been ca ied ou on ho els’ in e nal digi alisa ion p ocesses and unde -
s anding hei echnological p io i ies o become mo e compe i i e. A omiza ion o ho el
business s uc u e and i s cha ac e is ics and composi ion ha e adi ionally hinde ed da a
collec ion. This esea ch add esses his gap h ough close collabo a ion wi h he egional
associa i e s uc u e. The ini ial hypo hesis is ha digi iza ion in Andalusian ho els lows
a di e en speeds. The aim o he p esen s udy is o es ablish bo h he cu en s a e and
he speed o digi al ans o ma ion in ho els. To his end, he e is an analysis o he deg ee
o implemen a ion o digi al echnologies in he ho el sec o based on a case s udy o
Andalusia (Spain). A mixed me hod app oach is used, combining wo ocus g oups ha
oge he con ain 14 s akeholde s, wi h 183 echnological implemen a ion su eys sen o
ho els. This app oach allows di e en ia ion be ween he alues o ho els speci ically and
hose o accommoda ion as a whole, using wo blocks o ques ions: echnological solu-
ions and ools; and in as uc u es, in eg a ions and da a analysis. The esul s allow he
alida ion o he ini ial hypo hesis and show digi al ansi ion a wo di e en speeds. The
solu ions and ools implemen ed, he echnological p io i ies o u u e implemen a ion and
he use o digi al enable s each display e y dispa a e eali ies. Accele a ing he hy hm o
digi alisa ion is a g ea challenge o all ho els, wha e e hei ca ego y. The s udy con ib-
u es an o iginal heo e ical-p ac ical model, whose me hod can be applied o o he ou -
is des ina ions, ega dless o hei na ionali y. I enables compa isons and measu emen s,
add essing bo h he ypology o echnological ools and solu ions, and digi alisa ion issues.
Keywo ds Ho els· Technological solu ions· Digi al ansi ion· Digi al ools· Andalusia
* Luis Galindo-Pé ez-de-Azpillaga
[email p o ec ed]
1 Depa amen o de Geog a ía Humana, Uni e sidad de Se illa, Se ille, Spain
2 Ins i u o Andaluz de In es igación e Inno ación en Tu ismo (IATUR), Uni e sidad de Se illa,
Se ille, Spain
A.M.Ga cía-López e al.
1 In oduc ion
The p ocess o digi al ans o ma ion in o which he wo ld has en e ed since he global
COVID-19 pandemic began demands a e iew o adi ional business models. Tou ism
oday is wi hou doub imme sed in a pe iod o echnological ansi ion, a his o ic momen
ha equi es a deep change in business hinking, wi h signi ican challenges and new ules.
As happened wi h p e ious wa es o echnological change, he ou ism indus y is now
obliged o b ing i sel up o da e, wi h a g owing dependence on digi al and da a eali y
(G e zel e al., 2015; Law e al., 2021). Wi hin his new echnological pa adigm, he b eak-
h oughs a e inc easingly as , in ense and con inuous (Schwab, 2017). Un il he eme gence
o COVID-19, digi al ans o ma ion did no igu e in he s a egic agenda o many ho els
(Lam & Law, 2019). Today hei challenge is how o be e manage hei business in he
ou h indus ial e olu ion (IR4): by con inuing o be ele an o gues s and main aining
hei compe i i e posi ion in he ma ke , h ough digi al inno a ion and ans o ma ion.
The ho els’ echnological ecosys em elies on he inco po a ion o so wa e, da a and
echnologies ha ope a e om p e-s ay o in-house and pos -s ay, including digi al gues
egis a ion and check-in, keyless access, con ac less paymen , online messaging pla o ms,
and con e sa ion and ansla ion echnology such as online cha bo s and widge s. O he
elemen s a e he In e ne o Things (Io ) in all se ices, VR ou s and 360° ideos, s eam-
ing pla o ms o oom se ice, and NFT echnology. Robo ics and a i icial in elligence
(IA) a e inco po a ed h ough he au oma ion o p ocesses, o e ing impo an bene i s, o
bo h he imp o emen o he gues expe ience, and secu i y, op imisa ion o ope a ional
e iciency and es ablishmen p o i abili y. In ecen yea s, he e has been a p oli e a ion o
managemen sys ems, speci ic ho el so wa e, ools and echnological solu ions (TSs), all
o which aim o acili a e and simpli y ho el adminis a ion, al hough achie ing he in e-
g a ion, connec ion and in e ope abili y o applica ions and da a con inues o be key o
he sec o . The e is a subs an ial amoun o li e a u e on sma ho els, om he pe spec-
i e o bo h he supplie and he consume , bu none o his ocuses on digi alisa ion p o-
cesses.Since he onse o he COVID-19 pandemic, i has been impo an o unde s and
he cu en s a e and he po en ial u u e g ow h o digi al ans o ma ion in ho els, which
equi es a signi ican esea ch e o .Howe e , he body o li e a u e in his ield hus a is
limi ed (Cheng e al., 2023; Lam & Law, 2019). The eason is ha he e a e many di icul-
ies in collec ing indi idual da a due o he highly agmen ed na u e o he sec o , com-
posed o a signi ican numbe o small and amily- un businesses. While ob aining da a
om la ge g oups and ho el chains is less challenging, i is no always ep esen a i e o all
des ina ions.
