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

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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