Manoj Mohanty, Senior VP – Sales (South Asia & SE Asia), IDS Next: We are releasing a host of new products in 2021

The industry understands the importance of technology and is now embracing it too. The value of technology and the role it can play for several benefits are being understood. Manoj Mohanty, Senior Vice President of Sales (South Asia & SE. Asia) at IDS Next talks to Sanjiv of WOH News about the host of business and service enhancement solutions it offers to help its partners increase operational efficiency, profitability and reduction of costs.

Technology solutions are always seen with a sceptical eye. How is the HoReCa technology landscape changing in India?

Technology solutions used to be seen with some scepticism in the past by some quarters. Many within the industry understood and embraced the importance of technology. They understood the value of technology and the role it can play for their benefit.

Hospitality technology today is seeing accelerated rates of adoption. Several companies are getting ahead with the implementation of holistic technology solutions that they want to adopt, as technology can help hoteliers connect with their guests easily. Furthermore, it allows them to have a deeper human bonding, which is only possible by mixing technology and human touch. To create a better experience for the guests and ultimately boost revenue, technology adoption is a must. India has always been ahead in terms of adoption—from large domestic chains to smaller ones, everyone is quick to adopt the best technology available.

Your viewpoint on technology vs the ROI it offers to hospitality establishments.

Investment in technology is a core element and it becomes a strong decision for those in the hospitality industry. It allows establishments to expand to broader markets and reach millions of people, thus increasing their presence and visibility.

Also, products such as the comprehensive Hotel ERP systems, integrated with all major revenue, distribution, and CRM that IDS offers, provide an all-inclusive technology platform for hospitality establishments. These solutions can deliver a perfectly curated and tailored experience for the guests while streamlining operations for the workforce. All-in-all, technology provides an excellent ROI and is a worthy approach to be taken.

The immediate challenge is to make hospitality establishments survive with bare minimum revenue to keep them more than just functional. What does IDS Next offer to make their operations streamlined for better bottom line going forward?

IDS Next brings in 33 years of unparalleled domain expertise into the hospitality technology world. We are one of the only companies to provide fully integrated on-premise and enterprise-level cloud SaaS solutions.

We provide a host of business and service enhancement solutions seamlessly integrated with the world’s best revenue, distribution, CRM and loyalty platforms, which help our hotel partners increase operational efficiency, profitability and reduction of costs. Our solutions, combined with the support and training we provide, facilitate the creation of a memorable guest experience.

How is IDS Next positioning its offerings in 2021? What is your strategic approach to make your services reach larger audience?

We are releasing a host of new products in 2021. During the pandemic, we were amongst the handful of companies that responded almost immediately to the rapid changes and requirements for a complete contactless guest journey. Our development teams were able to design and introduce to the market FX GeM, a sophisticated application that provides guests with complete control of their journey, from check-in to check-out. Many of our applications are futuristic and available on mobile platforms. Our solutions are much loved by the millennial travellers who want to have their own space, whether on a business and or luxury trip, while being cautious of the new norm of social distancing and avoiding human contacts due to the ongoing pandemic.

We are a company well-versed of the changing demands of hotel partners and the industry at large. In line with these changes, we are launching a host of new solutions that will complement our existing solutions and products, expanding our capabilities and reach.

Looking at the current scope of hospitality and travel business, what would be your advice to hospitality establishments for achieving better RevPAR, OPS optimisation, etc.?

If the current pandemic situation recedes, there’s a huge potential for rise in domestic travellers. Once tourism is back, the best approach for hospitality establishments will be to build a better connection with guests during their pre-stay stage, offering all value-added services that they may have. These include spa treatments, curated yoga sessions, dinner on a starlit night, and sightseeing to local places of interest. Anything beyond the conventional offers is required for a better RevPar. Moreover, technology can allow them to retain the human touch despite the current circumstances.

Hotels can offer a one-stop package of services and activities by creating an experience that would be loved, shared with their family, friends and colleagues, leading to a substantial marketing and reputational boost.