Hospitality Upgrade Magazine Survey at Annual CIO Summit

• 
  SAVE
• 
  SHARE
• 
  TEXT SIZE
• 
  PRINT
• 
  COMMENT
• 
  PDF

. October 01, 2009

ATLANTA, GA, September 25, 2009 - Hospitality Upgrade, the leading technology magazine published for hotel, travel and foodservice professionals, welcomed the largest-ever crowd for its eighth annual CIO Summit, Sept. 9-11, 2009, despite the difficult economic times. This year 49 CIOs attended the Summit from companies such as Hyatt, IHG, Harrah's Entertainment, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Marriott, Royal Caribbean, Starwood and Diamond Resorts International as well as many smaller hotel and management companies, cruise lines, vacation ownership and gaming companies.

During the event, Hospitality Upgrade used an audience response system to ask attendees some key questions regarding their technology budgets, including how their current budgets are allocated, as well as their plans for the future.

What is your technology budget for 2009?

A surprising 39 percent of attendees indicated their budgets are unchanged or increased from 2008.

Of your current IT budget, how are you allocating your funds?

Twenty six percent of attendees reported they are upgrading property systems and guestroom offerings, and 38 percent said they are maintaining their existing systems.

What are your current hiring plans?

Thankfully, only 12 percent of those polled said they are planning more layoffs, a sign that the hospitality industry is on its way to a full recovery.

What are your plans for guest facing mobile applications?

Twenty two percent of the CIO audience have already launched mobile applications and 42 percent are exploring it for 2010.

What is the future of HTNG?

Attendees had a lively discussion about the past, the present and the long-term future outlook of HTNG. Many were surprised with the comments during this discussion.

The complete survey results as well as a review of the 2009 CIO Summit will be featured in the fall issue of Hospitality Upgrade. To sign up for a free subscription, please visit http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_subscribe/subscribe.asp

About The CIO Summit

The CIO Summit is the event for the "who's who" of technology leaders at major hotel, casino, cruise line, management and timeshare companies. It is an invitation-only event that offers a combination of networking, social events and program unlike any other. Titles of attendees include: CIO, SVP of IT, CTO and VP of Technology. The CIO Summit offers attendees the chance to meet with key industry players, analyze trends and discuss current challenges and issues in a relaxed environment. The Summit offers this and a unique peer group that attendees can call on throughout the year.

CIOs in attendance at the 2009 CIO Summit included: Al J. Schneider Company; Aspen Skiing Company; Best Western International; Bluegreen; Canyon Ranch; Carnival Cruise Lines; CTF Development, Inc.; Davidson Hotel Company; Denihan Hospitality Group; Destination Hotels & Resorts; Diamond Resorts International; Extended Stay Hotels; Fairmont Raffles Hotels International; Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts; Great Wolf Resorts; The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa; Grupo Posadas; Harrah's Entertainment; HEI Hotels & Resorts; Horseshoe Bay Resort; Hyatt Hotels Corporation; IHG; Interstate Hotels and Resorts; Kerzner International; Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants; Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants; Loews Hotels; LQ Management LLC; Magnolia Hotels; Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group; The Marcus Corporation; Marriott International; Millennium Hotels; MTM Luxury Lodging; New Castle Hotels LLC; Noble Investment Group; Omni Hotels; Orient-Express; Red Lion Hotels Corporation; Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; Saunders Hotel Group; Sonesta International Hotels Corporation; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.; Thayer Lodging Group; Trump Hotel Collection; White Lodging; Wyndham Worldwide; and Xanterra Parks & Resorts.