The p esen s udy con ibu es o illing his esea ch gap and esponds o he Andalusian
ho el sec o ’s need o awa eness o he cu en deg ee o implemen a ion and use o new
echnologies in i s ho els.
The s udy s ems om he need o b idge and educe his gap based on a key esea ch
ques ion: Wha is he deg ee o implemen a ion and use o new echnologies in he Anda-
lusian ho el sec o as a whole? This implies a s udy om wi hin he sec o , bo h indi idu-
ally and collec i ely, necessa y o espond o he exis ing sec o al demand in Andalusia.
This has been made possible h ough close collabo a ion wi h he Andalusian ou ism busi-
ness s uc u e.
As s a ed by Busulwa e al. (2022), Cheng e al. (2023), Ve hoe e al. (2021) and Vial
(2019), digi al ans o ma ion is he c i ical s ep owa ds a g ea e use o digi al echnolo-
gies in p ocesses and ope a ions o in e ac ion. Bea ing in mind ha he ho el indus y
The Flow o Digi al T ansi ion: The Challenges o Technological…
al eady has many digi al ools and solu ions a i s disposal, i is impo an o know he
ho els’ app aisal o hese, hei needs and hei capaci y o add ess digi al con e gence. In
o de o achie e an o e iew bo h in gene al e ms and by accommoda ion ca ego y, his
s udy aims o analyse he exis ing deg ee o echnological implemen a ion and digi alisa-
ion in Andalusian ho els. The speci ic objec i es a e o:
• Iden i y he echnologies and ools cu en ly a ailable o ho els and he ho els’ sho -
e m needs, he po en ial o u u e in es men , economic aid ha can be accessed and
ba ie s o digi al ans o ma ion;
• Analyse ho els’ capaci y o accomplish he ansi ion while aking p ope accoun o
hei in as uc u es, he deg ee o in eg a ion and connec ion o di e en echnological
solu ions, and he use o digi al enable s;
• Elici he p o essionals’ iew o wha he sec o ’s main echnological goals and chal-
lenges a e; and
• Cha ac e ise he Andalusian ho el sec o ’s le el o digi alisa ion and he e olu ion o i s
ansi ion.
2 Li e a u e Re iew
The e ha e been many s udies o digi alisa ion, ocusing on bo h he ou ism sec o in gen-
e al and he ho el indus y in pa icula (Buhalis, 2022, 2003; Caliskan e al., 2020; Cheng
e al., 2023; Galán e al., 2022; Ve e ka, 2019; Ve hoe e al., 2021). Penca elli (2020) and
Kuma e al. (2024) p o ide comp ehensi e o e iews: on he digi al e olu ion in ou ism,
he impac o he echnological e a on he ou ism indus y, and he digi al ans o ma-
ion in he sec o o e ecen yea s, based on he s udy o wo ks, publica ions, and ends.
Ozdemi e al. (2023) app oach i om a c i ical e lec ion on he digi aliza ion mo emen
in he ho el indus y.
The ou b eak o he COVID-19 pandemic was a wa e shed in he his o y o ou ism
and i s e ec s on ho el managemen became, om 2020, an impo an subjec o s udy o
bo h esea che s (Bon an i e al., 2021; Jiang & Wen, 2020; Pillai e al., 2021) and ins i u-
ions (ITH, 2019, 2020; SEGITTUR, 2022). Deba es domina ed by ea o job loss and
lack o con idence in he new echnologies we e le behind (Millaue & Vellekoop, 2019)
o make way o sma hospi ali y, which consis s o in e connec i i y and in e ope abil-
i y wi hin he ho el ecosys em (Buhalis & Leung, 2018), and hospi ali y 5.0 echnologies
(Leung, 2019; Pillai e al., 2021). Many s udies ha e been ca ied ou on he adop ion o
ad anced echnologies such as Big Da a (BD), obo ics and IoT (Ce ezo e al., 2017; ITH,
2021; I ano e al., 2017; Ma iani & Baggio, 2022; MINSAIT, 2019; Yang e al., 2020),
al hough hei use emains low in all global indus ies, including he ho el indus y (Osei
e al., 2022); he e a e also many s udies ela ed o ICT applica ions and hei impac s on
ho el ope a ions, ba s and es au an s, and ou ism in gene al (Cain e al., 2019; I ano
e al., 2017; Samala e al., 2022; Tung & Au, 2018; Yung & Khoo, 2019). The e is also an
exhaus i e li e a u e on au oma ion o he ou ism sec o , (G undne & Neuho e , 2021;
Huang e al., 2022; I ano & Webs e , 2019; Tussyadiah, 2020), p esen ed in Table1.
