The world is changing, and it’s evident in many sectors. One of the most representative of these changes is tourism. The development of new technologies that enable increasing empowerment of individuals through their mobile devices, the desire to discover the essence of the places they visit, or the constant search for vital experiences during travels that add value to them, are just some of the tangible trends seen for years.
The Impact of Innovation in the Tourism Sector
Tourism has unquestionable relevance today as an engine of economic and social development, creating employment and wealth due to its strong pulling power on other productive activities. The importance of tourism is on a rising trend, as deduced from the forecasts of the World Tourism Organization. In Spain, tourism is a cornerstone of the economy, representing over 11% of the GDP and around 12% of employment.
However, tourism development must go hand in hand with new trends. Nowadays, innovation has become an essential factor in achieving the success of businesses and, consequently, a key factor in the growth of each country’s economy. Within the service sector and other sectors of the economy, innovation is a concept used in response to consumer demands, market requirements, and global competition.
New Technologies and Their Role in Current Tourism
The hotel industry has distinctive features and peculiarities that need to be identified to interpret and recognize the innovative activity within it. Alongside themes like the impact of the internet and the integration of information technologies into the sector, where there is a clearly recognized and widespread innovative effort, numerous aspects of the business are experiencing continuous improvements and changes.
BlueBay Hotels: A Leader in Hotel Innovation
After forty years in the hotel business, BlueBay Hotels has become one of the most innovative chains in our country. Over four decades, BlueBay Hotels has been at the forefront of the hotel industry with approximately 60 hotels in more than 30 destinations and nearly 5,000 employees. BlueBay Hotels covers urban and sun-and-beach segments, establishing itself as a leading company in the sector and catering to a broad spectrum of demand through its various brands: Le Royal, Blue Diamond, BlueBay Hotels & Resorts, and BelleVue Hotels & Resorts.
“In 21st-century tourism, there are prominent factors that were not considered decades ago. The rise of collaborative or social tourism is being increasingly felt, changing people’s travel habits and elevating tourism to a way of life,” says Jamal Satli Iglesias, president of BlueBay Hotels, one of the Spanish hotel chains joining the evolution of their sector with a young management team and a completely innovative concept in line with the new market demands.
Innovative Strategies of BlueBay Hotels
Let’s look at some factors that make this chain stand out for its innovative character compared to its counterparts:
- Commitment to online tourist information about destinations and services on its blog and social media, with direct communication with its customers and a 100% response rate on all its channels
- Streamlining online bookings through its website and the Instant Booking system, becoming the first Spanish chain to allow direct booking through TripAdvisor
- Hiring tourism innovation expert Jimmy Pons as a marketing, innovation, quality, and development advisor. With proven experience in the sector and being a pioneer in tourism 2.0, Jimmy Pons’ profile is focused on the application of new technologies, communication and marketing tools, as well as content generation. In this regard, he stands out as a blogger, being one of the “top influencers” in the national tourism scene
- Adapting its hotel categories to all spheres and types of tourists
- Addressing the needs of the hyperconnected tourist by offering WiFi in its hotels. The internet is a key element before, during, and after each trip, and BlueBay Hotels is aware of the modern traveler’s need to stay connected to their mobile devices at all times
- Children are not an obstacle. Today’s families seek paradisiacal destinations and want to share them with their children. The BlueBay Group owns hotels in the Caribbean and Europe, geared towards family tourism with leisure and entertainment offerings for all ages
- 21st-century tourists seek to live unique experiences, and among the services of some of the group’s hotels, noteworthy experiences include participating in a temazcal in Riviera Maya or experiencing Revivir, a luxury oriental spa treatment, to name a few examples
