ITB Berlin: Human Connection meets Hospitality Innovation

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It’s always a pleasure to attend ITB Berlin, but this year, as 100,000 people gathered at Messe Berlin, it felt like a reunion. The presence of so many people and the number of great conversations I had, to me, reflect the growing recovery of the hospitality industry over the past few years post-Covid.

Over the three days, I was lucky enough to have some insightful conversations with some of Planet’s customers and partners.

It was exciting to discuss the most relevant topics in hospitality today and discuss solutions and trends in real time. What can be a lengthy back-and-forth over email becomes a five-minute discussion over a coffee.

That’s the beauty of attending the world’s biggest hospitality tradeshow. After a week or so reflecting on the event, here are my thoughts on the most important topics to come from ITB Berlin:

It’s (still) all about payments

It’s always a topic on my mind, but payments felt like the buzzword of ITB this year. And with good reason. Payments are everywhere – whether you were an exhibitor selling booking engines, PMS, CRS or software.

Customers like to be able to pay at a single point in the booking process. So, now more than ever, hotels are realising they need to make smarter decisions when it comes to payments, to make the journey as efficient and frictionless as possible.

Working with lots of different payment partners across the entire customer journey can often be a challenge. These days, its often better to work with a single provider that can give you a connected experience from booking to check-out. It’s also a more efficient way to operate.

Conversations around how to make this work are why events like ITB Berlin are so important – you can discuss issues in person, establish relationships and work out solutions face-to-face.

I had a lot of conversations around hospitality payments – it seems this huge topic is only getting bigger and bigger in the industry. But why is it now becoming the main point of conversation for the hospitality technology stack?

Efficiency is key

Today’s global guests expect a smooth journey from booking to check-out. We know from Planet’s research that for over 20% of global guests, just being recognised when returning to a hotel is important.

Plus, 40% of guests say that while the hotel may have their name and personal details ready and available, they may need to provide their payment details again. For security, this seems understandable, but it’s an opportunity for hotels to make the most of a tokenization tool which complies with the necessary payments legislation and securely stores customers' details for when they return.

This helps make the payments process smooth – almost invisible – and therefore gives the guests a better brand experience. At ITB, I found that more hoteliers are becoming aware of the decisions they need to take to facilitate the seamless experiences that guests’ demand.

I spoke to the Finance Director of a large hotel chain, and top of mind for them was the question of how to manage payments efficiently for their international guests, allowing them to pay easily and efficiently at each touchpoint.

The answer? Opt for a single provider who can cover the entire customer journey. The omnichannel experience is crucial to get right – it all adds to the positive brand experience.

Stay on top of legislation

Payments are global – you can’t think of them just in a local context anymore. But with this comes the challenge of legislation and compliance.

Outdated reservation methods and platforms are becoming obsolete thanks to legislation like PSD2/3 which includes SCA. These rules mean businesses need customer consent at every stage, to authorise every transaction.

So, for hotel chains with complex payment flows, a tech stack that complies with the highest industry standards is essential. Again, tokenisation plays a key role. Only 23% of guests globally say they are never, or hardly ever, asked to fill in forms when checking in at reception. In a tech-driven world, this increases friction for the guest. Tokenisation allows data processed during online booking to be stored securely then recalled throughout the guest stay. So, any additional payments or refunds can be processed seamlessly. It facilitates a better guest experience.

PMS and Payments – better together

It was exciting to hear at ITB more and more people talking about the benefits of integrating payments and PMS. Given the ever-changing landscape and what guests’ demand, it’s an important step for hotels to take to deliver the best experience – for guests and staff alike.

With a centralised tech stack that includes payments, hotels will gain back time to spend making the guest experience the best it can be. Take one of Planet’s customers, Hotel Nordic, which combined their PMS, payments and Booking Engine to streamline their hotel operations and help them scale. Or Hollybourne Developments, a UK hotel chain which has levelled up customer experience and given staff a centralised, real-time view of payments and bookings.

Stories like these show how getting the integration with PMS and Payments right can be game-changing for hotels. Payments shouldn’t be an afterthought. Another service to add on after you have set up your PMS. Instead, payments should be at the heart of a great guest experience in your hotel. This means payments should be central to building your hotel tech stack and driving the best guest experience. The prize for getting it right is guest loyalty, increases spending and getting to know your guests better.

Finally, a big thank you to the Planet team, ITB Berlin and everyone who contributed to such a fantastic event. See you next year!

In the meantime, let me know your thoughts in the comments. Which trends and themes are you seeing in the industry? What are the big opportunities hoteliers can’t miss this year?

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