I ho els oday wish o main ain hei compe i i e posi ion, hey mus mo e han
e e be a he o e on o echnological change. Toge he wi h he echnologies
al eady men ioned, es ablishmen managemen applica ions and so wa e ha e also
become much mo e common and sophis ica ed, p esen ed in Table2. The hospi ali y
A.M.Ga cía-López e al.
Table 1 Technologies and he au oma ion o p ocesses in he ho el sec o
Technologies Objec i es Re e ence examples
Da a analysis and
Big da a (BD)
Analysis o eelings and
capaci y o sel -lea ning
Fo ecas ing
P icing
Segmen a ion and cus omisa ion
Moni o ing and cus ome loyal y
Upselling
Ce ezo e al. (2017)
Sánchez-To es e al. (2022)
S ylos e al. (2021)
Talón-Balles e o e al. (2022)
Xu e al. (2017)
Voice assis an s
IoT and senso s
Com o
Pe sonalised and on-demand expe iences
G undne and Neuho e (2021)
I ano and Webs e (2019)
Ma iani and Baggio (2022)
Blockchain
Biome ics, acial ecogni ion
Cybe secu i y
Secu i y, p i acy and access e i ica ion Bowye (2004)
ITH (2022)
Önde and Gun e (2022)
T eiblmaie (2020)
Sus ainable solu ions
Building au oma ion, senso s and digi al wins
Ene gy managemen : e iciency and cos educ ion Bo ín-Sanab ia e al. (2022)
Chan e al. (2018)
Li a niece e al. (2023)
Mejía (2019)
Con ac less echnologies
Digi al egis a ion, keyless access and con ac less paymen Con e -
sa ion echnology
Cha bo and booking widge s
Reduc ion o wai ing imes
Flexibili y and simpli ica ion
Speed o esponse, ins an messages
Inc ease in di ec bookings
Boiano e al. (2019)
Gajdos and Ma cis (2019)
Samala e al. (2022)
Vi ual eali y (VR) and augmen ed eali y (AR), AI Imme sion
Expe iences
Pe sonalisa ion
Huang e al. (2022)
Jung e al. (2016)
Yung and Khoo-La imo e (2019)
Samala e al. (2022)
Pillai e al. (2021)
Robo ics Reduc ion o s a wo king hou s, sa ing and op imisa ion o ime Cain e al. (2019)
ITH (2021)
I ano and Webs e (2019)
The Flow o Digi al T ansi ion: The Challenges o Technological…
indus y has gone h ough a chao ic pe iod o online dis ibu ion so wa e p oduc ion.
The ple ho a o dis ibu ion channels especially caused con usion in he ho el indus y
(Zamya ina & Soln se a, 2020). The li e a u e has ho oughly co e ed he sec o ’s
in ane and so wa e ools, as well hose ex ane s ha , while no speci ic o ho el
managemen , a e undamen al o es ablishmen adminis a ion, as in he case o
massi e dis ibu ion channels.
3 Me hodology
3.1 Resea ch Con ex
The p esen esea ch ocuses on he implemen a ion o digi al echnologies in ho els
in Andalusia (Spain). I is impo an o analyze he in e nal digi aliza ion p ocesses o
ho els because ou is des ina ions need o unde s and hei cu en s age in he digi al
ansi ion and hei echnological p io i ies in e ms o compe i i eness. This is a nec-
essa y p elimina y s ep owa ds g ea e use o digi al echnologies.
In 2019, Spain was he second mos isi ed des ina ion in he wo ld (UNWTO,
2020) and Andalusia ecei ed 32.5 million ou is s (SAETA, 2020), making i one o
he mos compe i i e ou is egions in Eu ope. In 2022, 30.8 million ou is s isi ed
he egion (SAETA, 2023), which is e idence o he apid eco e y and s eng h o
his sec o in a con ex s ill sca ed by in e na ional economic unce ain y and he el-
e ance o s udying he Andalusian case. In addi ion o being one o he mos isi ed
des ina ions in Spain, i is he egion wi h he la ges ho el acili ies in he coun y and
wi h he highes numbe o ongoing p ojec s and planned in es men s in he sec o in
he las h ee yea s. This e lec s he le el o ma ke and in es o con idence in Anda-
lusia and is ela ed o di e en ac o s. I is a consolida ed des ina ion wi h a ecog-
nisable b and and a long adi ion ha goes back o he mid- wen ie h cen u y, which
has p o ided he egional ou ism-business ne wo k wi h he expe ience and capac-
i y o adap o ma ke changes. I s o e o ou is accommoda ion is ex ensi e and
di e se, wi h ho el es ablishmen s (HEs) s anding ou due o hei powe o a ac ion.
