THE IMPACT OF INTERACTIVE HOTEL MAPPING TECHNOLOGY ON BUSINESS PROCESSES IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

Abstract

The article explores the prospects and main directions of development of interactive hotel mapping technology. Emphasis is placed on the integral nature of the application of innovative digital technologies in the context of digital-transformation of the business environment of the tourism and hospitality industry. The aim of the article is to investigate the impact of successful practices of interactive hotel mapping on increasing efficiency, improving and modifying business processes of companies operating in the tourism and hospitality industry. The following research methods were used: observation, systematization and analysis of practical activity of the subjects of the hospitality sphere, as well as logical-analytical and system-structural methods. Interactive hotel mapping is an application of virtual reality technology. The components of this technology are indoor navigation, routing and virtual tours. The most positive effect of the technology in question has if its application is combined with other innovative digital technologies and organically fits into business processes at different stages of the production cycle. The biggest impact of interactive hotel mapping technology is on business processes related to marketing, reservations and front office service. A successful practice is the integration of the technology in question with Smart Room technology. Due to the technological peculiarities of providing indoor positioning, IT-products for interactive hotel mapping tend to specialize and demonstrate a low level of unification. For OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) and other actors providing indoor services on the booking market, the most urgent problem is the problem of unification of positioning indicators. This factor should be taken into account by firms-developers of specialized software. The scientific novelty of the study consists in the clarification and systematization of successful practices in the application of interactive mapping technology; identification of the most promising areas for improving business processes under the influence of the technology under consideration. The practical value of the obtained results lies in the possibility of their use in the practical activities of both tourism and hospitality companies and companies developing specialized IT products for the tourism and hospitality industry.