Managing Hospitality Information Technology in Europe: Issues, Challenges and Priorities

ABSTRACT Although widely used throughout hospitality, the management of information technology based systems is perceived as challenging. Proprietary systems abound, data integration is problematic and investments are difficult to justify. Existing research focuses exclusively on the U.S. lodging sector, largely ignoring the challenges of operating in an international environment. By interviewing CIOs, this study explores three interconnected issues – the challenges of managing hospitality IT systems in Europe; chains' short term system priorities; and forecasted barriers to success. Findings reveal that similar issues exist in the both U.S. and Europe, and that little progress is being made on addressing long standing industry wide challenges.