HEs comp ise gues houses, bed and b eak as s, hos els, apa ho els and ho els (H*).
Among he exis ing 3622 HEs, he e a e mo e han 400,000 accommoda ion places, o
which 227,952a e exclusi ely in ho els (INE, 2023). Andalusia cu en ly o e s 1808
H* o six ca ego ies, om 1 o 5 s a and 5 s a luxu y (L): 252 H1*, 484 H2*, 455
H3*, 550 H4*, 47 H5* and 20 H5L* (Open RTA, 2022). A a e i o ial le el, he e a e
no able quan i a i e (H*) di e ences, wi h he ci ies o Se ille (158), G anada (101)
and Malaga (88) o e ing he highes o al numbe o ho els (TH). The highes ca ego y
H* (5* and 5*L) a e concen a ed abo e all in he p o ince o Malaga, on he Cos a del
Sol, wi h a ma ked dependence on in e na ional ou ism.
This case s udy and i s egional ocus p o ide an o e iew o he limi a ions and
weaknesses a he des ina ion- egion scale, o add ess g ea e g ow h and compe i i e-
ness bo h a he sec o al le el and om he public managemen o ou ism. Mo eo e ,
i allows o a compa a i e analysis wi h o he des ina ion egions o simila ajec o y
and ou is cha ac e is ics, in ela ion o he beha io and e olu ion o he sec o wi hin
he amewo k o he digi al ansi ion.

A.M.Ga cía-López e al.
Table 2 Ho el managemen ools and sys ems
Resou ces Cha ac e isa ion and uses Re e ence examples
BI (business in elligence) BI o e s ho el manage s essen ial ools o he analysis and p esen a ion o da a,
such as end analysis, so ha hey can make mo e in o med decisions
Xu e al. (2017)
CMS (channel managemen sys em) The CMS enables he managemen o he in en o y and p icing o di e en channels
om a single pla o m. I supe ises all he dis ibu ion channels and suppo s he
Re enue Manage o a be e con ol o p ices
Buhalis and Leung (2018)
Choi and Kimes (2002)
CMMS
(compu e ised main enance managemen sys em)
Compu e -assis ed main enance managemen p og ams o p e en i e, co ec i e
and no ma i e main enance acili a e in e depa amen al communica ion be ween
ecep ion, ooms and main enance se ice o apid inciden esolu ion
Gado and SamehHussien (2019)
Sánchez e al. (2022)
CRM (cus ome ela ionship managemen sys em) Cus ome managemen sys em acili a es gues ela ions, sales and ma ke ing. I is
a comme cial IT sys em o ela ionship ma ke ing and he enhancemen o online
epu a ion
Rahimi and Kozak (2017)
Sigala (2005)
CRS
(cen al ese a ion sys em)
This au oma ed cen alised booking sys em mus be in eg a ed bidi ec ionally wi h
he PMS so ha bo h sys ems ha e access o he same in o ma ion in eal ime.
They ansmi ele an da a om dis ibu ion channels, GDS (global dis ibu ion
sys ems), me a-sea ch engines and OTAs (online a el agencies)
Koh and Hassim (2021)
ERP
(en e p ise esou ce planning)
Business planning and managemen so wa e capable o co e ing accoun ing,
inancial, sales and s o age needs no co e ed by he PMS. I can manage bo h
on -o ice and back o ice asks
Ak ü k (2021)
PMS (p ope y managemen sys em) This ho el managemen sys em, in eg a ing he ading sys em, bookings, and
in e nal cos andpe sonnel managemen , is he ho el ope a ions hub ha ensu es a
con inuous low o in o ma ion be ween depa men s
Dyshkan iuk e al. (2020)
Koh and Hassim (2021)
RMS ( e enue managemen sys em) This income managemen sys em analyses da a om he PMSand helps he e enue
manage make decisions
Abad e al. (2019)
O ega (2016)
Talón e al. (2022)
Ra e shoppe s
Ra e checke s
These p icing solu ions p o ide in o ma ion on compe i o s, dis ibu ion channels
and online epu a ion, moni o ing compe i o s’ p ices in eal ime
Ma e al. (2022),
Man o ani e al. (2021)
Dis ibu ion channel managemen
GDS (global dis ibu ion sys em) These a e he la ges online a el pla o ms, such as Amadeus, Sab e and Galileo.
