Have you ever wonder how ICT changed the way travellers look for and book hotel accomodations?
What is ICT?
Information and communication technologies (ICT) is a general term that stresses the role of communications(telephone lines and wireless signals) in modern information technology. ICT compromises of all technical means to handle information and aid communication. It includes both computer and network hardware as well as necessary software.
3 Major Forms of e-commerce
Recently there has been a shift to e-commerce and there are three different categories as shown below:
B2C-the conducting of commerce by businesses over the internet. For example attracting the consumers to internet websites.
B2B- the electronic exchange of business, documents between business for the purpose of conducting commerce. For example, transaction between hotels and travel agencies.
C2C-there are many sites offering free classified, auctions, forums where individual can buy and sell thanks to online payment system like paypal where people can send and receive money online with ease.
How has it evolved?
What is ICT?
Information and communication technologies (ICT) is a general term that stresses the role of communications(telephone lines and wireless signals) in modern information technology. ICT compromises of all technical means to handle information and aid communication. It includes both computer and network hardware as well as necessary software.
3 Major Forms of e-commerce
Recently there has been a shift to e-commerce and there are three different categories as shown below:
B2C-the conducting of commerce by businesses over the internet. For example attracting the consumers to internet websites.
B2B- the electronic exchange of business, documents between business for the purpose of conducting commerce. For example, transaction between hotels and travel agencies.
C2C-there are many sites offering free classified, auctions, forums where individual can buy and sell thanks to online payment system like paypal where people can send and receive money online with ease.
B2C e-commerce | B2B e-commerce | C2C e-commerce | |
Value-Chain | Customer chain | Supply chain | Community chain |
Economic actors | Company/ Consumers | Company/ Suppliers | Consumers/ Consumers |
Direction of Transactional flow | Consumer - Customer | Company - Supplier | Consumer - Consumer |
Nature of Goods/Services | Standard-priced items | Customised/High-price items | Negotiated/Low-price items |
Form of Commerce | Cash/ Credit Commerce | Credit/ Repeat Commerce | Cash Commerce |
Model of Economic Exchange | Markets | Hierarchies | Markets |
How has it evolved?
In the past...
Business- to-business (B2B)
1. Making a trip to tour agencies, collecting different brochures and then making comparisons before
coming to a decision - these process are part of the hassle that travellers would encounter.- costly in terms of time and effort
2. Customers had to call up the hotels personally to make phone bookings or to enquire about various hotels services and facilities.
- This sometimes lead to distortion of information due to communication breakdown and customers may not get the relevant information that they need.
- Some travellers who go down to the hotel directly upon reaching their destination may face the problem of a fully-booked hotel.This disrupts their travel itineary plans.
Now...
Business-to-consumer(B2C)
1. Booking sites/Transaction Broker
These sites enables us to compare the details of any number of hotels and then make a qualified decision as to which hotel to choose from. They also offer trusted advise from real travellers and a variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools.
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| Hotels.com |
 |
| agoda.com |
2. Hotels website
With just a click on the mouse, we can check the availability of hotel rooms and the web provide us with a detailed and informative information. Promtions available during a certain time period can be view from the web especially during festive periods. There are varieties of spa treatment, high tea and executive suite priced cheaper than usual.
With just a click on the mouse, we can check the availability of hotel rooms and the web provide us with a detailed and informative information. Promtions available during a certain time period can be view from the web especially during festive periods. There are varieties of spa treatment, high tea and executive suite priced cheaper than usual.
 |
| Amara hotel's online reservation services |
3. Google street view maps
Consumers can easily access the location of the hotels using the iphone GPRS application. Through this application they can view the real life image of the vicinity of the hotel to assess its surrounding area. This is especially useful for individual who are unfamilar with the location.
 |
| Google street map |
Evaluation
Past | Present | |
Advantages | - Older generations who are not technically-savvy would be more comfortable with this method - Private information is not subjected to privacy issue over the internet | - Allow for effective and seamless booking and removal of manual processes - Presense of two way communication where hoteliers are able to obtain feedbacks and suggestions from customers through online columns -Can make comparsion between different hotels and get the best option |
Limitations | - Costly in terms of time and effort when personal trips are made to the travel agencies. | - Fluctuating hotel prices where prices differ within minutes or even seconds -More work is needed to create effective security standards for the transmission of internet booking |
Conclusion
The electronic environment is not just part of our life, it is our life. It is not enough to know how to operate the technology of information. It is also necessary to assess the worth, reliability, and ultimate functionality of the information that is found. In the past, ICT meant only teaching the use of technology, such as computers and digital devices. Today, and into the future, it means teaching how to acquire, evaluate, and interpret the limitless amount of information available.
ICT has indeed make our lives better and help hotels to generate much more profits. It also tap into the wider market and help reach consumer faster and better. Hotel websites provide information and photographs of the rooms and facilities offered at their hotels and many general booking sites provide reviews from past guests which can be helpful to read before making your hotel reservation.
ICT has indeed make our lives better and help hotels to generate much more profits. It also tap into the wider market and help reach consumer faster and better. Hotel websites provide information and photographs of the rooms and facilities offered at their hotels and many general booking sites provide reviews from past guests which can be helpful to read before making your hotel reservation.
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