APPLICATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO HOTELS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

The introduction of information technology ( IT ) is a very recent phenomena that began in the early 1980s. Its use has received national recognition in the government and financial sectors, but appears to be less significant in the hotel scene. This may be attributed to the service element that is so closely attached to the industry. IT in hotels is, hence, implemented as discreetly as possible, so that service will always be the top priority. In view of this, surveys by way of personal interviews were carried out to determine the extent of IT that has been achieved in the local hotel scene. The benefits, problems and considerations in using IT were also examined. The analysis was undertaken using the Statistical Analysis Package ( SAS ) System. The findings indicated that, in general, IT has been applied in the local hotels. The level of application, however, differs with some of the hotels having just basic IT features ( 43% ) and others with comprehensive characteristics ( 57% ). The response, in respect of the benefits of using IT has been favourable, particularly in relation to productivity, information quality and marketing. The use of IT, however, is not without its problems. The training of staff is the main difficulty encountered by 55% of the respondents. Moreover, there are various considerations attached to the use of more IT. The hefty expenditure involved in acquiring new technology has been cited by at least 80% of the sample surveyed. The industry will continue to remain conservative in the short run. It is hoped that the implementation of the IT development masterplan, IT 2000, will help to enhance exploitation of computers in hotels. Caution, however, must be exercised to ensure that computerisation will not be at the expense of service.