They connec a el agencies wi h p o ide s o bo h ho els and ai a el, and
ehicle hi e se ices, o example. Thei main bene i is he access hey p o ide o
la ge numbe s o ho el ooms
Aami and A san (2020)
Fo is e al. (2021)
The Flow o Digi al T ansi ion: The Challenges o Technological…
Table 2 (con inued)
Resou ces Cha ac e isa ion and uses Re e ence examples
OTAs (online a el agencies) They connec se ice p o ide s o end consume s and accoun o a e y high p o-
po ion o all ho el bookings wo ldwide, examples being Booking.com, Expedia,
Weekendesk, Ho elbeds, Hos elwo ld and HRS
K í ko á and Pe ů (2023)
Huang e al. (2019)
Me a-sea ch engines They help use s ind he bes oom a he bes p ice in he des ina ion, hei esul s
coming om oom a ailabili y sea ches on he di e en OTA si es, examples being
T ipad iso , Google Ho el Finde , T i ago, Kayak and Skyscanne
Angue a-To ell and Lange (2022)
A.M.Ga cía-López e al.
3.2 Da a Collec ion Me hods
Du ing 2022, he ieldwo k necessa y o ca y ou his esea ch—whose ini ial hypo hesis
is H = Digi isa ion in Andalusian ho els lows a di e en speeds—was unde aken.
The e is a gene al desc ip ion o he esea ch design o his s udy based on a amewo k
s uc u ed in wo phases (Fig.1). Gi en he esea ch design’s heo e ical-applied na u e,
a mixed me hod is used. Bea ing in mind he mixed me hods design ma ix p oposed by
C eswell e al. (2003), he s udy uses a sequen ial explo a o y design ha implemen s he
quali a i e me hod ollowed by he quan i a i e and whose p io i y is quan i a i e. The
li e a u e on ou ism p o ides nume ous examples o s udies ha employ quan i a i e and
quali a i e echniques in he same p ojec and ei e a e he impo ance o using Mixed
Me hods Resea ch—MMR—(Aze e al., 2022; C eswell, 2015; Khoo-La imo e & Yung,
2019; Tashakko i & Teddlie, 2010). The MMR esea ch ocus is conside ed he hi d
impo an esea ch pa adigm.I implies he ga he ing o bo h quan i a i e and quali a i e
da a, he in eg a ion o he wo ypes o da a and he use o di e en designs ha can in ol e
philosophical supposi ions and heo e ical amewo ks (C eswell & C eswell,2018; Fe e s
& Molina-Azo in, 2017).
Du ing he i s da a collec ion s age (Phase 1) o his s udy, he e we e wo ocus g oups
(FGs) wi h quali a i e esul s in o de o de e mine he poin o iew o he in e es ed pa -
ies in ela ion o he echnologies applied in ho el managemen and he digi alisa ion o he
sec o . In he second s age (Phase 2), a su ey o he ho el indus y was ca ied ou . The
ideas de i ed om he i s phase a e an in eg al pa o he su ey’s design.The esul s
ob ained enable he con as ing o H h ough answe ing he key ques ions (Qs):
Q1 Which echnological solu ions (TSs) and digi al ools a e he mos implemen ed and
which a e a p io i y o implemen a ion in Andalusian ho els, and wha is he ho el´s eco-
nomic capaci y o in es in echnology?
Fig. 1 Resea ch amewo k
The Flow o Digi al T ansi ion: The Challenges o Technological…
Q2 Wha is he assessmen o hei digi al ans o ma ion capaci y based on in as uc-
u es, in eg a ions and da a analysis (IIA)?
Q3 How does he ho el sec o beha e and e ol e wi h espec o digi al ansi ion?
3.2.1 Quali a i e Focus G oup
Aquali a i es udy was unde aken ollowing p ocedu es ecommended in p e ious s ud-
ies (Cali e al., 2020). In his Phase 1, alongside a sys ema ic e iew o he li e a u e, FGs
we e c ea ed o iden i y quali a i e keys on he cu en digi alisa ion o he ho el sec o .
Th oughou he p ocess, he e was collabo a ion wi h he Andalusian Fede a ion o Ho els
and Tou is Accommoda ion in Andalusia (FAHAT) as he main sec o al ep esen a i e
and he bes in o med body as o he eal si ua ion on a egional scale. The p oposed case
s udy was o 14 key agen s, all p o essionals in he ho el sec o . The s akeholde s we e
selec ed o hei ep esen a i eness and epu a ion a a e i o ial and p o incial le el.
