Tech spec: Do speed and size matter?

Over the years, many of the processes we once relied on in business travel and meetings management have withered.

Letters, A4 folio folders of invoices, photocopiers, fax machines and multi-channel fax servers - all consigned to the dusty store of the old and obsolete, right next to the franking machine which we used to pay for the postman. Today, a £350 iPad is a far more powerful tool than those bulky, beige PCs we paid a fortune for in the year 2000. And storage capacity has skyrocketed from 10GB drives the size of hardback novels to half-terabyte storage devices smaller than a car key. 

All this shrinking size while growing capacity begs the age-old question: does size matter? The answer, as ever, is a resounding no. It’s not about the size, or the speed, it’s about the user experience. 

User experience 

Tech marches on, but is the user experience better? As technology has advanced, the way we handle tasks has changed dramatically, but the underlying goal remains the same – making life easier for users. Teams once managed billback processes with mountains of paper: sending hotel confirmations by fax, filing invoices in binders, and juggling postal deliveries. Now, our billback team handles the same tasks digitally, working with emails and virtual folders. But the goal remains the same: ‘let us save you from doing that’. 

Despite fears that automation and AI would reduce jobs, in fact we’ve seen the opposite. For example, today, more than 90 per cent of Inntel’s bookings are processed online, yet we’ve grown our operational teams to handle the more complex, high-touch tasks.  

Technology has streamlined simpler jobs, but people remain essential for ensuring clients get the best experience. And while we may no longer print tickets or rely on the postman, the client still gets their room, flight, or meeting space booked – just more efficiently. 

The game changers 

Technology is full of trends that were once thought to change everything. Not too long ago, our customer advocates started asking how we could integrate services like Airbnb and Uber.  I’d always respond with: “If they have an API (application programming interface) we can see what we could do.” But that API never came.  

Tracking travellers was also a challenge we once faced. Then we had to consider GDPR. Inntel’s next app will solve this by giving users the option to do a one click check-in button when they reach their destination – then it’s the user’s choice.  

Booking meetings online is next, and we’re proud to have just launched this function for small meetings on our LOGiC online booking tool. We’re making it super simple to book that meeting room, get that flip chart and have those bacon rolls and coffee ready at 11am on the button.   

Then there’s the payment side. Virtual credit cards now handle transactions seamlessly through APIs, bypassing the need for physical cards or machines. No more waiting for the postman to deliver receipts; everything is handled digitally, with accuracy and security.