PESTANA HOTEL GROUP
“ The hospitality industry is a testing ground for understanding how people interact with technology ”
— Gonçalo Marques Oliveira , CIO , Pestana Hotel Group
150 iOS ), is its most concentrated effort in this area : empowering customers to make a reservation , check-in , checkout , and engage with hotels digitally ( or not ) in the capacity that they are comfortable with , the app is important for realising the hospitality sector ’ s need for tech-enhanced , COVID-secure operations . “ We ’ ll also be investing some money in VR to provide a virtual 3D tour of our properties instead of just looking at pictures ,” Oliveira adds .
If a piece of technology can result in a greater customer experience , Pestana isn ’ t afraid of investing money to explore the idea . This willingness , in addition to its strong finances , are two qualities that Oliveira highlights as putting the company ahead of its competition . Another factor is its ownership by shareholder Dionísio Pestana , son of one the original founders Manuel Pestana , which Oliveira believes adds a sense of ‘ trademark ’, integrity and far-reaching industry experience to its daily operations . Having an knowledgeable individual at the helm could prove crucial for navigating hospitality ’ s post-COVID-19 landscape , where many are carefully considering what the industry ’ s future might look like . “ First of all ,
NOVEMBER 2020