Besides being use s o he new echnologies, hey make decisions on inno a ion and digi-
alisa ion s a egies in hei ho els (Appendix 1). Two FG sessions we e o ganised; p e-
ious s udies ha e sugges ed ha a small numbe de pa icipan s— om six o eigh —is
he mos app op ia e o an FG due o he speci ici y o he discussions (Hennink, 2013;
K uege & Casey, 2015), soa e conside ing he pa icipan s’ jobs and posi ions, he ses-
sions g oups we e de eloped wi h se en membe s in each. Each o he h ee-hou sessions
was eco ded and subsequen ly ansc ibed.The open coding was comple ed by means o
eading he ansc ip ions line by line and coding he key ideas. Th ough open ques ions
ela ed o oppo uni ies and limi a ions, echnological objec i es, sec o al issues and he
main challenges, assessmen s we e ob ained ha e lec he sec o ’s cu en conce n o he
sec o .
3.2.2 Quan i a i e Su ey
As in Ga dine e al. (2022), a su ey me hodology based on he indings o hequali a-
i e esea ch was adop ed. The p esen s udy con as s wo a eas o echnological in e -
es : echnological solu ions (TSs) and digi al ools; and in as uc u es, in eg a ions and
da a analysis (IIA). In MMR, he quali a i e and he quan i a i e esul s complemen each
o he (C eame , 2018; T uong e al., 2020). Acco ding o Mason e al. (2021), a sys em-
a ic s udy design p ocess in he explo a o y s age can inc ease a s udy’s alue, speci ically
when he ini ial quali a i e s age is ollowed by a quan i a i e s age. Phase 2 is based on a
ques ionnai e o 15 ques ions, including bo h open and segmen ed, in o de o classi y he
esponses aking in o accoun he a e age o bo h he ho els as a whole (TH) and he di e -
en ca ego ies o es ablishmen (Appendix 2).
In he i s open ques ion he ho els a e asked o iden i y he i e mos implemen ed
echnologies (implemen ed echnologies) and name he speci ic PMS models used in each
case, as well as iden i y he i e mos p io i y o u u e implemen a ion in he sho e m
(p io i y echnologies) and hose ha a e leas needed in hei es ablishmen s (non-p i-
o i y echnologies). The second open ques ion analyses he main ba ie s ha exis when
implemen ing he new echnologies. Fo he emaining 13 ques ions, ho els we e asked
o indica e hei a ings on a en-poin Like scale (0 = e y low le el and 10 = e y high
le el), o a i e-poin scale (1 = e y low le el and 5 = e y high le el) condi ional on he
opic associa ed wi h he ques ion and i s inclusion in he ques ionnai e (Kim e al., 2020;
A.M.Ga cía-López e al.
Table 7 Keys om he sec o in he p esen and in he u u e
Ca ego ies Mos ele an p o essional con ibu ions
Oppo uni ies and ba ie s “… he olume o in o ma ion we ecei e e e y day om di e en echno-
logical p o ide s can be o e whelming and i ’s ha d o us o choose, he
echnology is e ol ing e y quickly … i ’s disconce ing”
“… I ecognise ha he da a p o ide a g ea oppo uni y bu we s ill don’
eally know how o ake ull ad an age o all he bene i s in e ms o e u n
on he in es men ”
“… he Eu opean Nex Gene a ion EU unds a e an oppo uni y o us bu
hey’ e no well managed. We con inue o demand agili y and lexibili y
om he public adminis a ion”
Sec o al aims “… de eloping s a egic alliances bo h wi hin and ou side ou egion means
we can be e capi alise on all ou po en ial as a sec o ”
“… he en i onmen al echnologies allow us o be mo e e icien and also o
sa e money”
“… he in eg a ion be ween physical and digi al channels is he new issue
o be ackled”
Challenges in collabo a ion “…we wan o a oid in e media ion and he associa ed cos s. Howe e , i is
cu en ly e y di icul o make di ec sales and ope a e independen ly o
o he p o ide s”
“… I s ill hink ha collabo a ion be ween he public and p i a e sec o s is
he bes way o deal wi h he challenges we’ e acing”
“… he connec ion be ween applica ions and se ices such as CRSs and
CMSs wi hin he PMS con inues o be a key equi emen ”
Challenges and commi men s “… i ’s ha d o ind quali ied wo ke s and hen keep hem when we do ind
hem. Fo his digi al ans o ma ion, we need new p o essional p o iles”
“… we ha e a commi men o a sus ainabili y ha cu s ac oss all ou supply
chain, and we ask ou p o ide s o le e s p omising social and en i on-
men al esponsibili y … in ac , i hey don’ make his commi men we
change o ano he p o ide ”
“… we know ha da a and in eg a ion a e key. Fo his eason, om
FAHAT we wo k along wo lines: bo h h ough he Sma Da a o he
des ina ions managed by Andalusian Tou ism and wi h he ITH and he
HOSBEC wi hin he amewo k o he Bio end p ojec ”
Fig. 3 Ho el digi alisa ion. X ho els and digi isa ion speed (S1, S2)

The Flow o Digi al T ansi ion: The Challenges o Technological…
ans o ma ion is he sus ainabili y o he sec o . These ho els a e in e es ed in a g ea e
unde s anding o p edic i e analysis and da a p ocessing, and an inc eased au oma ion
o hei p ocesses. H4* ho els ha e he highes le el o digi alisa ion o all hose in he
sample, and hei o ecas o in es men in digi al echnologies is also he highes .
