TMCnews Featured Article

Enterprise VoIP Revenues to Grow in Hospitality Industry: Report

By Stefania Viscusi, Assignment Desk Editor

In a bid to offer premium customer service and staff accountability, many top-tier proprieties in the hospitality industry are making the move to IP telephone networks.

 

According to Stan Schatt, vice president of ABI Research (News - Alert), “High-end hotels are increasingly turning to technology as a differentiator to attract a high-spending clientele.”

 

The benefits of IP telephony in hotels and at resorts will also move to mid-range hotels and make it possible for guests to more easily make bookings, purchase items from the hotel, and more.

 

According to the latest report from ABI Research, “Enterprise Communications (News - Alert) in the Hospitality Industry,” while worldwide revenue from these systems totaled only $869 million in 2008, by the end of 2014 annual earnings will exceed $2 billion.

 

“These services put a premium on improving customer service and staff accountability,” Schatt said.

 

Initial penetration will focus on those customers wiling to spend $300 or more a night, but is expected to eventually also make its way into mid-range hotels.

 

“The variety of technologies needed to deliver such services means that this market is difficult for vendors to reach,” says Schatt. “It may require several different channels, including systems integrators.”

Another recent report from Frost & Sullivan (News - Alert) also notes that the market for visual collaboration services, which was once strained by resource and management restrictions, is increasing as new technologies make managed services possible.

 

According to the report, “World Visual Collaboration Managed Services Markets,” the market, which earned $82.7 million in revenues in 2008, will hit $938.8 million by 2015.

 

The availability of managed services has removed concerns around the difficulty of deployment and the need for extensive training of the services. Instead, access to these collaboration tools is now available at the click of a button.

 

 

For more, check out the Enterprise VoIP channel on TMCnet.

 

Stefania Viscusi is an assignment editor for TMCnet, covering voice and Voice over IP technologies. She also oversees production of TMCnet's e-Newsletters in the areas of Internet telephony and speech technology. To read more of Stefania's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Stefania Viscusi