The S2 g oup ho els a e making slowe p og ess and main ain a low le el o digi alisa-
ion. Thei capaci y o adap o he changes and unde ake echnological ans o ma ion is
limi ed. They a e sel -managed es ablishmen s ha ega dless o hei ca ego y (apa om
H4* and H5*) a e loca ed in small coas al and inland des ina ions. A signi ican numbe
o hem do no ejec he digi al echnologies and mos o o hem ha e hei own digi-
al managemen ools in place, al hough hey do no use many digi al p oduc s and se -
ices o a ac cus ome s, and hei deg ee o da a analysis ool implemen a ion is e y
low. The 11% o es ablishmen s ha do no use a PMS as a managemen sys em belong
o his g oup. They a e mos ly H1* and H2*, amily-managed SMEs, and small in e ms
o UA and beds. Some ha e yea - ound bookings and e y high le els o bo h cus ome
loyal y and income, which shows ha he e is no always a di ec co ela ion be ween he
mos ad anced echnology and p o i abili y, as in Buhalis and Leung (2018): i is a he
he way in which he ho els use he echnology ha de e mines hei esul s. Howe e , he
c isis b ough abou by he COVID-19 pandemic and he cos ly economic eco e y ha e
slowed down hei de elopmen and hei in es men o ecas s signi ican ly, wi h he eco-
nomic ba ie being decisi e. A he same ime, he FGs e eal ha he S2 g oup ho els a e
unawa e o digi al enable s and many exis ing TSs, and ha e se ious p oblems inding s a
wi h he necessa y echnical quali ica ions. I hei budge s we e la ge enough o in es in
digi al echnologies, hei p io i y would be o choose he mos simple, in ui i e and easy
o use. I is wo h no ing ha hey main ain limi ed ela ions wi h hei p o incial associa-
ions, which a e a eliable sou ce o in o ma ion and ma ke upda es.
The esul s ob ained allow us o es he ini ial hypo hesis by answe ing he h ee key
ques ions asked a he beginning o his s udy.
6 Recommenda ions andCon ibu ions
6.1 Theo e ical Implica ions
This s udy p o ides a heo e ical-p ac ical model ha analyzes he le el o implemen a-
ion o digi al echnologies in ho els, wi h a pa icula ocus on he Andalusian egion.
F om a heo e ical pe spec i e, his model ein o ces he idea ha digi al ans o ma ion
is nei he homogeneous no s anda dized, as ho el needs a y acco ding o hei ca ego y,
economic esou ces, and clien ele. This sugges s ha he e is no ‘one-size- i s-all’ solu ion
o digi aliza ion in he ho el sec o , which highligh s he impo ance o pe sonalisa ion and
adap abili y. The s udy also in oduces a mixed me hod app oach ha combines di e en
analy ical ools, hus alida ing he indings and es ablishing a heo e ical basis o u u e
esea ch in o he ou is des ina ions, which ein o ces i s ele ance and applica ion beyond
he local con ex .
6.2 P ac ical Implica ions
On a p ac ical le el, he s udy o e s clea ecommenda ions o ho els ega ding he imple-
men a ion o digi al echnologies, sugges ing ha each ho el should ind a balance be ween
A.M.Ga cía-López e al.
supply and demand o echnological solu ions based on hei speci ic needs. This pe sonal-
ized app oach implies ha public adminis a ion and sec o al policies should ocus on os e -
ing public–p i a e collabo a ions and p omo ing sys em in e ope abili y, ensu ing ha digi-
al ools a e accessible o all ho els, ega dless o hei ca ego y. The esea ch highligh s he
impo ance o aining in digi al skills and he need o p omo e a echnological cul u e wi hin
o ganiza ions, which is i al o a ac ing and e aining alen . Howe e , he s udy acknowl-
edges ha i s indings a e no gene alizable due o he limi ed sample o 183 ho els, sugges ing
he need o expand u u e esea ch o ob ain mo e obus and ep esen a i e esul s.
6.3 Social Implica ions
The s udy emphasizes he impo ance o democ a izing access o digi al echnologies, a guing
ha echnological in elligence should no be an exclusi e luxu y o high-ca ego y ho els, bu
an accessible oppo uni y o all. This inclusi e app oach has signi ican social implica ions,
as i p omo es equal oppo uni ies in he ho el sec o and seeks o educe echnological ain-
ing gaps. Fu he mo e, i encou ages g ea e collabo a ion be ween uni e si ies, esea ch cen -
e s, and he ho el sec o , highligh ing he impo ance o designing educa ional p og ams ha
espond o he cu en needs o he indus y, di ec ly impac ing human capi al and i s p o es-
sionaliza ion in he sec o .
Appendix1 S akeholde s
Focus g oup Posi ion/ ep esen a ion Ins i u ion, associa ion, ho els
Session 1 P esiden Andalusian ede a ion o ho els and ou is accommoda ions
Sec e a y Gene al-Manage P o incial associa ion o ho els o Huel a
P esiden P o incial associa ion o ho els o Cadiz
P esiden Associa ion o hospi ali y en ep eneu s o Co doba
P esiden Business ci cle o ou ism o Huel a
Vice P esiden Associa ion o ho el en ep eneu s o he “Cos a del Sol”
P esiden Associa ion o ho els o Se ille and p o ince
Session 2 CEO Soho bou ique ho els (Andalusia and Spain)
Owne Fue e ho els g oup (Ma bella, Conil, El Rompido, G azalema)
Owne Ho els o G anada (4*) and Se ille (1* and 2*)
Di ec o Ho els o Cadiz (2* and 4*)
Di ec o Ho els o Se ille (2 ho els o 3*), Huel a (4*) and Cadiz (3*)
Di ec o Ho els o G anada (3* and 4*)
Di ec o Ho els o Malaga (4* and 5*), Cadiz (4*) and Se ille (3* and
4*)
The Flow o Digi al T ansi ion: The Challenges o Technological…
Appendix2 Ques ionnai e—Lis o Indica o s
Block 1: echnological solu ions, in es men s, and limi a ions
Wha a e he mos implemen ed TS and equipmen , hose wi h he g ea es
need o implemen a ion (p io i y), and non-p io i y ones? I you ha e a
PMS, which one do you use?
Open ques ions
Wha a e he main ba ie s and possible obs acles when implemen ing new
echnologies, TS, and so wa e?
E alua ion o he le els o echnological implemen a ion in he es ablishmen Ve y low le el
Low le el
Medium le el
High le el
Ve y high le el
E alua ion o in es men le els alloca ed o he implemen a ion o ST and
digi al echnologies
Technological implemen a ion: numbe o ST implemen ed and ope a ional Ve y low (less han 5)
Low (6 o 10)
Medium (11 o 15)
High (16 o 20)
Ve y high (mo e han 20)
Planned in es men in echnology o he nex yea by H* ca ego y (€) 0
25,000–50,000
50,000–100,000
100,000–200,000
200,000–300,000
Mo e han 300,000
E alua ion o he impo ance o economic aid om he adminis a ion o
echnological implemen a ion No impo an
Sligh ly impo an
Nei he much no li le
Qui e impo an
Ve y impo an
Block 2. in as uc u es, in eg a ions, and analysis
E alua ion o he le el o digi al quali ica ion o employees Ve y low le el
Low le el
Medium le el
High le el
Ve y high le el
Capaci y o he echnological in as uc u e o unde ake a digi al ans o -
ma ion p ocess
Deg ee o acquisi ion o new cus ome s and/o income om digi al p oduc s
and se ices
Deg ee o in eg a ion and connec ion be ween ST (PMS, ERP, CRS, RMS,
CRM, e c.)
Implemen a ion le el: 0–10
Implemen a ion le el o cybe secu i y ools, da a analysis, BD, e c
Analysis o cus ome complain s o imp o e ope a ional managemen
Use o echnologies o a ac cus ome s
Use o echnologies o analyse cus ome in o ma ion
Acknowledgemen s TED2021-131577B/AEI/h ps:// doi. o g/ 10. 13039/ 50110 00110 33
/ EU
Nex Gene a ionEU/PRTR and TUR-RETOS2022-033/Minis y o Indus y, T ade and Tou ism/EU
Nex Gene a ionEU”/PRTR IATUR, bo h o which a e R & D p ojec s. The au ho s would also like o
hank he Andalusian Fede a ion o Ho els and Tou is Accommoda ion (Fede ación Andaluza de Ho eles y
Alojamien os Tu ís icos—FAHAT).
Decla a ions
Con lic o in e es The e a e no con lic s o in e es s.
A.M.Ga cía-López e al.
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